Jim Crow Lives!

He's back and by heck has he reflected. Mark his words: hard as he tried to be objective and unemotional in balancing all the pros and cons of 'all' the 'history-making', the proverbial woodpecker, 'psychotic' or otherwise, has been persistently hammering away at his grey cells; or is it conscience? Dialogue amongst neighbours is always desirable and any ensuing mutual cooperation is most welcome by the vast majority on The Rock. 'Political' deals, under the guise of 'diplomacy of citizens' (when none were allowed to put in a word edgeways), to accommodate, acknowledge and respect the anachronistic position of the claimants to the Gibraltarians' homeland, is another matter all together. As the 'social engineering', envisaged at the time of 'la apertura de la verja', did not materialize to any significant 'natural' extent, now, it is being legislated for, with subtlety or sublimely, by the HoA cum Parliament, whether by consensus or majority, though the latter is tantamount to the whim of one person. In a democratic society, people should not think in terms of having laws other than those that allow private citizens to make their own free choice in so far as their future is concerned.

THE CUDDLES
During the past fortnight, this columnist, tormented by the mischievous woodpecker, has had a couple of agonising niggles ever present in the back of his mind. Both go back to the 16th December, the day the eagle landed with the dove from the Chief Minister's ark firmly clutched in his talons. So let's take each in turn. Firstly, there're the cuddles at the foot of the plane. Watching the Chief Minister hugging his new found friends, the representatives of a government that has only one aim, must have wretched the stomachs of many who saw GBC's transmission of the proceedings, so full of spin and propaganda, whoever produced or orchestrated it. A handshake would have done, but this Chief Minister of ours knows no bounds in profaning the sensitivities of the 'llanitos' as not to upset the 'talante' of the Spaniards. Perhaps he was just rubbing salt into the wounds of those dissenters who condemn his respect for the Spanish claim. The Israelis and Palestinians usually conclude their business with a shake of hands, with the occasional embrace for the cameras, but theirs is a two-state solution. The neighbours have a somewhat different agenda. Of course, none of this affects the believers in miracles, the 'limpiachaquetas' and especially, those about to receive, who all wallowed in such a making of history, to which they all, in one-way or another, afforded their grain of sand.

After all the fine words, mutual flattery, from all and sundry at the tarmac - let's not call it Gibraltar Airport, otherwise, we'll get into semantics not dissimilar to those of frontier/fence - and some patriotic waving of the 'banderita roja y gualda', not deemed likely to cause a breach of the peace by the RGP - it did not take long for Bernardino de Léon, whilst still on The Rock, on the tarmac, at the Rock Hotel or the Apes' Den, who cares, to remind the Spanish media of the impending sovereignty issue(s). What a gay day was had by all and not a protester in sight. That brings us nicely to the second issue.

A LONE PROTESTOR
All fairy stories have their dark side and this one was no exception. A lone protester, with an inoffensive placard - no to joint airport/no to concessions - makes his way to Princess Caroline's Battery to await the official motorcade carrying the Spanish dignitaries on a Rock Tour. He is soon confronted by the RGP and instructed to move on because 'no protests are permitted today'. No one can really believe that this was the spontaneous reaction of an eager officer. Neither can it be assumed that it was the unilateral decision of any of his superiors, all the way up to the Commissioner. All fingers point to the Chief Minister.  Nothing was going to spoil his grand day, even if it meant the suppression of basic human rights, supposedly protected by the old and new Constitutions, The Spaniards must have gone away rather impressed with the efficiency of the absolute monarch, which fares well for upcoming incursions. The lackeys will, no doubt, perversely condone the said dictate. The politically correct will say that it was not a day for such behaviour. So, when it is appropriate? Ever - increasing encroachments into people's basic rights, be it through legislation or abuse of power, will only lead to a parliamentary dictatorship of the 'panzista'. If that sounds too outlandish to some, read on.

RETALIATORY MEASURE
Readers may well be aware, it's common knowledge, that VOX has been excluded from the distribution of GoG public notices. It did not end there. After the original retaliatory measure, came the withdrawal of all advertising from those blessed with its patronage. The excuse, yes, excuse, at the time, was the publication, in the online version of the newspaper, of a satirical picture of the Chief Minister, - deemed offensive to some and perhaps rightly so. On request, it was immediately removed with the relevant apology. Before anyone throws up his/her arms in disgust at the slight, let everyone be reminded that, some time in the past, a similar caricature of other local politicians was circulated by supporters of the GSD, but which was taken with a pinch of salt and no hysterical ado. Now there's more. Readers will recall a recently published letter from an anonymous GSD supporter who slated the present paper and praised that produced by the previous editor. Well, matters, dating back to those bygone days and ignored to-date, have now been revisited by the powers that be. An ultimatum was recently received, demanding settlement of those long-standing 'affairs', by today, or face eviction. Obviously, the editorial line has shifted substantially, to the great discomfort of the ruling elite, and as such, must be silenced. Under these circumstances, it will be an uphill struggle for VOX to survive, but try, by all legitimate means possible, it will. That a general election is just round the corner, is, of course, a mere coincidence.

A PHOBIA OF DISSIDENCE
The significant thing now, is its own reaction, at ease in the tumult, with no fear and focussed on recording what is happening in the local conflictive atmosphere. It's been VOX's intention, and continues to be so, to act as the voice of the 'non-people', to speak for them, to give utterance to their ideals, to defend them against, bureaucratic, administrative and governmental abuses, so often whitewashed with a veneer of spin and propaganda. This can only be achieved by getting close to the action and putting the voices of the so called 'non-people' in the public domain - in other words people who are not politicians or spokesmen for pressure or interest groups. If it fulfils the one and only condition, truth (at least from his and their perspectives), the writer's duty is to publish it whatever the pleasure, pain, satisfaction or annoyance it might cause. It is very difficult to comprehend how an administration, so much in control of every aspect of public life, can suffer such a phobia of dissidence. There's a rumour about town that the reading of VOX by GSD supporters and government employees is banned. Perhaps someone duly affected, but with integrity, can confirm the veracity of this state of paranoia. After all, 'truth' is, at best of times, a subjective concept. But if the GoG is so sure of its policies and performance, there's nothing to hide. It can engage in rational debate, relent on disqualifications or even ignore the dissenters. However, the Orwellian - read Animal Farm & 1984 - reprisals, which GoG is inflicting on VOX and others, leave Alan Parker/Pink Floyd's 'Brick in the Wall' in the proverbial 'pañales'. These actions, bordering on, if not, malice incarnate, go beyond censorship. Such a state of repression of freedom of the press and speech can be overcome with subtle use of one's intellectual attributes, as was the case with Lech Walesa's Solidarity in Poland and Vaclav Havel's Charter 77 in Czechoslovakia. Will that be the case here in Gibraltar? No, if the Chief Minister, a razor in the middle of a marshmallow, imitates General Wojciech Jaruzelski and President Gustav Husak, rolled into one. To avoid readers having to expend too much time on encyclopaedic research, here's the gist in one word, 'dictatorship'.

Known to his fawning supporters as 'their' Chief Minister, his charisma, in a wider sense, is a matter of taste, not that the sycophants on the other side of the political divide are any different in a blind adulation of their leader. Undoubtedly, his disciples consider him clever in his analysis of the problems in local society. Those, with no particular affiliation and of a freethinking nature, have always felt there was something disingenuous about him, a public sanctimony that badly sat on the face of a man who has risen to the top in the shark pool of Gibraltar politics. No one becomes Chief Minister without the ability to plunge and occasionally thrust the knife, or knowing people who will do the plunging for him. There are many ways to cut a man down to size in a place where power is absolute and decisions of all kinds, from land deals to Civil Service jobs are the gift of the supreme leader, unquestioningly assisted by his party hacks. During the present term of office, he has revealed the astonishing venality of The Rock. Local politics is misconceived, frustrating and almost comical, dominated by two figures who have detested each other since time immemorial, but neither has cast himself as the standard bearer for a more pluralistic society.  It all boils down to electoral crusades, based on expediency that has led to a free-for-all in ignorance, greed, clientelism, cronyism, deviousness and backstabbing, all of which have now been elevated to natural virtues. Then, as some sort of martyr, he loathes the dissenting voices, be it the media or pressure groups, every bit as much as his political opponents. Much of the political life of The Rock has become 'tribal', with bitter 'sectarian' divisions that offer all kinds of comparisons with the politics of fear in that infamous apartheid regime elsewhere, still fresh in the minds of many. The People of Gibraltar deserve better.

The GSD and its supporters are a souped-up, spiv's version of the most powerful party machinery anywhere. The Chief Minister leads a party that purports to be the staunch defendant of public morality, holding out against the libertinage of days long-gone, but keen to avoid a stand on any matter of principle, if it can be avoided. The party elites, sharp suits and Oxbridge accents, are afforded the pretensions of a new ascendancy class. Those further down the line have less sophisticated tastes - bingo and basket meals - and roar their support for the boss, a political pygmy class, grateful to be close to the smell of power and ready to abuse any who threaten their chieftain. The Chief Minister is certainly smart enough to see this devotion for the tribal tub-thumping it really is. He enjoys the applause, but some will suspect he nurses a private contempt for his army of sycophants. He's the ultimate incarnation of a creature the Irish have developed over the centuries, the 'Cute Hoor'.

The word 'Cute' in this context means sly. 'Hoor' is a corruption of 'whore, though not meant in any sexual sense and usually offered admiringly; something like 'de p*** madre' in Spanish. This is uttered after a 'listo' manages to get planning permission for an offensive construction in a sensitive area, or after he has ushered some 'primo' or 'enchufado' into a secure official job ahead of better-qualified applicants. The 'Cute Hoor' is not a whore. Gibraltar is the bagatelle and someone the pimp, who flogs its honour to the highest bidder. Such shenanigans are the most expert form of opportunism known to man. Any challenge from politicians or the media is responded with an avalanche of rhetoric and disqualifications, his favourite tactic. He assumes that the audience will appreciate his greater wisdom and brush aside the ignorance of the challenger, bold enough to disagree. He exudes in machismo power. Then comes the onslaught from the party faithful, normally characterised by vicious displays of intolerance and crazed interventions by the 'cassandras' who frighten their flock with visions of hell and damnation.

Sooner rather than later there will be a general election in Gibraltar and its people must seriously consider their voting intentions, because the path ahead is solely in their hands. Hopefully VOX will still be around to contribute to the democratic process.  

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