The Party for the Autonomy of Gibraltar (PAG) was a minority

right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

founded on 7 September 1977. It was led by

Joseph Triay Joseph (J.E.) Emmanuel Triay QC (5 October 1931 – 3 July 2012) was a Gibraltarian lawyer and politician, best known for having been one of the promoters of the ''Doves'' in the 1960s. Joseph Triay's daughter Cristina is married to Peter C ...

and advocated a rapprochement with

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It contended the 1980 election, without success.

Policy

The PAG was led by Joseph Triay, a former member of the "'' Doves''" in the 1960s and independent candidate in 1976 election. It asked for a settlement with Spain, with an autonomous status for Gibraltar under Spanish

sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...

(following the Autonomies approach in the territorial structure of Spain made possible by the

Spanish Constitution of 1978 The Spanish Constitution (Spanish, Asturleonese, and gl, Constitución Española; eu, Espainiako Konstituzioa; ca, Constitució Espanyola; oc, Constitucion espanhòla) is the democratic law that is supreme in the Kingdom of Spain. It was e ...

). It argued that it was pro-

Gibraltarian The Gibraltarians (Spanish: ''gibraltareños'', colloquially: '' llanitos'') are an ethnic group native to Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance to the Mediterran ...

and

nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

, and against the British colonial presence, seen as obstructing the development of the territory. On the other hand, its opponents labelled it as pro-Spanish and the "sell-out party".

Joe Bossano Sir Joseph John Bossano (born 10 June 1939) is a Gibraltarian politician who served as Chief Minister of Gibraltar from 1988 to 1996 and Leader of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party from 1978 to 2011. He served as Leader of the Opposition ...

Chief Minister of Gibraltar The chief minister of Gibraltar is the head of His Majesty's Government of Gibraltar who is elected by the Gibraltar Parliament, and formally appointed by the governor of Gibraltar, representative of the British monarch. The incumbent chief ...

between 1988 and 1996 has accused

Peter Caruana Sir Peter Richard Caruana, (born 15 October 1956) is a Gibraltarian former politician who served as Chief Minister of Gibraltar from 1996 to 2011 and Leader of the Gibraltar Social Democrats (GSD) from 1991 to 2013. Caruana is a barrister by pr ...

, Chief Minister between 1996 and 2011, of having been an electoral agent of the PAG.

Elections

It nominated three candidates in the 1980 election, the Triay brothers and

Tito Benady Mesod Benady MBE (born 17 July 1930) is a Gibraltarian historian of Sephardic Jewish descent. He currently lives in Grendon, Northamptonshire in the United Kingdom. Benady was involved in local politics during the seventies; he contested the 1 ...

, obtaining poor results. Although the party still existed by the 1984 election, it decided not to contest.

References

Political parties established in 1977 Defunct political parties in Gibraltar 1977 establishments in Gibraltar Gibraltarian nationalism {{Gibraltar-party-stub