GIBRALTAR, and its very famous rock, is home to some 30,000 people who are keen to remain part of the British Overseas Territory umbrella.

Gibraltar is a remnant of the former British Empire and nestles at the tip of a peninsula, just an hour's drive from the Spanish Costa Del Sol.

It was ceded to Britain by Spain in 1713 following its capture by an Anglo Dutch fleet during the War of the Spanish Succession, and this year is able to reflect upon 300 years of Colonial involvement.

In recent days, tensions between the Spanish and British Governments have escalated, as a consequence of a fishing rights dispute, with increased border checks and lengthy queues on the Spanish side.

These tensions have led to a diplomatic and legal spat which has culminated in this week's deployment of three British warships to Gibraltar.

Their presence will reflect a menacing and unwelcome development. It is the worst form of political posturing on both sides and needs to be brought to an end.

An end that begins by sitting around a negotiating table to properly consider Gibraltar's future.

I always get concerned when politicians raise issues of territory and nationalism at a time when they are in difficulty, when they are unpopular, or in the midst of deep financial crisis.

All three criteria are at play here. Territorial disputes, particularly international territorial disputes, focus minds away from the difficulties of domestic politics and have proven a very useful mechanism in restoring the fortunes of politicians.

As you leave Gibraltar, a short drive along the Costa Del Sol will bring you to a number of British colonies of a different constitution.

From Marbella to Mijas and from Fuengirola to Malaga, some 750,000 British ex-pats call Spain home. Each year another, more temporary colony of ten million Brits, holiday in Spain.

If all these ex-pats remain comfortable to live under Spanish rule, why is it so unacceptable to the 30,000 in Gibraltar?

It would seem, that as a nation, Britain is more haunted by its imperial past than we care to admit.

The Falklands conflict claimed the lives of more than 250 of our brave servicemen. I know colleagues who served in that conflict who never fully understood exactly why they were there in the first place. Indeed, did their country call upon them or was the calling more of a political nature?

Britain still retains interest in 14 overseas territories, from Cyprus to Bermuda, from the Cayman Islands in the North Atlantic, to the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.

These territories serve as stark reminders of our colonial past, reminders of our colonisation of places and peoples, memories of land-grabbing and conquest, and, of course, of the removal of freedom and dignity and respect.

A long time has passed since Britain was evicted from its major colonies around the world, from India to America, from Burma to South Africa.

What then, should we do with these remnants of Empire? Perhaps it's time to draw a line under our imperial past and do the decent, British thing.

There is much to be admired about our values, our democracy and our sense of right. Our continued association with these places damages that reputation and devalues our influence.

Gibraltar is Spanish, the Falklands are Argentinian.The other territories don't belong to us - they never did.We stole them - and its time to give them back to their rightful owners.

Let's do that in partnership with the people who live there, despite their wishes to the contrary, and move on.

I understand their desire to remain British, but Britain has no legitimacy to be where they live so come home to Britain and be British or stay in another country, with another Government, which is not British.

It's time to do the decent thing and to negotiate these territories back to the origins of their own history and culture.

Argentina and Spain can be powerful allies to a modern, decent, British democracy. Equally, they could prove formidable foes.

Lets divert HMS Westminster and her sister ships away from Gibraltar, lest we end up in a hard place or between it and a Rock.

SOME years ago, many of our large corporate organisations rushed to outsource call centres overseas, particularly to emerging economies where lower labour costs meant higher profits.

Following public outcry and a realisation that quality, as well as cost, was important, most have now leapt headlong in the other direction and take great pride in telling us that they now operate UK-based call centres.

Yesterday, I called BT to make a technical enquiry into an order that I had placed online.

After a 51-minute delay, I was connected to an adviser who advised me that he couldn't help me and further advised me to go back on line.

I have two observations. Firstly, many of our large corporates need to understand that delays in answering customers, let's say in excess of five minutes, frustrate customers and are ultimately bad for business.

Get more staff and get answer times down. Secondly, we should always take issue with poor service.

I'm off to find an alternative provider.