With pics from me, here is the Chief Minister's speech given today.....

Sep 10 - Chief Minister's National Day Speech

Sunday, 10 September 2017

You look red, white and beautiful! My dear friends. What a special day. What a celebration. What a great party.

Before we start, I think we should take a moment to remember the people of the Overseas Territories of the Caribbean. Like us, they are part of the Great British family of nations. Our thoughts must be also with the people of the United States, Cuba, Antigua and Barbuda and all the other nations affected by the storm. Today, they are being tested by the devastation of Hurricane damage. Before coming to Gibraltar, Sir Alan has been involved in the work of assisting and supporting in the aftermath of the damage done.

HMS Ocean will be in Gibraltar tomorrow. We too will be helping with donations from Gibraltar that we hope will sail on Ocean on Tuesday. For now, today, let us join in solidarity by sending a heartfelt round of applause from Gibraltar across the Ocean to all those affected by Hurricane Irma.

My Dear friends. I know you will all want me to thank the Prime Minister for her magnificent message of support today. When she became Prime Minister, Mrs May told me that she would be a CHAMPION of Gibraltar’s rights. She has stood up for Gibraltar when she has had to. She has committed herself and her Government to defending our sovereignty and our economy. And she has not let us down. Today, that is best demonstrated by the fact that we are joined on stage by Sir Alan Duncan. Alan spent his childhood in Gibraltar. (I have seen the photographs to prove it!) His brother was born in Gibraltar. Believe me, he is a REAL friend of Gibraltar. Every time it matters, he is there to help.

And we are joined today by a hard core of members of Parliament in Westminster and Europe who are great friends of Gibraltar. All of them are friends who have worked to help Gibraltar. They have been ready to stand up for Gibraltar. They have been ready to defend Gibraltar. This year we have seen that all manifestos of all the political parties in the UK in the General Election contained commitments to Gibraltar. And their help and support will be more important than ever as we start the process of leaving the European Union with Britain. So I want us all to thank our visiting MPs and MEPs for taking the time to come here. Thank you all on behalf of all the good people of Gibraltar.

Today, is about celebrating the Gibraltarian Nation. The RED and WHITE Nation of the people of this Rock. This year in particular, we celebrate the generation that gave birth to the Gibraltarian Nation. That special generation that was evacuated during the Second World War. That resilient clutch of men and women who fought for their homeland and fought to return to their homeland. That unbeatable,  unbreakable,  unshakeable generation that faced dictatorship in Spain with stoic resolve.

EXACTLY FIFTY YEARS AGO TODAY they were marching into the polling stations. With no more than pencils and ballot papers.  With only the weapons of democracy in their hands. With the power of the ballot box. The REFERENDUM GENERATION wrote for themselves the modern history of the Gibraltarian. With 12,138 carbon marks on a ballot paper.  You defied a dictator. You defeated fascism. Your pierced the heart of the fascist claim to our home. You gave birth to a nation.

AND THAT IS WHY WE THANK YOU, THE REFERENDUM GENERATION TODAY. because  you determined the destiny of this Rock. You determined the destiny of your children. You secured the future of our Nation. AND THAT was our finest hour. That is what we owe them. The REFERENDUM GENERATION delivered the GIBRALTARIAN NATION into the world. A new nation of the British family of nations. Gibraltarian by birth. British in our own right. A nation of men and women of cultural diversity and respect. A nation of social justice and the Rule of Law. And a nation today committed to equality and fairness. The Nation we call home. A Nation whose future only WE will determine. Because those carbon marks on ballot papers wrote our story into history. And every generation of Gibraltarian since then, bears that carbon imprint in our souls and in our DNA.

And we know that when history tests us: we stick with Britain. And Britain sticks with us.  We stuck with Britain in 1967.  We stuck with Britain in 2002. And we will stick with Britain through Brexit.  There were challenges after 67.  There have been challenges since 2002.  And there will be challenges in the months and years to come. But just like we said in 67: British we are. British we stay. And THIS Generation. 

The Brexit Generation. Will not let down those who came before. We will not drop the ball.  We will not fail our children either.  And in the next fifty years Gibraltar will grow stronger.  We will go further  We will prosper greatly  Because, my dear fellow Gibraltarians: Nothing's gonna stop us now. Because we are Red white and proud. Red white and free. Red white and blue!

Happy national day Gibraltar!!