Falklands : The Hon Dick Sawle's Motion for Adjournment Speech
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 29.08.2011 (Article Archived on 12.09.2011)
Mr Speaker, Honourable members, in rising to support the Motion for Adjournment today I firstly – as I missed the last Assembly meeting – I would like to welcome the Honourable Mike Summers to this Assembly and I look forward to working closely with you and all my colleagues on many issues and making good progress.
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY MEETING ON FRIDAY, 26 AUGUST 2011
(Part 3: Motion for Adjournment Speeches)
Commentary by J. Brock (FINN)
A meeting of Legislative Assembly took place at 0930hrs on Friday, 26 August 2011. Present were the Hon Mrs Jan Cheek (JC), the Hon Miss Emma Edwards (EE), The Hon Mr Roger Edwards (RE), the Hon Mrs Sharon Halford (SH), the Hon Mr Gavin Short (GS), and the Hon Mr Mike Summers (MS). Also present were the BFSAI Chief of Staff, Mr Jim Kline (JK), Acting Financial Secretary, MS Nicola Granger (NG), The Clerk of Council Ms Claudette Anderson-Prior (CAP), The Deputy Speaker, Mr Anton Livermore (AL), the Chief Executive Mr Tim Thorogood (TT), and the Attorney General, the Hon Mr Mark Lewis (ML).
The Hon Mr Dick Sawle:
Mr Speaker, Honourable members, in rising to support the Motion for Adjournment today I firstly – as I missed the last Assembly meeting – I would like to welcome the Honourable Mike Summers to this Assembly and I look forward to working closely with you and all my colleagues on many issues and making good progress.
I would also, via the Chief of Staff, Jim Kline like to welcome Brigadier Bill Aldridge. We are living in interesting times. The strategic Defence Review has resulted in some sweeping changes but we are all grateful not only for the continual uninterrupted and unreserved support shown to the Falkland Islands by UK politicians from all parties but also we are indebted to you for the hard work and dedication shown towards us by the forces under your command.
We have potentially some very interesting tasks ahead of us as we look at ways of localising some non-military elements of your non-military operation at MPA in ways we can operate toward mutual benefit. However, the defence of the Falklands is not something which relies wholly on strong deterrence. We also have to be self-reliant and resilient. And I am delighted that, with this in mind, we now resolve the issue of international shipping. There remains a great deal of work yet to be done but the framework is there and there’s no practical reason for it not to be successful.
I know from talking to people that there is a large sigh of relief and a desire for the service (Shipping) to be up and running as soon as possible. This service has huge potential in terms of economic benefit for the Islands and the continued efforts from all those involved both SAAS and CFL are much appreciated.
On the import substitution front, a scheme has now been approved which will enable those who wish to seize the opportunity to grow more locally and reduce reliance on imports. That work is now largely finished and details will shortly be available as to how the assistance package will work. I hear of the success of the Farmers’ Market. It’s clearly a victim of its own success as it’s always been sold out by the time I get there. I hope that this import substitution package will help to boost activity and enterprise and make future events even more popular and successful. I also hope that a free market will result in competitive pricing and thereby reduce the cost of vegetables and by a free market I am talking in economic terms, not in Farmers’ Market terms. But that will become clearer in the course of time.
But, Mr Speaker, we can’t sit back and consider the job done. The Falklands’ message has to be sent outside in a clear and un-equivocal terms to a wider audience. We are doing that on many fronts. Some of them like C-24 are customary and very public. However, a lot of the work is in the background and involves meeting foreign journalists, foreign politicians and attending a variety of events. Some of this work is very public and very short-lived but much of the progress is a question of networking with people, building confidence, trust and contact and then working on these relationships to further our aims and get our message of self-determination out on to the international stage. The results of this work are not readily seen but, like any good medicine, it slowly works its way into the system and hopefully cures the rot.
Turning to more local issues and the thorny issue of roads, there are some dreadful stretches of roads in the Falklands and nobody can doubt that for one moment. But there is no instant fix. This is unfortunate but a fact of life. Next week we are all meeting to discuss what we can achieve but it would be foolish to pretend that we can provide a long-term fix for the problem. It would be equally foolish to make promises that we simply can’t keep. The only promise that I or any of us can make is to give it all it takes and in consultation with a very experienced and knowledgeable team we will do our very best with the resources that we have available. As I often say to those who ask, the lowest common denominator in this particular equation is cost.
Recently we had a collective trip to Camp – first Goose Green and then on to the West. The public meetings were, I hope, interesting, informative and sociable events. I found them to be exactly that. It was great to catch up on Camp and see people and places that I hadn’t visited for years. If the weather hadn’t been so bad, it would have been good to have had a longer yarn, set the world to rights over a beer or two and no doubt have a completely erased memory by the next morning as to what was the precise nature of the perfect solution to everything. Reflecting more deeply on this, I suspect that may have happened once or twice but I can’t recall the details.
Another important point I would make, Mr Speaker, is that of consultation with the public, which is an issue which has been raised at different points today. This is undoubtedly an important and vital part of any democratic system of Government. However, it is not a simple matter to engage in a complete public consultation exercises for each and every item. There has to be a degree of choice as to what needs extensive consultation and what does not require such great detail.
And the answer lies with the Gazette. This is the official Government Document and is available online and also by CD and also on CD by subscription. This is the consultation document that is issued on a regular basis. However, I firmly believe the vast majority do not have the time to read papers off a computer screen or the ability to print off from a CD what can be many, many pages. The solution, Mr Speaker, has to be to offer a subscription service on printed paper as it used to be. And I do sincerely hope that we can revert to this far more sensible system. It may cost us a few pennies but I believe we can’t afford not to go back to print.
Mr Speaker, I answered a question from my Honourable Colleague the Honourable Roger Edwards on radio coverage around the Falklands. These improvements make a great deal of sense and, just briefly visiting Camp, reminds me of the isolation that must gnaw away at the soul if there is no radio, no TV, no phone and no internet. The last two years have undoubtedly seen vast improvements in all of these areas. It’s not yet perfect but, if you will allow me, as Shakespeare once wrote, “the image of it gives me content already and I trust it will grow to a most prosperous perfection.”
In closing, Mr Speaker, and declaring my interest as a director of Stanley Services, I would like to briefly make mention of FITV. FITV has been running now for about 6 months but it tackles local news and issues with a huge amount of enthusiasm and energy and I have every admiration of the way in which they work and I really do wish them every success with the venture. Early days are always the hardest times but from what I can see and hear, they are doing a great job. And to those critics, I would simply say that it is not an easy task being behind or indeed in front of the camera. The venture is going well and has what it takes to be a resounding success.
Entrepreneurs, innovators, risk takers, movers and shakers – all of these are what makes us a great country so let’s be sure to encourage and promote those values.
I support the Motion.
(100X Transcription Service)
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