Financial Stability Spin & “Brexit Election” Smokescreen

Financial Stability Spin & “Brexit Election” Smokescreen

The idea that the Government has “restored financial stability” is pure spin.

22 June 2023

Leader of the Opposition Keith Azopardi said: “The comments by the Chief Minister at the Chamber of Commerce dinner on Tuesday evening are no more than a selective presentation of the facts and spin. Mr Picardo made his comments knowing that the budget figures cannot be revealed by members of the Opposition who have received these in confidence until the budget debate starts in July. He knows we cannot answer in detail now. But when the figures are properly analyzed during that debate people will see that the situation is far removed from that rosy pre- electoral picture presented by Mr Picardo

As for the prospect that we are going into “another Brexit election” that reality is not to his credit. It will be a deep disappointment to many people that 7 years after the Brexit referendum we are the only place without an agreement on a future relationship with the EU after the UK bagged a deal for itself more than 2 years ago. Many people will think that having given the GSLP 7 years it is now time to allow other people to do the job and secure a safe and beneficial agreement for Gibraltar. That opportunity cannot come soon enough for many people. The idea that he is indispensable to achieve a safe and beneficial deal for Gibraltar is laughable.

Even so we totally understand why he would want to make this a Brexit election. That is because however dismal his record is on Brexit over the last 7 years he really doesn’t want to talk about the massive domestic failings, the events surrounding the McGrail inquiry, the special interests, the crisis of truth or the abysmal records on housing, care or the delivery of efficient public services. He is hoping that asking for “one more go” on Brexit will be a smokescreen for all the domestic failures. People will see through all that. This election will be about a whole raft of issues that will be uncomfortable to the GSLP/Libs.”