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and open spaces than Gibraltar saw in the past where the older smaller pockets of luxury often sat next to military, industrial or commercial installations and failed to compete on a fair basis with the Spanish developments elsewhere.

This is not the fault of govern ment who for years have had to await the parsimonious hand-outs from the MOD of long disused pockets of land in piecemeal fash ion that defies any administration to logically structure future plan ning.

What can be safely predicted is the continued success of China, India and other Asian economies, who will increasingly become consumers of their own manufac tures and raise the prices of those they export,safe in the knowledge that a generation of office-based workers are never going to return to blue-collared sweated labour. The balance of activity in the EU will shift eastwards and southeastwards away from the fortunes gifted to the south-western comers of Europe in the last decade. But this side and end of Europe will re main the chosen relocation hotspot for those with a need to live close to their work and this will not be restricted to those nearing retire ment but, increasingly, to many at the peak of their careers.

Gibraltar will continue to de velop an economy much more integrated into mainstream global life rather than the past ones de voted almost exclusively to servic ing the British military or endless day-trippers from Torremolinos. Most will rely on the improving and much cheaper telephone and internet facilities with 100 million telephone lines available(instead of a mere 30,000), under the new separate-from-Spain system — already introduced — but yet to expand so that switchboards become a thing of the past as direct-dialling takes over.

As for the continued two-way exchange of cross-border accom modation for a workforce, as La Linea is catapulted out of its poor and scruffy past, it is likely to be come even more inter-dependent with ever greater housing for Gibraltarians in Spain and splendid pads for the super-rich in Gibraltar —who may have connections with some operations in Spain or the UK (particularly from non-EU origins) — as the tax advantages for EU businesses and individuals is cur tailed by the EU Commission. This may seem unfair to some local mod est income earners who have not qualified for the social and low-cost housing under construction,but if it cements the raison d'etre for a tiny country in Europe,so be it.

So we can expect to see upon entry to Gibraltar from a super new plate glass air terminal into a car parked in a multi-storey car park, on to a super four-lane highway leading via Europort to a newly configured city centre road layout with improved roads to South District. The main visitor activity will, however,shift to Eastside with its new marina,ocean terminal and international hotel. Ocean Village will probably develop rather more for locals than envisaged at the outset, as new shops, bars and restaurants supplement Casemates as the sole heart of Gibraltar social life. Young people will find much more to do on their doorsteps in cluding the ice rink, new cinemas and night clubs.

Hopefully traffic will decline with the experiment promised in free and later public transport. With the removal of electricity gen eration to the south and continued tidying up of the hotchpotch that this ex-military outpost has been, its own government is taking over the provision of some support services still required by the armed forces, hoping to concentrate the eyesores amongst them into less visible sites.

Not a prediction, but a dream, would be the closure of the CEPSA refinery in Spain that smothers Gibraltar with a sticky atmosphere. Also, with ever lower personal and business taxes, rising salary levels(but more multi-tasking and fewer restrictive practices), bigger and better housing, more leisure facilities, more famous brand shops selling everyday items (not just perfume, alcohol, tobacco and electronics), more vegetation, less dog mess, less litter and graffiti and, generally, a bit more respect, love and appreciation for the good fortune to live in a society not gov erned remotely by others, would not go amiss.

What must be retained is the maturity, real democracy and na tionhood nurtured progressively since the War, so that Gibraltar never becomes a theme park (or museum), dormitory, backwater or hiding place for international financial criminals.