Today is National Day here in Gibraltar, so blogging will be light. National Day commemorates the 1967 referendum when the people of Gibraltar voted to reject Spanish sovereignty and any type of association with Spain by a massive Mugabesque majority (only 44 people voted for surrender). That referendum led to a new Constitution and Franco illegally closing the frontier for 16 long years.

National Day began in 1992 to mark the 25th anniversary of the referendum. The first event was a rally organised by the then Chief Minister who wanted a public display of support before heading off to fight our corner at the United Nations. Since then it has changed in nature, becoming more and less political depending on the mood of the time and the preferences of the government. Last year it was the 12th biggest street party in Europe.

So it’s a public holiday today, and most Gibraltarians will be wearing the national colours of red and white. Each year 30,000 red and white balloons are released, representing the number of people in the local population. It’s also a day for politics, and this year’s statements from the local political leaders all talk of self-determination, freedom and a rejection of the Spanish claim to the Rock.

TheEye will be establishing base-camp in the Star Bar from ‘early’ and seeing how things pan out….

Happy National Day everyone!