Straight Talk

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It's goodbye to the Victoria Stadium as we know it, as demolition begins in earnest. We leave you with this footage filmed by our camera man Donovan Torres.

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Demolition work starts on Victoria Stadium’s main stand chronicle.gi/demolition-wor…

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@SuzukiVitaraGib x.com/i/status/20153…

The Gov want to bring up historical accusations & criticisms. What about protecting the interests of Gibraltar PLC? Does that only apply when the criticism is levied at them? Let me tell you that Gov has a lot more to hide than any other entity. All will be revealed.

@keith_azopardi x.com/i/status/20153…

At the end of a dark week things are now clear that ALL Ministers own & condone the improper action too. There is a better way & you’ll get the chance to decide whether to back them or sack them. In their own words: 👇

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Shadow Justice Minister, Joelle Ladislaus, says the ratio of police officers to residents has also decreased from 2011 to date, given the rise in Gibraltar's population. gbc.gi/news/gsd-says-…

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Whistleblowers’ Matters Aired yourgibraltartv.com/society/32282-…

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Bossano comments on whistleblowers ‘not aimed at DPP’ chronicle.gi/bossano-commen…

@AdamWagner1 x.com/i/status/20153…

The rule of law is a precious and fragile thing. I don’t think I really understood this until I spent over five years acting for the (now) former Commissioner of the Royal Gibraltar Police, Ian McGrail. After 35 years of loyal service to the RGP and the people of Gibraltar, Mr McGrail was forced out of his job after the Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, made a series of “grossly improper” and “sinister” interventions in a highly sensitive police investigation into the alleged hacking of Gibraltar’s national security system, all to protect his friend and business partner. Mr Picardo also “deliberately and cynically” misled Gibraltar’s Police Authority to engineer Mr McGrail’s removal. All of this may sound like the plot to a movie, but it happened, and these were all findings of the public inquiry chaired by Sir Peter Openshaw, a retired High Court Judge, which reported a month ago today. Having lived through this for over five years with my client (and the excellent legal team of Charles Gomez, Nicholas Gomez and Daniel Benyunes), I can tell you that at times this was an extremely unnerving experience, as it became clear what happens when the rule of law begins to crumble, and institutions and individuals you would usually expect to rely on as independent restraints on misconduct turn out to be weak or compromised - or both. This is not unique to Gibraltar, it is happening in many places. But seeing it up close is very different to seeing it on the news. And, all of this took place in a British Overseas Territory, which has an independent Parliament and strongly drafted Constitution, but where the British state, through the Governor, remains responsible for “peace, order and good governance”. Unfortunately, the Governor at the time failed to discharge his responsibility because - as the report found - he oversaw a completely unfair process leading ultimately to Mr McGrail being “forced out”. Meanwhile, the Governor and British Government have said nothing about the extremely serious finding nor have they accepted responsible for what happened to Mr McGrail. They have remained studiously silent about the fact that the Chief Minister has, since the report was published, falsely and ridiculously claimed to have been “vindicated”. It is frankly absurd, and reckless, that he, of all people, will be responsible for implementing the Inquiry’s important recommendations whilst he continues to reject the underlying findings which led to them. In amongst all of this, where so many institutional actors failed (and continue to fail) to stand up against flagrant abuses of power, @TransparencyUK, the world’s leading anti-corruption NGO, has remained steadfast. It continues to say it as it is, and for that I am thankful. Their statement from today, which highlights the UK Government’s continuing approach of burying its head in the sand, is below. transparency.org.uk/news/uk-must-a…

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Inquiry report can't overturn General Election result, says DCM gbc.gi/news/inquiry-r…

@AdamWagner1 Interestingly our post was taken down! We have moved it to Substack.. open.substack.com/pub/straightta…

@AdamWagner1 Straight Talk: The Price of Truth: Was the McGrail Inquiry Worth the Cost? straighttalkgib.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-pr…

🔥 🔥 A very strong statement from Transparency International on the McGrail Inquiry has just been published: Some excerpts: "it would be incredibly risky, maybe even reckless, to leave delivery to Mr Picardo. This is where the UK Government must step in... "The Governor of Gibraltar, appointed by the King, has a constitutional role relating to security. The inquiry report demonstrates in painful detail how a breakdown in governance can impact on this brief. It is incumbent on them to ensure that Sir Peter’s recommendations are implemented openly, properly, and in a timely manner. This should involve regular progress reports to Parliament, and at the very least, no involvement from Mr Picardo himself." "Following weeks of public hearings and mountains of evidence from all sides, retired High Court judge, Sir Peter Openshaw, found that the Gibraltar’s Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, had made several ‘grossly improper’ attempts to interfere in an active criminal investigation into his close friend and associate, James Levy. Not only this, but he had also made ‘grossly improper disclosure of confidential material’ to Mr Levy that might help him fight any subsequent prosecution. These are astonishing revelations that, were they to be made of a UK minister, would surely be a resignation matter. "Confusingly, Mr Picardo has claimed that the report vindicates him, but that he is also considering legal action against the inquiry for unspecified wrongs. This logical incoherence has form..." transparency.org.uk/news/grossly-i…

@AdamWagner1 Interestingly our post was taken down! We have moved it to Substack.. open.substack.com/pub/straightta…

This is a thoughtful and interesting analysis - worth a read

@LlanitoWorld @KaelanJoyce Interestingly our post was taken down! We have moved it to Substack.. open.substack.com/pub/straightta…

@LlanitoWorld @KaelanJoyce Straight Talk: The Price of Truth: Was the McGrail Inquiry Worth the Cost? straighttalkgib.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-pr…

Facebook timeline reminders can be insightful. Just like I thought the Mcgrail inquiry was a waste of tax payers money, I also though the same of this... Pardon the foul language, I have come a long long way since .. lololol

Interestingly our post was taken down! We have now moved to Substack.. open.substack.com/pub/straightta…