PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL
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despite its massive majority, was unable to prevent considerable unrest being fomented by the Opposition against independence to the embarrass- ment of the British Government of the day. Our sessions are made more difficult because of the prima donna attitude taken by some Premiers and Opposition Leaders in not deciding whether they will attend until about 24 hours before the meetings are due to start. A lot of tele- graphic groupage is used in sending weaselly but persuasive messages, pitched to offer some gravy to one side without appearing to be slanted too much against the interests of the other. This month has seen debates in both Houses as well as an additional mini-debate on a House of Lords Starred Question on Dominican independence. This has been a cliff- hanger with the decision taken to go ahead with a section 10(2) Order (under the 1967 West Indies Act) only able to be made days before the Parliamentary deadline would have ruled it out. Dominica will become inlenendent on 3 November. The St Lucia conference has been on the same pattern with uncertainty up to the very last moment whether the Opposition would attend after some earlier sparring with John Compton as to the terms upon which he would be willing to take part. Given the circumstances the conference went well and a wide measure of agreement was reached on a constitution. Differences remain however and we expect the Opposition to continue, for tactical reasons, to oppose i.dependence. My guess is that St Lucia will move to independence early next year.
9. Robert Bradshaw's death in May has put the Anguilla problem in an entirely new perspective. Ted Rowlands has already had a talk with the new Premier of St Kitts, Paul Southwell, and although it will not be plain sailing, there is a good prospect of St Kitts-Nevis becoming independent next year and of Anguilla reverting formally to dependent territory status. This issue remains very delicate however and the contents of this paragraph should not be revealed.
6. On the dependent territories side, as I said earlier, we have not succeeded in producing any significant new wisdom on how to move forward towards independence. Ted Rowlands has however been trying out some 31 of his thoughts on this to restricted audiences and I thought you might
These be interested to have a copy of the notes from which he spoke. 025/2006
are an admirable analysis of the problems he faces as Minister for Decolonisation but do not offer solutions: he could not of course be at all specific on the way forward for individual territories without giving too much away and upsetting somebody's applecart.
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7. We continue to move from confrontation to confrontation with Turks and Caicos Ministers whose erratic and bombastic style of government makes it almost impossible to do sensible business with them. I cannot frankly think of anything I have enjoyed less than the negotiations in Washington in October and June with the American State and Defence Departments over rent for the US Bases in Grand Turk accompained as I was by three unpredictable and abusive Ministers and an incompetent and verhose Attorney General. A return match is proposed for September. Meanwhile we juggle around with an unusual consultancy with UK Gaming Board to produce legislation and advice on procedures which would allow the island to licence a casino.
8. After a year of disorder following the dismissal of Ronald Webster
as Chief Minister, Anguilla has settled down to a period of uneasy calma