4 ms·
It's very simple, for Gibraltar, for Falklands, for Pitcairn, etc. It's Self Determination. In Gibraltar and Falklands the people living there have families st
by isostatic 7y ago
It's very simple, for Gibraltar, for Falklands, for Pitcairn, etc.
It's Self Determination. In Gibraltar and Falklands the people living there have families stretching back centuries (over 300 years in Gibraltar's case, 150 in Falklands). Nobody is telling these people they can't become independent, or join another country. They quite simply don't want to.
When things are close in opion, like Scotland and Northern Ireland, then things are more delicate -- you can't please everyone, so you have to do what's the least danger.
In 2013, 92% of the Falklands voted, and 99.8% of those that voted, voted to stay British. In 2002, 88% of Gibraltar voted, and 99% voted to stay British.
- narag 7y agoThe real question is why. First, consider that nobody can be deprived of their nationality. They would still be UK citizens no matter what country owns the place. Now Gibraltar lives mostly on smuggling and money laundering, with a little tourism and the military. The military facilities are no longer very useful for the British. So what would they do there? There are more companies than inhabitants. Once the tax haven status disappears, all this income goes elsewhere. No more turning a blind eye for smuggling. Real state would suffer a big hit too. No wonder they want their town to stay British. But they don't have a say really. Not because we say so, but the UK government. Taking that kind of referenda seriously would be so silly as voting if... oh, wait!