The 18th Annual Conference of Attorneys General of the UK Overseas Territories in Anguilla, this week, could not have come at a more appropriate time. It is not that it holds out anything in particular for this island more than all the other territories which, like us, are under the watchful, and hopefully, caring eyes of the British Government.

Part of the appropriateness of the conference is the fact that all of the territories at this juncture are reeling under the global financial situation and other varied problems and, while they struggle on, the UK Government has a responsibility to assist them in managing the challenges they are facing, as Baroness Scotland so rightly stated.
The Attorneys General are the legal minds who are of significant assistance to the various territories’ Governments. It is hoped that their coming together with the UK Attorney General would enable them to come up with an action plan that could benefit each of the islands and their relationship with Britain.
Though part and parcel of the same administrative structure, each territory still has its own peculiar difficulties, dreams and aspirations. Here in Anguilla, the conference has come on the eve of the 42nd Anniversary of the Anguilla Revolution. None of the other territories, except the Falklands, can speak of a turbulent political and constitutional past like Anguilla where we rebelled against the dictatorial Central Government in St. Kitts, declared our island a Republic, threw a British Minister off the island, got invaded by British troops and, after an agonising period, became a separate Overseas Territory.
Today, although a loyal territory of Britain, our future is still uncertain. Our new Constitution, which seems to be taking an eternity to come into being, has not yet been presented in draft form to our people. It is to be noted that constitutional review is one of the discussion matters at the conference and it is expected that there will be some reference, even in passing, about the Anguilla Constitution. One of the reasons about the uncertainty of our future is that the Anguillian leaders and its people are demanding full internal self-government with a reduction of the Governor’s powers. By all accounts this is a big area of conflict with the UK Government which, if we persist, might threaten to force us into independence – a status we are not really ready for.
Then there is a general election coming up in less than one year and it is uncertain what effect the results could have on our present and future situation.

On Tuesday coming, June 2, the Government and people of Anguilla will be celebrating Anguilla Day which this year has been moved from May 30 because of the weekend date and the difficulty in celebrating the event with a full holiday and slate of events. It is a pity that the UK and Overseas Territories delegations will not be in Anguilla by then to see the fervour of the celebrations by the independently-minded Anguillians. That would have given them much food for thought and one of the reasons why, though an Overseas Territory, we are so uniquely different.

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