TNAG-1001-FCO40-1237-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-including--Report-of-the-1981 — Page 209

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R F Deare Esq

WIAD

FCO

My

dear

© dis.

Ms. Borland Missi

my

Her Majesty's Commissioner ANGUILLA

30 December 1980

HJA 012/1

31 DEC 1980

THIS IS A COPY

THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN

он

YEARS UNDER FOI EXEMPTION No. 27(1).

CLOSED FOR

ANGUILLA:

1.

2.

CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE

?

I revert to my letter of 12 December.

In a nutshell the problem has been to get Webster to consider what reasonable Constitutional changes he should propose within the limitations imposed by British policy towards the Dependencies. In so doing account has had to be taken of the following:

3.

a)

b) the notion which he and some others here have held

that dividing the state meant that Associated State- hood would be preserved in both entities;

c) that Constitutional change carried no urgency until

Separation was in sight; and

d) that no definitive paper on British policy towards

the Dependencies has been available to put to him directly.

As regards the above points the haste in which Separation was finally achieved acted as the necessary spur. The debate in the House of Lords was also useful in that a clear outline of British policy towards the Dependencies emerged. I loaned the relevant extract of Hansard to Herbert to study. He is confident that Webster now understands that the task if to come up with sensible and logical amendments to the present Constitution.

4.

We seem to be back on the right lines and, in the circumstances, I would prefer not to complicate matters by proposing Constitutional discussions here after most of the spade-work has been done. But we can discuss this during your forthcoming visit.

I hope to be in a position to let you have the Anguillan proposals shortly.

5.

yous

crea

Charles

CH Godden

PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL

f