Union matters
DATING back to the Interpretation Acts of 1889 and 1978, the term 'British Islands' has referred collectively to the four states of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Bailiwick of Jersey, the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
There is further reference to this status in the Immigration Act of 1971.
It is clear that while we in the Crown Dependencies are not part of the UK, we are still uniquely semi-autonomous parts of the British Islands.
As such, our future is inevitably bound up with the future of the British Islands, the main component of which in the United Kingdom. Any threat to the strength and unity of the United Kingdom is therefore a threat to us in the Crown Dependencies. Who else do we depend on for our defence, foreign affairs and other important matters?
Recently, other parts of the British Islands have become concerned about the outcome of the Scottish referendum and rallied to the Unionist cause, with English, Northern Ireland and Welsh politicians and pressure groups making their voices heard, albeit late in the day.
It is now time for Guernsey and other Crown Dependencies' politicians and people to do likewise and to let the Scottish people know that we value them and our togetherness, and to support them in delivering a resounding No in the referendum.
There are many reasons why we in Guernsey and the other Crown Dependencies should support the continuance of a strong United Kingdom.
One major one is that Britain's position as a major player in financial markets will be affected if the UK becomes divided and weaker economically and politically, and therefore so will we, as our financial sector is very inter-dependent on the UK's.
It is not surprising that the Confederation of British Industry has described the threat of a separate Scotland as posing the biggest political threat to the UK economy.
The issue is causing stock-market jitters, all of which are not good for us as our future is inevitably and irretrievably bound up with that of the United Kingdom.
So our politicians need to exercise swift and urgent leadership, condemn the separatists as a threat to us as well as the UK, and give moral backing to the Better Together campaign. This is the most important issue for many years and as such the three Crown Dependency chief ministers should be meeting to discuss such action.
TONY WEBBER,
anthonywebber@cwgsy.net.
