2009 News

Ms Madeleine Moon, Labour MP for Bridgend, and Mr Brian Binley, Conservative MP for Northampton South, have completed a successful visit to the Falklands from 19 to 24 February 2009. The visit included Government briefings on fisheries, hydrocarbons, tourism, agriculture and defence.  The weekend was spent in Camp at San Carlos and at Sea Lion Island.  Ms Moon commented that the trip had been highly successful while Mr Binley said he would take back the message that the Falklands are a very healthy, vibrant and able community.

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal will visit the Falkland Islands on 24 and 25 March on her way to South Georgia.  She will be accompanied by her husband, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence.  Visits to the Police Station, Fire Station, Junior and Community Schools, Liberty Lodge, Falkland Islands Defence Force Headquarters, Cape Pembroke Lighthouse and Atlantic Conveyor Memorial, Port Louis Settlement and Stanley Power Station are planned.  The Princess Royal last visited the Falkland Islands in January 2007 when she was on her way to Antarctica.

Captain Gavin Pritchard OBE has personally assured that it is the intention of the Royal Navy that HMS Endurance will return to full operational status as early as is safely possible.  The ship suffered engine room flooding in December and is returning to Portsmouth for repairs.  A welcome and familiar sight around the Falkland Islands, she is the Royal Navy's sole ice patrol vessel.

A record number of cruise ship passengers visited Stanley on Friday 6 February.  The cruise ships Infinity, Spirit of Adventure and Norwegian Sun brought 4,053 passengers to the Falklands capital, outstripping the previous record day of 3,779 which took place on 4 December 2007.  General Manager of the Falkland Islands Tourist Board, Jake Downing, said: "Visitor feedback was excellent, with a large proportion saying they'd consider coming back here again". Mr Downing added that visitor numbers so far for this season were up 26% overall on last year, the growth being down to the worldwide boom in cruising, which is currently the fastest growing tourism sector in the world and more specifically due to the popularity of South America and Antarctica as cruising destinations.  Visit www.falklandislands.com for more information on the Falkland Islands Tourist Board.

The Review of Government presented by the Chief Executive in paper 233/08 has been broadly accepted by Executive Council.

Council took the view that certain of the recommendations in the paper should be re-worded and re-ordered to more fully describe the context of the recommendations, and to bring together in sequence some linked recommendations.

The recommendation (original recommendation 11) was considered to fall outside the scope of the review itself, but will be considered independently.

These amended recommendations as published now form the basis on which the Chief Executive will carry forward the review.

More than 26 years after the Liberation of the Falklands from Argentine forces, the British veterans who were part of Operation Corporate have their own house in Stanley.  Set on a hill overlooking the harbour and conveniently close to the town's amenities, Liberty Lodge was officially opened on 3 February by the Commander of British Forces in the Islands, Air Commodore Gordon Moulds.  Derek 'Smokey' Cole of the Falklands Veterans' Association masterminded the plan and the Chairman of the South Atlantic Medal Association, Lt Col Tony Davies MBE, assisted with raising funds for the building of the Lodge.  Many people in the community also pulled together to make the opening of the Lodge possible.  It is hoped that more veterans will stay in the Lodge, enjoy the company of Falkland Islanders and assist themselves in dealing with what they were involved in during the war.  Guests were given a tour of the spacious and comfortable four-bedroom house which is to be run by Islander Anya Cofre.  When not in use by war veterans, the Lodge will be open for use by members of the Armed Forces serving in the South Atlantic.

A re-designed website has been launched by Falklands Conservation, a charity that looks after the spectacular environment of the Falkland Islands.  The website contains sections on wildlife, conservation and education, as well as news updates and information on how visitors can help the charity.  Visit www.falklandsconservation.com.

This season has brought a significant increase in cruise passengers, according to the Falkland Islands Tourist Board.  General Manager Jake Downing said he expected almost 68,000 cruise passengers to visit the Falklands by the end of the season on 7 April.  Mr Downing is positive about the prospects for future seasons, as the cruise ship industry is well placed to weather the global economic downturn.  Visit www.falklandislands.com for further information on Falklands tourism.

Following a serious flooding incident suffered in the engine room just before Christmas,  HMS Endurance, the Royal Navy's only ice breaker, is currently moored in her second home port, Mare Harbour in the Falkland Islands. Due to the severity of the accident, a vessel is currently sailing from the UK and will then tow the ship back to Portsmouth for extensive repairs. At this stage it is not known how long she will be away from the South Atlantic, where she carries out vital work patrolling Antarctica.

According to the ship's Captain, Gavin Pritchard, "In terms of the future, it is the Navy's intent to get the ship back to Portsmouth at the earliest opportunity in order to complete repairs and then to get the ship back to patrolling Antarctica as soon as safely possible thereafter".

Craig Dockrill has been appointed as Chief Executive of Falklands Conservation, the charity that takes action for wildlife in the Falklands.  He succeeds Grant Munro, who left the organisation in September 2008.  Craig has spent the past three years working in the western Arctic region of Canada as a Habitat Biologist for the Canadian Wildlife service.  Prior to taking up residence in Arctic, Craig served as manager for the Wildlife Society of Malawi.  

Future Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Stephen Dalton visited the Islands last week and carried out a full programme that has taken him out into Camp and around Stanley.  The aim of the visit was to meet a broad cross-section of service personnel in the Falklands and view the full range of military capabilities commanded by Air Commodore Gordon Moulds.  Air Marshal Dalton was said to be impressed by the dedication, professionalism and enthusiasm of all the service and civilian personnel he met, and the information he gleaned from his visit will prove invaluable in his new appointment commencing in July.

Labour MP Madeleine Moon, who represents the Welsh constituency Bridgend, and Conservative MP for Northampton South, Brian Binley, are due to visit the Falkland Islands for one week in February.  The planned itinerary includes Government briefings, meetings with Legislative Assembly Members, officials and the private sector. They will also visit the British Cemetery at San Carlos and travel to Sea Lion Island to see the wildlife there.

Wildlife from the Falkland Islands, including rockhopper penguins, black browed albatross and caracara birds are to be featured on a highly popular series of natural history programmes to be aired by BBC Radio 4 over the next four weeks. Starting on Sunday 1 March, the Islands' wildlife will feature on the 'Living World' series.( http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/livingworld).  

Falklands Conservation assisted the programme producers who visited the Islands whilst making the series.  (www.falklandsconservation.com)

Sandie Robb and Polly Phillpot, education officers from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), which owns Edinburgh Zoo, have arrived in the Falkland Islands.  They will spend a month visiting schools at Mount Pleasant and in Camp, as well as Stanley and various youth groups. They will be teaching local children about Scottish wildlife, as part of a School Linking Programme, which aims to set up Scottish schools with links to classrooms around the world.  Lessons about the Falkland Islands have also been planned for Scottish pupils in 56 schools and will culminate in a School Linking Day at Edinburgh Zoo in June, when the Scottish pupils will be able to speak to Falklands pupils via webcam. Edinburgh Zoo is home to many Falklands penguins, which Sandie and Polly have now seen in the wild for the first time.

British Forces South Atlantic Islands has launched a new website, www.mod.uk/bfsai, which is now being frequently updated.  The website contains information for members of the British Forces serving in the Falklands as well as recent news.

Shirley Adams-Leach, a dedicated music teacher, has received a MBE for her services to musical education in the Falkland Islands.  She first arrived in the Islands in 1988 on a two-year part-time teaching placement.  Returning full time in 1999, she has since instilled enthusiasm in music in a large number of Falklands students.  The musical ability in the Falklands is borne out by the size of the GCSE class and consistently high results in Associated Board examinations.  Also in the Queen's New Year's honours list was Brigadier Nicholas Roy Davies MBE MC.  Formerly of the Parachute Regiment, Brigadier Davies has been appointed CBE in recognition of his long and distinguished service and particularly for his service in the Falkland Islands.  Brigadier Davies was Commander of British Forces in the Falkland Islands (CBFSAI) for 18 months during the busy and sensitive period of the 25th anniversary of the 1982 conflict.

A reception was held at Government House on 5 January to commemorate the new Falkland Islands Constitution, which came into effect on 1 January.  H. E. the Governor Mr Alan Huckle commended the Constitution as being "a significant step forward in democracy in the Falkland Islands" and acknowledged role of the Constitution to constrain the power of the Governor.  Councillor Mike Summers OBE, who had been involved in bringing the new Constitution into being over twelve years and three Legislative Councils, paid tribute to the work of his colleagues to ensure fundamental rights and freedoms for Falkland Islanders.

Today we're not only welcoming in the New Year, but also a new Constitution for your Islands.  This Constitution both reiterates the United Kingdom's commitment to your right to self determination and enhances local democracy and accountability.  I welcome this and I recognise that, through your full participation in the Constitutional Review, you have shown your unequivocal desire to remain British.

2008 has brought enormous challenges with the downturn in the global economy.  I know that your Government's financial situation is under pressure, and that you are taking steps to find budgetary savings.  None of us is immune, and we all have to do our best to plan against further shocks to the global economic system.

Exploration for oil and gas around the Falkland Islands continues.  The British Government will continue to support your ambition to develop this into a viable and secure sector of your economy.  We will provide guidance and advice to ensure that your Government is able to plan for and manage all of the problems and responsibilities that come with a hydrocarbons sector, be they health and safety, security, or socio-economic.

But extraction is still a far-off and uncertain prospect.  So your Government is right to try to diversify your economy further.  Success will of course depend on a close working relationship between the government and business sectors, committed to the same goals.

Maintaining physical links between the United Kingdom and the Falkland Islands is important.  I'm pleased that the Ministry of Defence has been able to deliver a new Airbridge contract, with a more regular service.  I know the importance of this Airbridge to your Government's plans to develop business and tourist traffic.  I hope that this new service will support that.

I am sorry that the large Argentine next of kin visit to the Islands has still not taken place.  I know that your Government wants this visit to happen.  I hope that this is the year we can find an acceptable way forward.

We shall continue to encourage the Argentine Government to co-operate on matters of mutual interest and concern, such as the conservation of fisheries in the south west Atlantic, and to build business and communications links between the islands and all other countries within the region.  We will also make it clear that we want to work with Argentina if we are to address the world's future needs and problems, from finance to terrorism, and drugs to non-proliferation.

We shall discuss all these issues openly with Argentina.  But we will, as always, make it clear in any such discussions that we have no doubts about the United Kingdom's sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.  There can be no negotiations on the sovereignty of your Islands unless and until such time as you so wish.

Next year, you will have elections for a new Council. that will be an important expression of the democratic tradition in the Islands that we shall seek always to uphold.

I wish all on the Falkland Islands happiness, good health and good fortune for 2009.

Councillor Mike Summers OBE argues that the new Falkland Islands Constitution represents a new post-colonial relationship with the UK.

Today, a new Falkland Islands Constitution comes into force.  Normally this would warrant little attention; this one is different.  In practical as well as symbolic terms it changes the relationship with Britain that dates back to 1833, interrupted only by a 74-day occupation in 1982.

Twenty seven years ago, Britain had to revert to military means to restore democracy to a group of islands that had been invaded by a foreign power.  To some, it was the last colonial 'war' in British history.  To Falkland Islanders it meant much more than that.  Not only had our country been overrun but our liberty had been taken from us and our right, as free people, to decide by whom we should be governed had been denied.

In the ensuing years, the people of the Falklands have never forgotten the sacrifices made by British servicemen in that conflict.  In fact, 'sacrifice' is one of the three themes that have influenced our subsequent development.  The other two are 'self-sufficiency' and 'self-determination'.  We are determined to stand on our own feet and not to lose the freedom that they restored to us in 1982.

Over the last twenty seven years we have become internally self-governing and economically self-sufficient in virtually all areas except defence.  This expenditure represents a very small percentage of the UK defence budget.  The Falkland Islands Government contributes where it can and this contribution is expected to increase.  Self sufficiency has enabled us to develop our communications systems, education and healthcare facilities and diversify our economy.

The right to self-determination is equally important to us.  We are proud of the progress we have made in local democracy and internal self-government as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom.  Yet our Argentine neighbours dismiss this as simply colonisation by another name, despite the fact that Falkland Islanders have freely and repeatedly confirmed their wish to remain British.  At the same time they have incorporated their claim to sovereign territorial rights into the Argentine constitution, and embarked on a campaign of political and economic harassment, refusing to acknowledge our fundamental human right to decide by whom we should be governed.  So much for colonisation!

We too have a constitution - another fact conveniently ignored.  It is a new, post-colonial constitution initiated by the Falkland Islands Government, endorsed by the UK Government and on which the Falkland Islands people were consulted.  It recognises the reality of the modern world in which the rights of free peoples are paramount and the assertion of territorial rights, irrespective of the wishes of those who live there, has no place.  It enshrines in the first Chapter our inalienable right to self-determination in accordance with the United Nations Charter, the International Covenant on civil and political rights and the European Convention.  Despite being endorsed by the UN's Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonisation) as recently as last October, that principle has never been accepted by Argentina as applying to Falkland Islanders.  Whilst Britain and the Falkland Islands have moved on to a new relationship based on democracy and self-determination our Argentine neighbours remain in a time warp, still pressing their anachronistic claim to territorial sovereignty.  It is they, not Britain, who wish to colonise the Falkland Islands.  

Falkland Islanders have expressed their views freely and unequivocally over many years.  We wish to remain British.  Our new constitution enshrines the right to determine our own future.  Surely no-one who supports democracy and human rights can oppose this?

Today (1 January 2009) marks a important milestone in the history of the Falkland Islands as a new constitution takes effect, providing enhanced local democracy and internal self-government and enshrining the right of self-determination.

The Falklands have developed considerably both economically and socially since the previous Falkland Islands' Constitution came in to operation in 1985, and the new Constitution reflects this.  The Islanders' right to determine their own future has been reinforced, as self-determination is now embedded in the main body of the Constitution.  The Constitution enhances local democracy, while retaining sufficient powers for the UK Government to protect UK interests and to ensure the overall good governance of the territory.  It provides for greater transparency and accountability through the creation of a Public Accounts Committee and a Complaints Commissioner, and the rights chapter has been brought up to date to bring it into line with international agreements.

The new Constitution makes much clearer Councillors' responsibility for most domestic policies and that, in general, the Governor will now have to abide by the advice of the Executive Council on such matters. But the new Constitution will also enshrine a power for the Governor not to act upon Executive Council's advice "in the interests of good governance", or in relation to external affairs, defence, internal security, the administration of justice, audit, and management of the public service.

Commenting on the new constitution, Councillor Mike Summers, spokesperson for the Falkland Islands Government said:

"This is a post-colonial Constitution which the Falkland Islands Government initiated and on which the Falkland Islands people were consulted.  It recognises the reality of the modern world in which the rights of free peoples are paramount and the assertion of territorial rights, irrespective of the wishes of those who live there, has no place.

"We have freely exercised our right of self-determination on numerous occasions by clearly indicating our wish to remain British.  This new Constitution re-states our right to decide our own future and enhances our powers of self-government."

A copy of the Constitution is available to download at http://www.falklands.gov.fk/site/legco/constitution.php.

www.falklands.gov.fk//Media_Centre.html