This week on GeoPod, Tenjin Consulting's Alexander Downer talks to Georgina Downer about his recent trip to Gibraltar, a British overseas territory at the tip of Spain. Fish and chips at the tip of the Iberian Peninsula, monkeys, e-gaming and car insurance, make this strategically important territory a fascinating place to visit. 

Boris Johnson continues to battle it out with EU President Ursula von der Leyen to finalise the Brexit deal, but the talks on fisheries continue to flounder... 

The virtual Conservative Party Conference turned out to be a bit of a damp squib, but the Tory leader's speech proved he still has his mojo, despite concerns Covid might have robbed him of his trademark ebullience.

On 4 October New Caledonians voted against independence from France in the second of three referenda on the issue. While the status quo prevails for now, what happens over the next few years in this nickel-rich French overseas territory will have great significance for geopolitics. Watch this space. 

The October surprise in the US Presidential election campaign delivered in spades. Donald Trump was diagnosed with Covid-19 but, while he has thankfully mostly recovered from the deadly virus, his polls haven't fared as well. US politics is viciously partisan. We expect a Biden win on 3 November but, if the result is close, expect a bumpy transition period between the two Administrations. 

The Quadrilateral Strategic Dialogue aka the Quad is the minilateral du jour. Comprised of Australia, India, Japan and the US, the four foreign ministers met in Tokyo on 6 October to discuss, you guessed it, China. The Quad didn't issue a joint statement but each minister made clear their commitment to cooperation in these difficult times. China's Global Times was less than amused. 

Finally, Australia's Treasurer Josh Frydenberg delivered a whopping spending bill in the delayed budget on 6 October. While Australia is up for $1 trillion in government debt by 2024, it is in a better economic position than almost anywhere else in the world. Lucky interest rates are low... for now.