The UK Overseas Territories: a decade of progress and prosperity?

Abstract

The article analyses the relationship between the United Kingdom and its Overseas Territories since the publication of the 1999 White Paper Partnership for Progress and Prosperity. The article considers the efforts by the UK government to improve links with the territories via a new partnership based on mutual obligations and responsibilities. The article focuses on the two most important aspects of the White Papergovernance and economic growth and sustainability. Much has been achieved, but fundamental structural problems in the relationship remain unattended. The article concludes by recommending how the relationship can be improved over the coming years.

Connecting ontological (in)securities and generation through the everyday and emotional geopolitics of Falkland Islanders

“…The rarely documented voices of youth from a British OT have been the principal focus of this paper building on a limited body of existing scholarship that has examined the (geo)politics of these territories (e.g. Clegg & Gold, 2011;Dodds, 2002;Lambert, 2005;Pinkerton, 2008).…”

“…Furthermore, writing about British OTs like the Falkland Islands, most especially on the subject of geopolitics and security, has tended to circumvent the voices of citizens living in these territories, while exploring Security through the geopolitical practices, representations and strategies of states and their politicians (see Clegg & Gold, 2011;Dodds, 2012Dodds, , 2013Dodds & Hemmings, 2014). So, Basham's (2015) insightful paper on how Argentine and British politicians are framing national identity, sovereignty and security, focuses on the configuration of political discourses crafted outside of the Falkland Islands.…”

The UK Caribbean Overseas Territories: governing unruliness amidst the extra-territorial EU

“…The post-1997 Labour government policy changes have already been considered in some detail in an earlier article in this journal (Clegg & Gold, 2011). What is also important to note is that the UK government finally seemed willing to acknowledge that the populations of the UK Caribbean territories did not want independence.…”

“…Bail-outs and rescue operations represent a form of dependence that is mostly desired by local people in the Caribbean OCT (though not always appreciated by everyone). Departing from earlier work by Clegg and Gold (2011), we thus situate the gradual 'paradigm shift' that started in 1999 with New Labour's White Paper, within a broader regional and historical context.…”

Brexit and the Overseas Territories: Repercussions for the Periphery

“…Gibraltar, meanwhile, stands apart being a member of the EU under Article 355(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. Historically the most important relationship the UKOTs have had is with the United Kingdom (UK) (see Clegg, 2009;Clegg and Gold, 2011;Hintjens and Hodge, 2012), but in recent years links with the EU have grown. The UKOTs benefit from economic and environmental cooperation, as well as development assistance.…”