Bagehot | The parable of Gibraltar

摘要

DAWN'S rays crest the palm and date fronds. Lights on the African coast pulsate gently through the February haze. In the shadows falling from the sloping rock, a line of mopeds, vans and cars backs up along the Spanish coast road. The air tastes of exhaust. Parents with children hurry along the pavement towards the border. Clearing passport control, they pass a red telephone box and a swish new airport terminal. The driver of the bus into town switches between English and Spanish as they clamber on, then motors across the runway (when planes land, barriers drop and the peninsula is briefly cut off).