Let's wave the flag for Gibraltar

The border between Spain and Gibraltar was closed by the Spanish between 1969 and 1985. The border was opened by Spain just before in joined the EEC/EU in 1986. It may have escaped the attention of "Brexiters" that Britain was at liberty to veto the accession of Spain to the the EEC. It was therefore in Spain's interests to open the border with the Rock. It was also in the interests of Gibraltar which has become a rich and easy going country at peace with itself.

Every day 10,000 Spaniards cross the border to work in Gibraltar which has a resident population of 30,000. No one in Gibraltar resents the presence of these "foreigners" and the economy of the Rock is reliant upon labour from neighbouring La Linea and its immediate surroundings. Over 90% of Gibraltarians voted to stay in the EU. Britain and Spain must take this into account when a Brexit deal is negotiated.

A dispute between Spain and Britain over the future of the Rock is in no one's interests.

We now have a former senior British politician invoking the Falkland islands spirit by hinting that a dispute with Spain could be settled by military means . This is laughable or the following reasons.

1) The US would not allow it as it has been opposed to British colonialism since the end of the second world war.

2) Britain does not have the military power to invade anywhere on its own; we have a significantly reduced army and no aircraft carriers with aircraft on them.

3) Spain could easily invade  Gibraltar across the isthmus. It would then be almost impossible to retake the peninsula without severe civilian casualties.

Using military force would be a national humiliation and a disaster for Britain and Gibraltar. It is a delusion that we could just raise the flag and Spain would fall into line. Brexit has thrown up another diplomatic and political problem for the UK.

If we are not careful the fall out from Brexit could lead to equally disastrous consequences for Britain on both the domestic and international fronts. Who are the real patriots the flag wavers or the realists?