The Daily Mail have got very excited that the British Navy has small boats, and sometimes large Spanish boats enter British waters.
That seems to be the extent of the story that receives the front page splash today, in which a Spanish naval vessel was escorted out of Gibraltar’s by a Royal Navy patrol boat.
Oftentimes, patrol boats – which are small – are the ones to do this, as they are often – patrolling.
Of course, the history buffs at the Mail couldn’t resist a reference to the Spanish Armada, which seems very relevant in the 21st century when we’re discussing a close ally.
The Spanish warship passed into British waters, an event The Guardian describes as “frequent”, and something that “might normally have passed without notice”. They point out that actually, it is unusual for the Spanish boat to be escorted out in such a way.
But, y’know, that doesn’t make quite as good a story. Why let broader context get in the way?
See: If the Tories care so much about Gibraltar, there was a simpler solution than going to war
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2 Responses to “Daily Mail outdoes itself on gung-ho Gibraltar jingoism – plus bonus Elizabethan reference”
Craig Mackay
The Daily Mail unfortunately does not realise that that was not a small British patrol boat it was in fact one of the giants of the British Navy that actually is able to float and fulfil some kind of naval task. This is because we don’t have an aircraft carrier, all our destroyers don’t work when in warm water, and all our submarines are dysfunctional in various ways and stuck in port. You can read more about the ridiculous condition of our military at: http://outsidethebubble.net/2017/03/16/britain-defenceless-in-the-21st-century/
Will
I don’t understand why the right-wing “hate rags” are behaving quite the way they are at the moment. Do they honestly think that it will help in the difficult negotiations that will have to be undertaken over the next few years? This is a very stupid and dangerous game to play. Unfortunately the players and a lot of the watching crowd seem to live in the same ignorant bubble.