TNAG-0005-FCO40-41-Departmental-briefs-about-Hong-Kong-1968 — Page 138

VUNS LIADINELA

112 policies

The 'me local Gurl

Die came of Hive.)

(iv)

Fears from the dependent territories are likely in

many cases to be weiferous critics of the British

Government's policy towards their own territory;

they would be first-hand Westminster lobbyists

devoting themselves single mindedly to the

advancement of their case in the House of Lords

(and outside) and no longer having to rely, as at

present, on the spasmodio efforts of peers and

X.P.s who could be interested in their case (in

this context, one has to consider how the Falkland

Islande and Gibraltar situations would be affected

by the existence of pears from those territories);

(v) Since at present penrages are envisaged as being

for life, there could be a problem on the attain-

ment of independence (or aven of associated state-

hood) by the territory concerned; unless it was

clearly understood that after independence the

peer would not exercise his rights to attend and

spoak, there could ensue the difficulties envisaged

in the memorandum of May 1968 (1.e. basically those

of the citizens of one independent country sitting

in the legislature of another);

(vi) Britain would probably face the charge, particularly

in the United Nations, of trying to 'mptropolitanise'

her territories.

CONCLUSIONS

6. There is a prima facie attraction in associating the remain-

ing dependent territories directly with the parliament which is ultimately responsible for their destinies. But there are

formidable difficulties of principle both nationally, in that

the House of Lords does not overtly 'represent' particular

interests, and internationally, in that we do not wish to be

seen to be inte grating our colonies with the United Kingdom.

In practice, also, the problems of selection and the embarrass-

ment of such peers' activities are strong arguments against

ARPITIAL

/such