interview
Gibraltar’s politicians entertain a visiting CPU delegation at the Rock Hotel
Bourke, who told him that although he had a great future as a teacher this must be given up for the greater good of Gibraltar. At the time, members of the Opposition earned £20 a month but it was possible to find a job to augment this small stipend. In the election he came second to Bob in the Opposition section of the poll and after the alliance with the Isola Group was appointed a Minister on a monthly salary of £52.50 . He became the first full time Minister largely because of the fraught labour situation and his responsibilities included Labour, Housing and Social Security. By 1970 he was the de facto deputy Chief Minister and deputised for Bob in his absence. Bob called a snap election in 1972 which became known as the contest of the ‘Big Lie’ — Bob misjudged the mood of the electorate and lost. In Maurice’s view, Bob Peliza was correct in his interpretation, since there was irrefutable evidence, which has been strengthened by later publications, that Sir Joshua was willing to consider ‘a Lease’. In 1972, now in Opposition, he was given a job by Albert Ramagge in Ramajim on £20 a week but with the bonus he could take time off to deal with his political workload. Maurice recalls his friendship with the Moroccans alongside whom he worked and with Matthew Ramagge who often stood in for him. At the same time Bob Peliza left local politics and moved to the UK leaving Maurice as leader of the Opposition. During the 1974/75 season he became the coach/manager of the Gibraltar Hockey Association which was the most successful period in Gibraltar’s hockey history. The team beat Switzerland, Austria and Wales and drew with England and Poland. The IWBP split in 1976 due largely to the infamous Roy Hattersley press conference when the British Minister ruled out any prospect of integration. Back from the UK, Joe Bossano had entered the House of Assembly as an IWBP member, and had taken a prominent part in achieving parity of wages with the UK alongside Jose Netto and Bernard Linares. Groundless rumours were started that Maurice was about to follow the Government line and agree to a loosening of British sovereignty. By this time Xiberras had
28
decided, for family reasons, to leave the Rock. He says he told Joe Bossano that when this happened he would like him to take over the leadership. The party would then move from slightly Left of Centre to the extreme Left. Ironically, after Maurice had prepared the ground for parity of wages whilst Minister of Labour. Bossano dramatically struck the nationalist stance which bordered on the anti-British — Xiberras was adamant he would not go down that road, and accepted that the IWBP was split irretrievably and the IWBP was dissolved within site of an election victory. In the 1976 election Bob Peliza, Peter Isola and Maurice Xiberras stood as Independents whilst Bossano stood with his newly created Gibraltar Democratic Movement. Sir Joshua topped the poll with Maurice second with 6,029 and Bossano fifth with 5,021. With four GDM members in the House, Bossano was appointed Leader of the Opposition. But during 1977 Bossano lost the support of his elected members, who left the GDM and, together with Bob and Peter, voted for Maurice to become Leader of the Opposition. As Leader of the Opposition, Maurice accompanied Sir Joshua Hassan, the Chief Minister, to Strasbourg to start the eponymous process; this involved meetings with the Spanish Foreign Minister, Marcelino Oreja, in Paris and London as part of the British delegation, the first official Spanish Government recognition of Gibraltar’s
Throughout his political life, aside from the Spanish Government’s attempts to subjugate Gibraltarians and to obtain sovereignty over the Rock, Maurice sees the biggest danger as those who advocate independence for Gibraltar and its inhabitants
elected representatives. Dr David Owen was the youthful Foreign Secretary. Determined not to give an inch on the sovereignty issue, including agreeing to negotiations on sovereignty with the post Franco Government, Maurice found himself in bitter and even personal behind the scenes confrontations with Dr David Owen and Sir Joshua Hassan, who were already making overtures to begin discussions on sovereignty with the post Franco Government. Maurice says he was determined to hold Sir Joshua for as long as possible without airing their differences believing this was the most effective way. In 1977 the Chief Minister first put forward the ‘three flags two voices’ solution. Douglas Hurd purports he was the originator of this phrase but this was claimed by Sir Joshua in a 16 page document of which eight were about the proposals, the rationale being that the British Government was about to leave Gibraltar. The ‘three flags’ phrase was code for nominal joint tripartite sovereignty. Xiberras was instrumental in the formation of the Democratic Party of British Gibraltar went on to win six seats — Peter Isola, Gerald Restano, Bob Peliza, Wille Scott, Tony Loddo and Andrew Haynes — in the 1980 election. His family situation being no longer tenable, Maurice resigned in 1979 and left Gibraltar. He returned to teaching and after a spell in Ealing moved to Hampton School where he spent 12 happy years before retiring in 2002. He became a Combined Cadet Force contingent commander and was instrumental in getting the Lady Eleanor Hollis School to join the CCF. This brought females into the single sex school which is now a leading UK secondary school. Hampton School also funded Maurice’s six-year training as an analytical psychotherapist and he continues to practise in retirement. Xiberras decided to stand again in the 2003 election and joined Daniel Feetham’s Labour Party. This was his last shot to place Integration on the political landscape. The electorate thought otherwise and he lost his deposit. Since then he has been a close follower of Gibraltar politics and has contributed many articles, letters and interviews to the local media. Throughout his political life, aside from the Spanish Government’s attempts to subjugate Gibraltarians and to obtain sovereignty over the Rock, Maurice sees the biggest danger as those who advocate independence for Gibraltar and its inhabitants. Since his participation in the 1968 Constitutional Talks, he says he realised independence or potential independence would mean the end of Gibraltar’s relationship with the United Kingdom. He cannot conceive a future for Gibraltar without the close relationship with the UK. Xiberras says he has great admiration for the present Chief Minister for his conduct of foreign affairs, now that he has turned away from previous thoughts of a ‘Dovish’ nature — Peter Caruana has successfully developed the theme of Gibraltar for the Gibraltarians outside of independence. If integration is now impossible, unless the UK Parliament is able to conceive a different relationship with its Overseas Territories along integrationist lines, then this is the best alternative, Maurice feels. “The British future of Gibraltar is even more important than integration, and Caruana has made it more secure than it has ever been.” n
GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2009