by MARK VIALES
Gibraltar is the embodiment of a capitalist ‘free market’ where numerous nets of monopolies are cast into a favourable economy to capture power and profit. As a result, formidable powerhouses are formed that escape scrutiny due to the unmovable foothold these ‘untouchables’ have established, sprouting mini dictatorships within their organisations.
Why is it that numerous Gibraltar Government and private entities serving as important cogs in the wheels of the Rock’s society enjoy free passes when things go wrong? Any initial uproar is quickly fanned away and forgotten via the implementation of the apparently flawless tactic of ‘silence without scrutiny’ that eventually extinguishes the dying embers of protest.
There is a situation now in Gibraltar where we have seen controversy strike the Royal Gibraltar Police, the Gibraltar Health Authority, the legal system and the Gibraltar Football Association. There is also much public discontent over skyrocketing prices in the housing market linked to the growing presence and influence of elite estate agents pushing government policy towards the ultra-rich.