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particularly to counter charges of inconsistency between one group of dependencies (the Caribbean) and another (the
Falklands).
Criticism and exploitation of the perceived change
in our policies can be expected to come from within the
territories themselves, from the US and possibly other allies,
from both wings of British politics (depending on their view of
the Falklands) and from the Argentinians. The basis of our public line must be to confirm that the wishes of the inhabitants
will be respected and to counter any spurious comparisons between
the different dependencies. There are indeed clear differences
between the Falklands on the one hand and the Caribbean on the
other: the former is situated close to a large hostile power, the
latter to a large friendly power; the former is economically
dependent on the UK, the latter on the US far more than the UK;
the former has never expressed any wish to be independent, while
in the latter some of the leaders have indicated an interest in
seeking independence. Despite the validity of such arguments HMG will however find itself having to mount a firm defence of its
policies against some entrenched criticism.
IX ADMINISTRATION OF THE DEPENDENCIES IN THE UK
36 A factor that has tended to reduce the efficient
administration of the dependencies in recent years has been the increased involvement of non-FCO departments in the affairs of
the territories. Financial, shipping, telecommunications and
drug questions, as well as aid and security aspects have all led
non-FCO departments to deal more or less directly with dependent territory affairs. No regular committee machinery has existed to coordinate this involvement or to ensure that FCO expertise is constantly brought to bear. The need for this is arguably
greater now that so many and more varied governmental resources
are being devoted to the task. It will be particularly
important, as some of the dependencies are moved towards independence, that action in Whitehall is properly coordinated and it therefore makes sense for a coordinating committee, probably located in the Cabinet Office, to be set up.
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