Falklands : FIRS THROWS THE SPOTLIGHT ON DICK SAWLE, MLA
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 12.12.2010 (Article Archived on 09.01.2011)
A Report for FIRS by Stacey Bragger (SB)
FIRS THROWS THE SPOTLIGHT ON DICK SAWLE, MLA
A Report for FIRS by Stacey Bragger (SB)
On today’s programme I will be talking to Councillor Dick Sawle who has just returned from the UK after attending the Overseas Territories Consultative Council. To begin with, on today’s programme, Councillor Sawle told me more about the OTCC.
DS: I was there, Stacey, to attend the Overseas Territories Consultative Council –the OTCC - which is a week in London basically where all the Overseas Territories – there’s about a dozen or so from the Caribbean, South Atlantic – we meet and discuss matters with the UK Coalition Government that are of mutual interest.
SB: What things of relevance happened at the meeting?
DS: A lot, really. One of the opportunities that we get representing the Falklands is to have a one to one meeting with the Foreign Office Minister. Our Minister is Jeremy Browne, MP and he’s the Minister for South America and also the Falkland Islands. We had a chat. We talked about current issues, which are things to do with oil – the big one – and he thought our attitude towards oil exploration and oil exploitation was the right one. In other words, it may happen; it also may not. But he also was concerned about the social and economic changes that might bring to the Falkland Islands Government and had we taken steps to have a good look at that and see what we might do? And I was able to reassure him that we are working on that at the moment. He also spoke about the views on Argentina that we have. And the up and coming elections they have next year and also about the defence of the Islands. I told him that I felt that the Islands were very well defended and had a good deterrent force here. We talked about Decree 256 and how that was causing problems; the cost of living having increased. Basically his view was that the Falkland Islands need to be slightly more proactive and needs to get its voice heard a little bit louder. Rather than relying on the Foreign Office for all of the messaging.
SB: And that’s something you’d support?
DS: Oh, yes, I would support that entirely and I think we have been as vocal as we possibly can but it’s difficult to find at times the right forums for raising these issues internationally. And, I think we are working on that. We have a few things in the pipeline, which hopefully we are going to make happen.
SB: Just about the shipping decree, I think some people find that approach quite frustrating and are stating it’s illegal but not doing much about it.
DS: It’s very difficult to know what one can do about it. If you were sitting there with Jeremy Browne’s hat on, I am not sure what else you can do apart from give it some pretty strong rebuttals and say that those sorts of actions are completely illegal. And there is no doubt that they are illegal. They are against the United Nations’ Convention on the Law of the Sea. That has been pointed out very strongly in a note sent to the Argentine Ambassador. And, I know that they do fight our case both in Buenos Aires through our Ambassador there and through other embassies throughout South America. Where it needs to be a bit more vocal is that we need to make our views clearly known in the International forum.
SB: Were you reassured by speaking to the Minister?
DS: Yes. One thing that strikes you immediately is that he’s well in touch and very well briefed on what’s happening in the Falklands and that’s a good sign, I think. If he wasn’t then I think it would be a cause for concern but he was very well briefed as are the Foreign Office. I was able also to speak with the Falklands Desk Officer and they are obviously very well briefed and very well in touch with what are going on there.
SB: Regarding the main meeting, there are probably some issues that weren’t particularly relevant to the Falklands but what was the main discussion points there?
DS: The main things from the point of view of the Falklands – and there is a lot of stuff that is gone over and discussed in the main conference and a lot of it doesn’t really have a lot to do with the Falklands in the sense that people may be talking about financial services and so on and the regulation of them. Well, that’s not a piece of business that we have in the Falklands.
Rather than go through all that type of thing, the general points that I noted down were: home rule is the way forward for Overseas Territories – that’s the ultimate aim – I am not suggesting, by the way, that the Falklands are going for home rule next year, access to funding from both the EU and UK Lottery funds needs to be made easier, (This is HMG’s point of view, by the way.) HMG would also like to see a representative for the Overseas Territories in the House of Lords. In the case of the Falklands it was pointed out that self-determination and Defence are absolutely paramount; so if there is any doubt about HMG’s commitment to that – the statement says it all. They want to see the Overseas Territories have first call on aid budgets through DFID, for example – probably more related to St Helena and Tristan da Cunha; and they want to see all the normal things that you would expect, which are: sound public finances, accountability that meets or exceeds best international practice.
But it’s definitely the case that the new Coalition Government is trying to put forward a whole new view of how it sees the Overseas Territories. They talk about viewing them as assets rather than liabilities; they want to develop a new strategy towards the Overseas Territories. Now, that paper is something they want our assistance with. They don’t want to come up with something that’s HMG dictating to the Overseas Territories. What they want is our input into that over the next year to develop some sort of strategy where Whitehall Departments need to work more closely together; and they want to work more closely together with their Overseas Territories to ensure economic development.
In return for all of this, of course, Overseas Territories have to demonstrate a high standard of governance in their territories.
DS: What things would you hope to see from the British Government in terms of the relationship with us here?
DS: Certainly one of the issues, for example, is access to EU funding for various projects that are happening. We’ve just endorsed the Economic Development Strategy. There are areas in that – if they happen – that would be eminently suitable for funding from the EU. And I think that it’s dangerous for people to put words into the mouth of the UK Coalition Government. But I think that their view is that the UK pays an enormous amount of money to the EU every year and doesn’t really seem to get that much back. So they are keen to try and see Overseas Territories take advantage of that and try and make life easier for us to obtain that type of funding. I know people are working on that at the moment.
SB: You are hopeful that there might be an improved relationship in the future with the Government and the Territories?
DS: I don’t think it’s been bad in recent years at all. Probably if you went back to the 1970s you would say it was bad. I think things have improved massively. There was a white paper on 10 years from 1999 to 2009, which we discussed at the previous OTCC. We looked at that and how progress had been made. This was last year. And, I think that the comment was made by Henry Benningham who was the Foreign Office Minister that, that paper said a lot of good things in it but they hadn’t been acted on by the UK Government. And they are keen to make sure they develop a new strategy for the OTs and that action does follow.
SB: I believe that you also had the chance to have a discussion with the other South Atlantic Territories as well.
DS: We had a chat – Pitcairn joined us on the telephone – we had St Helena on the Telephone – the Governor of St Helena on the telephone – we had Tara Thomas there at the OTCC – and we also had the Chief Islander from Tristan da Cunha as well by phone and the Governor here by phone and we discussed all the things that we might be able to approach in a joint fashion as South Atlantic Territories, which would be the South Atlantic Territories working together.
What we tentatively agreed was that over the next year between now and November 2011, which is the next OTCC, we would have a small working group set up, which would find and push forward issues that are of common interest. Those issues are: for example, telecommunications, which is the most obvious one because we are all isolated and suffer from the same telecommunications issues, funding bids – we might be able to put in joint bids for various things to do with conservation projects, tourism is another one – people were quite keen – this would take quite a bit of input from the tourism business here –but people are quite keen to see if we can get a cruise industry triangle set up – Ascension, St Helena and here – I don’t know – and also, of course, with St Helena building a new – having had approved the building of a new runway – they haven’t built it yet. Once that gets built then that does open up some other interesting opportunities perhaps working together.
But what we have agreed was that this needs a lot more discussion – a lot more talk – a lot more definition. The chap from the Foreign Office was appointed to chair the group and Councillor Tara Thomas from St Helena would be the political leader on it.
SB: Were there any things that came out from the meeting? I know that there were issues like MCA Regulations that are a constant source of irritation here.
DS: I was able to have a chat with the Minister of Transport, who is called Mike Penning; and what he agreed is there are sometimes rules and regulations are applied to far-flung territories where working conditions are – to be pragmatic about it – quite safe. How safe are they? Well, we need to define that but what he did agree is that he would have a serious look at it and if he could have another look at the Sea Truck issue. I have raised that with Members and it will be taken forward.
SB: I believe you also had another discussion with the MP, Mike Penning.
DS: Mike’s department is – one of the areas that it covers is fishing vessel safety procedures. One of the big issues at the moment is unsafe working practices on fishing vessels in the UK – I hasten to add. That was quite interesting. I had quite a long chat with him about the procedures that we have in place here, which go above and beyond MCA regulations, which are the policies that individual companies put in place; and was able to follow that up last week with an e-mail detailing all sorts of measures that some of the local companies have taken to improve fishing vessel safety. Hopefully that will be of some use and assistance to him. When I spoke with a chap called Greg Baker, who is the ‘climate change’ Minister. I spoke also about the Falklands wind turbines and it really is something we need to be proud of. I think people are quite surprised that we now produce 40% of our energy – is now renewable. And that is world-class. We have done very well there and that is a tick in the box and a flower in the button hole for that one.
SB: Anything else you would like to add?
DS: Well There are other things that came up which are quite interesting, for example, the way the UK is going to deal with passports. A lot of the OTCCs are mundane, if you like. The problem is that blank passports have gone missing. They have been nicked, basically, which is not good news so from now on all the Overseas Territories will be having their passports issued centrally from the UK. In our case, that doesn’t make any difference because that’s what’s happening right now. There was quite a lot of discussion about how they would be sent and what currier would be used.
There is something which I thought might be of concern to us but actually turns out it isn’t – is that we are to be enhanced by a biometric passport. I did manage to clear with them that this doesn’t mean to say we have to send an eyeball off with the passport application. It is just a slightly more cleaver passport and a lot of it is due to the paper it is printed on. From the Falklands’ point of view there will be no discernable change – just a few more details to fill in on a form.
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