TNAG-0600-FCO40-748-Capital-punishment-in-Dependent-Territories-1977 — Page 78

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there would be a strong and virulent reaction in Hong Kong.

The Leader of the Opposition was lobbied on the issue during

her visit to Hong Kong in April this year and, according to

press reports, said that she believed that death sentences

should not be automatically commuted but each should be

considered on its merits.

7. The Prerogative of Mercy retained by The Queen is a

continuing one in the case of Dependent Territories where

the death penalty still exists, nothwithstanding the operation

of the Creech Jones formula. The view that Mr Callaghan

expressed in 1974 would seem to indicate a ministerial

decision to depart from this formula.

8. It is a firm policy of the British Government to help

to independence all the remaining dependent territories.

There are, of course, problems, in some cases insuperable,

in the application of this policy (Hong Kong, Gibraltar,

Belize, The Falklands). On the other hand some of the

remaining dependencies are reluctant for their own good,

and sometimes selfish reasons, to proceed to independence

although they should be able to do so. In these cases the

local governments should realize that to remain a dependency

implies certain disadvantages in addition to the very palpable

benefits which they gain from this continuing situation. As

for those dependencies which cannot be given independence,

for reasons outside their own control, they too should be

brought to realize that the links with the parent country

must necessarily entail some disadvantage. One that they

should henceforth have to accept is that death sentences will

/not

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