Falklands : Motion for Adjournment Speech by the Hon Mr Gavin Short:
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 05.03.2012 (Article Archived on 19.03.2012)
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, in rising to speak to the Motion for Adjournment, I would like to keep my comments briefer than normal because I know at least one Member wishes to take his son out to lunch.
Motion for Adjournment Speech by the Hon Mr Gavin Short:
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, in rising to speak to the Motion for Adjournment, I would like to keep my comments briefer than normal because I know at least one Member wishes to take his son out to lunch.
To answer the Honourable Sharon Halford, I do NOT do exercise. I have not seen a happy jogger yet so I am sure it must be bad for you.
I would like to start by extending a very warm welcome to Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner and also his aide, Todd Washam that made the long trip down from the USA to visit our country and see for themselves what we are and who we are. I sincerely hope that they are finding our country and our ways of doing things both enjoyable and illuminating. We are honoured that you have made the trip and hope that when you return to Washington you will be able to interest others of all political persuasions to come down and see us.
We have been living in very interesting times. We have been subject to an almost constant barrage from the Argentine side, which seems to be becoming ever more desperate and fanciful with every passing week. We have weathered it and I would like to think we have given as good as we got; which I think came as a nasty surprise to those who had been so used to handing it out with very little coming back at them.
The game has changed. We are not sitting back quietly anymore. This is our country. We are a people. We have a right to exist and we have the right to self-determination. And, by Jove, we intend to carry on telling the world just that. We will chose with whom to have allegiances and not have one hoisted on us by a wanna be colonial power.
As a bit of a stay at home sort of a lad, I must sincerely thank other MLAs who spend an inordinate amount of their time roaming the world and spreading the truth and countering scurrilous mistruths that are spread by the Argentines. And in doing so, they have actually helped in turning the tide.
Also, those who are here at home, and indeed those overseas who spent hours and hours giving interviews and writing articles; I thank you for that. Also, not to be forgotten are the Penguin News and other media organisations, the Chamber of Commerce plus ordinary people who spent so much time talking to the various media outlets. You have all done exceptionally well in getting our story out there. Also a big thank-you in this campaign to a assert our rights to our freedoms must go to the general public who more and more are entering into the discussion forums on the internet and most eloquently and forcefully put their case. At times the voice of just one ordinary citizen is worth more than all us political types together, so keep it up. I once made a joke in this house about blogging and tweeting for victory and that is just what you, the people are doing and I salute you for doing that.
The last 10 days or so have been quite the most horrible I have had for some time. They started with the incident where we had the crewmen jumping from the jigger into the cold waters of Stanley Harbour. Miraculously they all survived. I was lucky enough, if you can put it that way, to have been able to follow the whole operation as it proceeded throughout the night. I must pay tribute to all involved from Fisheries Ops and staff who held it all together through to the emergency services, people from the various fishing agencies and companies who responded so quickly and had their launches out in no time at all through to the search and rescue helicopter and members of the ordinary public who did their bit. This time it had a happy ending. It is so sad though that most of these incidents do not. The actual effort was carried out with all parties in unison.
But the main problems started to arrive after the incident. Then departments almost seem to go back in their shells. The Director of Homeland security has now written a protocol to be followed as there didn’t seem to be one before. The operating procedures are just as important as those that are in place during the incident. I had input into the protocol and whilst I think it covers most of the important issues it still needs to address the issue of the fact that we need to start getting information out as soon as we can. I put forward my ideas on this as well but I am not sure if they really are being taken on board. We need someone in the ops room or in a position to start disseminating information as things unfold. This is a very small community and rumours spread like wildfire. This was the case with the Jigger incident this time. As soon as I heard that the Search and Rescue helicopter was on its way I knew, given people’s heightened state of anxiety, thanks to the Argentine situation, we had to start getting word out as they may well have jumped to the wrong conclusions.
I must admit that I used a pretty unorthodox method but facebook did the trick. We must have someone who is public facing and can think about these things whilst leaving the Fishops staff and others to get on with running the rescue effort. And I also repeat that I wish to be notified straight away no matter what time of day or night if there is an incident.
Following hard on the heels of that came the shenanigans of a group of Argentine veterans that were here in the Islands. Most veterans come, lay their ghosts to rest and leave and you really do not know that they were here. This group was unlike anything we have seen here before; and the sheer numbers also added to the problem. As the week wore on I could see tensions were building to a point where there was a very real probability of a confrontation and alas it was proved true. I must appeal to people to try and keep cool and not do anything. But as someone who has been through the experience of 1982 I also know just how hard it is, especially this year, where a lot of us are going to have memories awakened that we would much rather lay dormant. And that is without having a bunch of people roaming our country who seem to be intent more on pursuing a nationalistic agenda rather than laying ghosts to rest.
I received many calls from distressed people and passed these on to the Police. However, I must plead with the public to call me by all means as I do indeed want to know what’s happening but only after calling the police. I am assured that they will respond to your calls but they can only do that if you tell them what is happening in real time. Something tells me a day or so later isn’t much use. So as soon as you become aware of anything or feel intimidated, please call the Police first and you’re friendly MLA after that. We have met with officials and are awaiting word back on just how best we can protect you, the public. Again, I must plead with you. You must do your bit as well. Call the law first immediately when something happens and your MLA at your leisure.
Alas, with all that has been happening, I think our eyes have been taken a little off the day to day stuff but I would like to report on just a few items.
Once again this year we sailed very close to the wind with our water and had to restrict large sales to the oil industry so that we could keep the town, etc. supplied. It is almost unheard of to have two back to back dry summers but it’s happened. The Director of Public Works is doing his best to re-work figures in time for this year’s budget for the alternative water supply and, if he can get them in on time I will be pleading with Members to look favourably on this project.
I guess oil is going to happen so we will have a window of a year or two to have our infrastructure ready.
Another scheme that has languished in the doldrums somewhat is the soft loan scheme for improving possible water in the Camp. I have asked Treasury that a line be inserted in this year’s budget so that at least it will have funding as soon as we can get the details finished.
The Town Hall lift moves slowly on and I believe Members may already have sight of the new figures. They are somewhat hair curling but let’s just get on and do it. The last lift got put on hold and although it languished here in a container it was never fitted due to budget cut-backs, I believe. And then it was forgotten. I think this has proved to be a very false economy as the lift is now deemed useless. And we are going to have to get a complete new unit and so have wasted a lot of money. If we do it I hope we do it properly and go for an option that will make it of the most use to the public and not the half-hearted job that we often do.
Mark Boucher, the new General Manager of FIDC is now in post. I would like to welcome him and he comes with new ideas. I find his ideas really interesting but one in particular really grabs me; as it will as it comes to fruition help young people who have the drive to strike out on their own. I will not steal his thunder nor pre-empt what the Board may have to say by revealing any more. But I really look forward to him working up his ideas and presenting them to the Board. I would also like to thank the staff up at FIDC. We have a really close-knit little team up there who, like a lot of the FIG departments that I represent, punch way above their weight.
An area of concern for me, though, still remains the Police. Recruitment has proven to be almost impossible. It does, I believe, come down mainly to wages. I believe this is being looked at now but would plead that we get into gear and get this sorted at the greatest of haste. Let’s start thinking and acting like the private sector would. They can identify a problem, find a solution and act accordingly, whilst government seems to trundle along with the speed of an aged elephant in a tar pit. We must get a solution in quickly or we may find ourselves, not with what we have at the moment but as tired, disgruntled Bobbies but with hardly any Bobbies at all. And I can’t blame them if they decide to leave. Good will can only sustain people for so long. And I think with the Police as indeed with some other departments, we have ridden the good will train for far too long. It’s time we started stepping up beside the workforce, supporting them and repaying that good will with positive action.
A few days ago I managed to sneak out with the Fisheries boys to see the process of the inspection that they carried out during the licencing of the Squid Jiggers. This doesn’t suddenly make me an expert but it does give me greater understanding of what the Fisheries Department does on that front and also what it looks like aboard a Jigger. My grateful thanks to the Ops Room Boys and especially Bernard for telling it to me like it is and that’s just the way I like it.
Tomorrow, Jury Bill debate and weather permitting, I hope to be setting sail with the Fishery Patrol Vessel and the FIDF to take a look at some gunnery procedures. Having, if I remember correctly being part of the Council that bought the famous gun for fisheries action, I am at long last going to see the beast in action – I hope.
The Falkland Islands Defence Force recently deployed under their new guise on to the West Falklands. They were, from all the reports I have received from the folk in the West, very well received. They also co-operated very closely with British Forces in various scenarios which also went well and is a splendid indication of just what we are capable of.
I am also happy to report that us Falkland Islands Defence Force Veterans will be marching again on the 1st of April. I would like to thank Gerald Cheek for stepping up to the plate and starting to make it happen. Alas our numbers are starting to dwindle and for us this will be the last major anniversary when we will have a fair number of us still around.
I note the Member for Camp is starting to glance at his watch and turning a funny colour so I will now end but not before mentioning Christmas. It was brought to my attention just before Christmas that we hadn’t strung the lights up as we normally do on Ross Road. On making enquiries it transpired that the lights were past their sell by date, had in any case, been vandalised, plus we did not have enough physical bodies to get them up. I have asked that funding be put in the budget for new lights for this year plus also funding that the private sector can be used to put them up if need be. As a caller said to me, apart from looking nice, with all the pressure that we’ve been under over the year up to Christmas, it would have been a wonderful thing to have them up and jolly the place up a little bit. I actually got enthused and spent a few happy hours Googleing Christmas lights. I found that there are well groovy Christmas things out there like outdoor artificial trees and the like. And before the Treasury start having a fit about me wanting to squander the whole £19 Million windfall on Christmas decorations, it actually crossed my mind that it would be wonderful if there could be a joint private and public sector effort to light up the front of town like it’s never been lit up before for Christmas 2012 and those years thereafter.
On my travels in the UK just before Christmas I spotted, even in the smaller towns, and even with them being in the icy grips of a recession, which we are not, they could manage some quite enchanting displays which we seemingly can’t. So let’s think about it, or even better, let’s do it. Whatever happens, it is my intention that we will all be well lit for Christmas.
Mr Speaker, I support the Motion.
(100X Transcription Service)
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