Biography

Peter Clegg is a Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK, and formerly a Research Fellow at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies, The University of the West Indies, Jamaica. He has published widely on the politics and international relations of the Caribbean. He has also provided advice on the Caribbean to the British government, Transparency International, and the OECD.

Article Title

The Turks and Caicos Islands: Why Does the Cloud Still Hang?

Abstract

The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) is one of 14 Overseas Territories (OTs) still overseen by the United Kingdom (UK). Underpinned by tourism, property development and financial services, its economy experienced growth amongst the highest in the world during the early to mid-2000s. However, it now appears that this economic success was built on a political, economic and social system that was seriously compromised, and which created ‘a national emergency’ (TCI Commission of Inquiry 2009: 8) that potentially threatened the very future of the territory. The paper considers the report of the 2009 UK government-appointed Commission of Inquiry into alleged corruption in the TCI, and draws comparisons with a similar Commission of Inquiry undertaken in 1986. Indeed the title of the paper derives from a quotation from the first inquiry overseen by Louis Blom-Cooper which said ‘… I am driven to the conclusion that the time has come to disperse the cloud that hangs like a brooding omnipresence in a Grand Turkan Sky’ (Report of the Commissioner 1986: 98-99). It is clear that this did not happen, and the paper investigates why. The paper considers the UK government’s system of oversight and attitude towards the TCI, the political, economic and social characteristics of the territory, and whether these help to explain recent events and those in the mid-1980s. An assessment is also made as to whether the TCI is particularly prone to breakdowns in good governance. Finally, the paper evaluates the measures that are being undertaken to repair the territory’s reputation and if these will finally disperse the cloud.

Article Title

British Government policy towards the Overseas Territories: A political, constitutional, and economic assessment

Abstract

The paper analyses the complex and ever-evolving relationship between Britain and its Overseas Territories in the Caribbean (and Bermuda) since The West Indies Act of 1962. Links between Britain and its territories have been shaped and determined by particular historical, political, constitutional, and economic factors. For many years relations between the territories and Britain were rather ad hoc – a situation that can be traced back to the compromises, fudges and deals characteristic of ‘pragmatic’ British colonial administration. Over the last 30 years, however, there have been attempts by Conservative and Labour governments to overcome the informal nature of the relationship and develop a more coherent approach with clear obligations and responsibilities for both sides. The paper looks at the application and impact of this more pro-active and coherent level of oversight and asserts that the territories are now much more heavily integrated into the international system, having adopted either willingly or unwillingly a number of changes to their political, economic and social systems. Notwithstanding, there remains major weaknesses in UK Government policy and oversight, including a degree of caution and/or ambivalence when engaging with the territories; many administrative problems including the awkward role of the Governor as a link between each territory and Britain; and the difficulties in formulating good policy when UK and territory governments have different agendas and face conflicting pressures. The paper considers these and other flaws, and suggests ways in which British-OT relations can be improved in the future. Finally, the paper looks at the UK government’s attitude towards independence, which has come onto the agenda from time to time.