PAYING FOR RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES – A MUST!

In our legal system you can only own rights to land. You can't directly own (that is, have complete claim to) the land itself. One (person or business) has a right to enjoy the privileges and uses of such property. For such reason you pay for such rights, uses and privileges; and as such, the reason for such powers as compulsory acquisition or state’s right of eminent domain.

Ownership can only be described as a bundle of rights or group of legal rights that can be held by one with respect to some property. These usually include the right to use (or not use); exclude others from using; irreversibly change; sell, give away or bequeath (Trust); rent or lease; retain all rights not specifically granted to others; retain these rights without time limit or review.

However, even such rights are not absolute and have certain responsibilities, such as paying taxes, being liable for suits brought against such property, and abiding by the laws of the land such as zoning laws, building codes, and environmental protection laws. As such, you may find that your rights to use and irreversibly change are not as unlimited as may seem.

Each of these rights can be modified independently of the others - by law or by the granting of an easement to some other party, producing a bewildering variety of legal conditions.

Almost every country in the world respects and understands such and its citizenry does their civic duty accordingly. However, on Anguilla it is embarrassing to primitive life and can only be in accordance with ignorance, arrogance and greed that we continue to politicise a wrong which need to be righted – we need to fulfil our civic duties if we so care about our beloved nation home.

This week, the Gordon Brown administration will not wink when telling the Anguilla administration that the luxury of tax-free days is over. The walls of Westminster will echo with these words: “go and do what’s right – Anguillians must pay their way.”

In October 2009, the British government has agreed to allow the government of Anguilla to borrow EC$20 million to cover its recurrent deficit over six months, providing the local administration commits “now to the introduction of new revenue measure(s), no later than the beginning of fiscal year 2010-11″ to broaden the revenue base.

This is the agreement to which the British government is committed to – none other. If the Government of Anguilla is not prepared to do “what is right”; and primarily as a consequence cannot pay its civil servants’ salaries... then the British Government will have no alternative then to introduce an interim executive on Anguilla for the unforeseeable future.

End of discussion.

Government's lack of foresight, empty promises of false hopes, and lack of legislation or enforcement on Anguilla must be brought to a screeching halt.

However, a crafty politician like the Hon. Chief Minister Hubert Hughes will return and blame the British...

Mark my words.

ANGUILLA’S NEW GOVERNMENT’S FIRST RETREAT WILL BE IN EUROPE

Since naïveté is commonplace on Anguilla as this election concluded; here is the guide to what the Government of Anguilla faces from a disgruntled United Kingdom (UK) government on their maiden trip.

The UK debt is getting larger by the minute. The real problem is the gap between what it is earning as a nation every year and what is currently being spent. The difference has to be borrowed which will amount to £178 billion this year and £176 billion next year.

The UK government plans to continue to pile up the debt until 2018, before gradually paying it off (taxpayers); but wouldn’t be back to the level previously considered sustainable until the year 2030.

Debt will peak at £1.5 trillion, which means every child born in Britain will technically owe £23,000.00.

In 2011, the interest on the UK debt will be £44 billion.

British taxpayers’ pain really starts to bite next year. There will be a new 50p rate on top earners and the increase on national insurance. The richest ten per cent will take a large hit, losing some five percent of their income, but anyone earning over £20,000.00 will pay more.

The government has promised to ring-fence spending on schools, hospitals, overseas developments and policing numbers.

The Institution of Fiscal Studies has argued that this will mean cuts of up to 20 per cent in defence, transport, housing and higher education. It has also further produced a study on the impact of aging population on the UK’s public finances and concluded that if you include all the public-sector pensions the government has so far promised to pay, the UK may never be able to get out of debt.

With its already burdened responsibilities and subsidies to Anguilla (securities, sureties, medical, education, citizenship, etc.), and Anguillians’ disrespect and selfish enjoyment of its luxury of being a tax free nation and government’s lack of foresight, empty promises of false hopes, and lack of legislation or enforcement – the British government is firm in its stance on the need for us as overseas territories to broaden our revenue base.

Is the new Government of Anguilla’s first-class trip to Brussels and Britain a retreat or are the British is not diplomatic enough about us paying our own way?

Mathematically – since nothing from nothing still leaves nothing, how much longer will we allow ourselves to be fooled?

UNCERTAINTY IN THE MIDST OF AN EVENTUALITY

Now that our election has aged and the season changes from silly to reality; it’s time that we unite at roundtables to establish the kind of atmosphere that will create opportunities for all Anguillians; and discussions for the liberation and reconstitution of our beloved nation.

We must enter a new stage of unity and trust, struggle and rebuilding, applying all means necessary – holding the firm conviction and stance of our legitimacy and legitimate concerns and speaking with one voice, one song, one accord.

Our way forward must be based on confidence, track record, materialising set objectives - a program mapped out which will serve the interest of all Anguillians. We have proven over the years that we have the capacity to resolve our own issues ourselves provided that we are given the opportunity to do so without destructive and selfish interferences regardless to government.

Change is not only the essence of history and unavoidable, but it is necessary for survival and makes life worth living. It may not always be comfortable, but it has the possibility of being good and therapeutic. It’s a constant that cannot be moulded into a stagnant form; wonderful even when it hurts or appears hard... even when it’s winning an election through lies.

For some it was 10 years of being in uncomfortable comfort and welcomes this epiphany. The epiphany of being in a relationship that will never be able to give you what you want, but comfortable with who you think you know the person to be.

The day will come when you will have to fully embrace or accept that choice, and realise that choice and change are not necessarily one and the same, but that both are inevitable. The choice of change is always yours... but not always the change of choice.

The Anguilla Revolution was an overwhelming majority of people decidedly not wanting association with the state of St. Kitts but rather direct rule by its colonial master... a choice of master rather than a change to self determination.

Our change ahead is inevitable; not a choice.

But does the electorate sometimes punish themselves intentionally to demonstrate their power? Is this self-inflicted or the wrath of God? Does the will of the people demonstrate God’s will, and the politicians are simply the Pawns in the game of Politics and not necessarily the players? Why God would allow such mad suffering to a disenfranchised innocent people… or is it a blessing in disguise? Is it ‘destination’ or ‘freedom of choice’ when a country gets a government it deserves, or is it confusing scripture or just change?

When there is uncertainty in the midst of an eventuality never mistake a clear view for a short distance.