CONFIDENTIAL
Provided this option is acceptable to opinion in the
United Kingdom its adoption involves no further
difficulty because is is the option preferred by
opinion in the Dependent Territories concerned.
i.
b.
ii.
Abolition of the Death Penalty by Persuasion
As recently as April 1973 the Governors of all
Dependent Territories which retain the death
penalty were asked to report on local attitudes
on the subject; they all replied that local opinion
remained firmly in favour of retention, thus
reaffirming the outcome of the previous soundings
taken in 1965 and 1970. To request the Governors
yet again to bring influence to bear on the local
Governments to reconsider their opposition to the
abolition of capital punishment is therefore very
unlikely to succeed, would be strongly resented
by most if not all of the Elected Legislatures and
would therefore serve no useful purpose. HMG
retains no responsibility or powers in the internal
affairs of the Associated States, and it would
therefore be unconstitutional as well as impolitic
to ask the Governors to raise this question with
their Governments.
Abolition of Legislative Actions by HMG
In the case of the Dependent Territories (but not
the Associated States) HMG can in the last resort
override local legislation by making Orders-in-
Council and could do so to abolish the death penalty.
/Although
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CONFIDENTIAL