By the time this edition of The Anguillian is put into circulation the results of the United Kingdom’s referendum, whether to remain in, or exit the European Union, will be known. Notwithstanding the failure of the UK Government to inform its territories of the pending situation, one way or the other, it has been an issue of more than passing interest to Anguilla and its sister British Overseas Territories in the region. What is more is that even in Britain, itself, there has been some anxiety with a divided Government – some rallying to quit the EU and others to remain.
On one side of the debate, has been Prime Minister David Cameron saying in part, on Wednesday: “I believe very deeply, from my years of experience, that we will be stronger, safer, will be better off inside Europe. To put it as clearly, as I can, our economic security is paramount. It is stronger if we stay. If we leave, we put it at risk. That is a risk to jobs; a risk to families; a risk to our children’s future and there is no going back. We are not any old country. We are a special country whose language, values, influence, are felt the world over. And in the European Union, with 27 countries, we can take a stronger lead in tackling climate change; fighting disease; standing up to Russian aggression; helping friends around the world – in South-east Asia, Australasia, the Caribbean; and we can promote and preserve the values we hold so dear like democracy; like freedom; like tolerance. Brits, don’t quit. We take a lead; we make a difference; we get things done.”
On the other side of the debate, the Prime Minister’s colleague, Mr. James Duddridge, the Minister for the Overseas Territories, who has been opposing the Conservative Government’s position to remain in the EU, and campaigned with Vote Leave and the Brexit groups, took a sharply different perspective. He was quoted as having said in part: “An independent Britain can spend more time developing our historic ties rather than be shackled by the regulation and political infrastructure that is a federal union. OTs value the relationship with the UK more than the EU. The EU is sucking the life out of the UK as an independent nation state. The link with the OTs is a UK/OT relationship – not one between the OTs and Estonia, Greece and Poland.”
In his statement, Mr. Cameron, unlike Mr. Duddridge, expressed fear about the UK being unable to help “our friends in the Caribbean,” and elsewhere, if Britain were to leave the EU. What is unfortunate is that the Overseas Territories in the Caribbean, especially, have not been given an opportunity to express their views, one way or another, on whether the UK should remain in or exit the EU, and what questions they may have had to that end.
What is known is that, speaking with respect to the five Caribbean Overseas Territories, including Anguilla, they acquired their relationship with the EU as a result of their political, legal and constitutional ties with the UK. An obvious question, some persons put forward, has been that if the UK were to leave the EU, wouldn’t there be difficult issues for the Overseas Territories such as how decisions on EU funding and travel would continue to apply to them? It was reported that out of fear of what a UK vote to leave the EU might create for them, that the Overseas Territories had commissioned a joint study regarding how they might be affected thereby. It is not known, however, how conclusive the outcome of that study was as the UK June 23 vote swiftly approached.
During his recent visit to Anguilla to deliver the Walter G. Hodge Memorial Lecture, Dr. Rufus Ewing, the Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands, spoke about a number of matters relating to the future of the Caribbean Overseas Territories – such as their exclusion from certain decisions affecting their governance; how they can work more closely and move collectively to the next level in terms of self-governance and economic and financial development.
Given the way things are going in territorial, and world affairs, it may eventually become neccessary for the Overseas Territories in the Caribbean, in particular, to take up some of Dr. Ewing’s suggestions. Until then, we may begin to ask ourselves whither Anguilla, and its sister Overseas Territories, in the future scheme of things?2727
