Overseas - Dods Monitoring

Queen Elizabeth II greets leaders
of the Overseas Territories at a
Windsor Castle reception, 2010
of Montserrat acts as an example to us all;
a holistic drive for innovation has led to
widespread drilling opportunities, making
full use of the geothermal energy potential
created by the volcanic devastation to produce
electricity, reducing the necessity for costly
imports of the commodity. I am proud
that organisations, such as the West India
Committee, are continuously and fervently
looking to help develop the economies of
Britain’s Overseas Territories, thus helping to
create greater prosperity across the world or,
in this particular case, in the West Indies.
Moreover, there are often somewhat
unobtrusive contributions made to Britain
and to the world by the British Overseas
Territories, regularly overlooked when
attention falls singularly on tax and tourism.
Gibraltar currently runs flagship operations
in online gaming and is firmly on the map as
an influential force in the progression of this
industry; dark sky tourism in St. Helena is
also a popular innovation – all of which cannot
be ignored when assessing their input on the
world stage.
Over successive governments now, not
least under the government of Margaret
Thatcher of the 1980s, we have seen the
self-governance extended from Britain to the
Overseas Territories. Today, I am pleased to
observe that the steadfast commitment of the
current government in keeping the Overseas
Territories British has been consistently
resolute. I do believe however, in order to
eradicate any doubt over sovereignty-related
disputes and to consolidate the ‘Britishness’ of
the territories, consideration should be given to
creating a stronger constitutional bond between
the United Kingdom and all of our Overseas
Territories, securing their right to remain a
cherished part of the great British family.
Andrew Rosindell is Chair of the British Overseas
Territories All Party Parliamentary Group
NOVEMBER 2013 | THE HOUSE MAGAZINE | 7