Spain "uses EU legislation to control Gibraltar seas"

For over 300 years, the old Rock has been a symbol of British pride in the Mediterranean. Since the 19th century Gibraltar has proven its worth to the Royal Navy, especially during the prolonged convoy battles against Hitler's U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic. Spain has long maintained a territorial claim over Gibraltar, basing this on spurious grounds of "territorial integrity" and falling back on skewed interpretations of UN resolutions. (yes, it's a wikipedia link, but it's also a fairly accessible guide to what was said and why, complete with backing references)

The latest in a long string of incursions and abortive Spanish attempts at reclaiming the Rock is an attempt to use EU environmental protocols to gain control over Gibraltarian territorial waters. What alarms me about this latest effort is the complicity of EU bureaucrats and the subversion of the green agenda into an instrument of Spanish foreign policy. While it is not in doubt that the 2002 referendum on joint sovereignty removed any doubts over the wishes of Gibraltarians themselves, the Spanish have pressed on regardless with their efforts to recapture the isthmus.

The worrying thing is that such moves come at a time when the Royal Navy is facing near-complete overstretch (to the point where Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels are undertaking essential duties once covered by HM Ships) and Britain's ability to withstand incursions by Spanish assets into British sovereign waters are vastly reduced. The Gibraltar patrol squadron consists of two 21-tonne boats (see HMS Sabre, above) that look little reduced from pleasure cruising craft; what hope do we have if the Spanish really make a move against British interests?

As much as it goes against my anti-EU instincts to trust any of that hopelessly corrupt institution's organs, I do hope the Gibraltar government's application to the European high court pays off and reverses this pernicious decision. Watch this space.

Brown and the MP code of conduct

Right at this moment in time (against a background of some bugger setting off fireworks in the street - how auspicious), the lead article on the BBC's news homepage is Brown's plan to make a legally binding code of conduct for MPs.

Normally I would be dead against this, but on the face of it, this is a very good idea. As with most other policies from the Labour party, however, the devil will lie firmly in the detail - not that any of that appears to be available. Aunty Beeb managed to put a fairly positive spin on the article, quoting Brown as saying "I did not expect to see instances where there are clear cases which maybe have to be answered for fraud." Then again, judging from the BBC's coverage of the expenses scandals, which glossed over Labour before settling on the Tories and giving much prominence to the departure of Julie Kirkbride, placing her name at the top of all articles relating to the simultaneous resignation of Margaret Moran.

It is through such subtle tricks that the BBC display their pro-Labour leanings. But anyway... the Times has an interesting take on Brown's proposal for reform, lumping it in with his refusal to stand down in any way, shape or form. Clearly the man is crazed by his lust for power; as well as change in the political system, which nobody disputes is long overdue, what Britain needs is the speedy removal of New Labour from power and the installation of a proper Conservative administration with the balls to clean up the vast damage caused by the last 12 years of student union-level politics, spin, deceit and constitutional vandalism.

The question is, will Cameron - at the head of the next government - have the minerals to push these changes through?

Here we are!

I anticipate that the majority of early readers to this will be driven from my old personal blog, which mainly contained highly personal rants about whatever issues weighed on my mind, with a smattering of political comment and the odd piece of original journalism.

To gain a wider audience, I've decided to separate the politics and journalism from the personal, because I think the wider world really couldn't care less about the mundane details of living in a West London backwater. (If you disagree, say so! Comments at the bottom)

Expect the layout to do surprising things in the next week or two while I tweak it to suit.