HAYDN HUGHES GONE MISSING

Haydn Hughes' Facebook and Anguilla Transparency's Facebook have refused to debate the real issues affecting your children, yourself and this tranquill nation and have gone missing. To this end, find him out to be a compounded-liar and you will be removed from their Facebook contacts forthwith. This guy is armed and dangerous with, a loose cannon shooting filth and spreading lies, rumours and innuendoes across this Christian nation.

The Government and people of Anguilla are on a high alert for any gobbledygook filth blanketing the nation; and are asking specifically the young to be vigilant of any sightings. The vulnerable must seek immediate cover as these destructive elements tend to prey on the weak, the less educated, the innocent and the disenfranchised electorate.

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Mr. Haydn Hughes please notify the authorities immediately.

... and you thought that he was only a political prostitute.

The 5th Season

It is the Silly Season once again and I can’t help but reminisce how mush sillier we Anguillians become around this time. Though not late summer, this season is characterized by exaggerated news stories about frivolous matters for want of real news; real issues… they called it politics… we called it bullshit. And in the Anguilla context, we are in a constant state of… whatever you call it.

It’s the season where you, the disenfranchised electorate’s intelligence, are repeatedly belittled, trust prostituted and/or postulated, brainwashing exaggerations, innuendoes and frivolous discourse saturate the atmosphere; where political discrimination become the norm.

Frankly speaking, the electorate is weary of the relentlessly tainting and hoodwinking of our political atmosphere with purposelessness and echoing deafening waves backed by tribal patronage.

Let us not bush our chances for a brighter future through false choices, tribalism, omissions, false hopes and a dreamworks visionless opposition.

Let us not allow gluttony, disrespect and deceitfulness ‘glaucomaed’ our vision to global ills.

In the midst of this Silly Season… THINK!

Wisely.

ANGUILLA ILLEGAL PROSTITUTION RING

Recent finding by a London university research on Political Immoralities shows that Anguilla has the largest number of Political Prostitutes per capita in the Western Hemisphere; and further suggests that Anguilla has the worst political climate for virgin Politicians. It concludes that the electorate has allowed political prostitutes to run rampant, screwing people left, right and centre unfettered.

This is most surprising for Anguilla, an island where prostitution is outright illegal.

Researchers revealed that since our dependency on Britain in July of 1971, almost all of Anguilla political whorehouses' long standing residents have prostituted themselves to get into political office, where political parties pimped to enjoy the benefits of their whores, and special interest groups pay to gain favours through pimps and independent prostitutes.

This transparent immorality has been transmitted throughout the whole political-colony on Anguilla. The researchers’ findings revealed that since Hubert Hughes’ promiscuous Vote-Of-No-Confidence on 1st February 1977 - Ronald, Albena, Emile, Jerome, Pam, Sam, John, Joyce, Clifton, Victor, Eddie, Neil, Evan, David, Julian, Leroy, Fabian, Statchel, Alan, Maurice, Lolita, Camile, Merrit, Rugby, Everet, Cutwin, Valencia, Bertram, Barbara, Conrad, Arrindel, Watkin, Roberts, Osbourne, Nesmous, Eric, Orealia, Ophelia, Eddie, Belto, Kenneth, Terry, Curtis, Lorenzo, Cardigan, Sutcliffe, Haydn, Brent, Walcott, Patrick, Wilmoth, Elkin and Iwandi have all sinned and felled short of their political matrimonial vows by committing political adultery, a glorified sin by all political enthusiast on Anguilla.  

Their findings however revealed that Mr. Sutcliffe Hodge was screwed most and hardest by every political party on Anguilla before been dumped. As one islander puts it in colloquial terms: “he got laid proper!”

Researchers at Yale’s Political Infidelity Research Institution (YPIRI) in the United States concluded that candidates suffering with Permanent Political Vengeful Syndrome (PPVS), a condition associated with political prostitution, will show signs of grave arrogance, dishonesty and integrity-deficit and will transmit disunity, mistrust, confusion and instability - resulting in an economic derailment or nation disaster. The real danger of being a political prostitute is that such disingenuous politicians are only seeking to satisfy their political whims rather than the interest of the nation.

However, the condition is not debilitating and can be cured by compromising narcissistic behaviours. Most political prostitutes when cured, contribute earnestly to economic growth, stability, and social development of their societies.

ANTICIPATED FIRE AND BRIMSTONE WAS A POP!!

The much anticipated interview between the opposition’s host of the Radio program - On The Spot – and the Hon. Mr. Victor F Banks - deputy leader of government business and present leader of the ruling Anguilla United Front party, was one which has seen added government support and brings much clarity to the destructive accusations propagandised by our Visionless Oppositions.

The Hon. Minister has eloquently acquitted himself fearlessly and accurately to the much surprise of the electorate who anticipated fire and brimstone turns out to be a pop; that even the host of the program was supportive with kudos and condoned most of government’s hard work and initiatives in taking the nation forward.

Much of the oppositions’ concern was the sale by our indigenous bank, National Bank of Anguilla, of a prime and secure beach front property with a hotel at Cinnamon Reef; a property which the Government of Anguilla has indirectly purchased through a subsidiary investment company of the Anguilla Social Security, for the development of a much needed hospitality learning institution... a government of the People, by the People, for the People.

As a single industry economy, the Government of Anguilla is mindful and of the positive view that such an institution is vital to growth and sustainability of this industry and in turn, a vibrant economy.

Anguilla swept the medal board at the TASTE of the CARIBBEAN in June, when a young Anguillian Team confirmed without doubt Anguilla's position as the premier culinary destination in the Caribbean. Team Captain Chef GLENDON CARTY (of Ripples and Cap Juluca), a 35 year old Anguillian gained a Gold Medal for his performance and was subsequently voted overall 'CARIBBEAN CHEF of the YEAR 2009" - a highly respected and sought after accolade.

In his rounds of clarifying much lies, rumours and innuendoes from the destructive Dreamwork Visionless Opposition camps, the Hon. Minister is scheduled to appear on the program – In Your Face – 97.7FM UP-Beat on Saturday evening.

Who Am I?

Realist Spikenice is a fairly taught pragmatic independent thinker who believes in the provocation of realism and concerned issues; with the dissemination of opinions, viewpoints or imaginaries, and maybe some lampooning! I am simply a Realist that spike nicely.

At no point, has the Anguilla United Front Party made contact with me (personally, electronically or post) with contributions of any material disseminating via Anguilla Concerned Rumours; Anguilla Concerned Rumours Facebook Page; or Realist Spikenice’ Facebook Notes.

Realist Spikenice’s independent ‘reality crusade’ started roughly over 2-years in an effort to stimulate and educate the electorate as to the much unwanted and untruthful damaging filth propaganda circulating over the internet by our retired Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Judge – disgraceful Ian Donaldson Mitchell (Corrupt de-Don) – about our beloved tranquility. All this was at a time when the Oppositions were engaged in his support while destructively destroying our nation home... Anguilla.

If you were a recipient of my emails over the years, you would if attentive, observed my disclaimer which read:

Neither the Government of Anguilla, United Kingdom or the United States of America nor any elected official, member of any opposition party or any law enforcement agency contributed to any part thereof nor is responsible for any such discourse aforementioned or its dissemination. Unauthorised amendments and/or editing and dissemination of this initial discourse are strictly prohibited without my prior written permission and may be unlawful. However, an excerpt(s) may be use for base or expanding discussion.

I therefore request of you, to please let’s be respectful to each other’ intelligence and independent thoughts.

Realist Spikenice believes that voting is not simply about dictating conscience but rather an educational process where on Election Day you are given an examination; the results are your future success... or failure. This ritual or consciously tribal selection process which has plague Anguilla from the dawn of elections must come to an end if we ought to build a successful nation.

No one should vote for these empty vessels Oppositions out of sympathy or a slogan called change, but rather not vote for them because they are clueless, disorganized and destructive for the future growth, development and stability of Anguilla.

Why am I status-quo?

The oppositions do not seem to have ideas, inspirations or individuals who can combine effectively to confront the Anguilla United Front (AUF) brand of democracy. They have almost subordinated their thinking and tactics to the AUF’s rather than being novice in their approach or having no principled stand over any issue.

They are disorganized with deep-seated disunity and mistrust between the groupings.

They have resolved themselves to the party of ‘NO’ at any cost - with the ‘I don’t kNOw’ alternative policy regarding how to solve any nagging problems. There is no coherent alternative approach; instead they all are simply wasting time pouncing on the government on matters of tactics and minor hair-cracks and leaks rather than supplying real solid solutions or some other visionary complement.

How insignificantly more must the Opposition felt, where in the face of its destructive criticisms on irrelevant accusations on government’s fiscal irresponsibility; the United Kingdom Government still find it prudent to complement government’ foresight.

And the NOs go on with the I don’t kNOw alternative or introductory legislation on: the Port Authority; the Proceeds of Crime Bill; the stalled Planning Bill; Employment Protection Legislation with a National Minimum Wage; Consumer Protection Legislations etc.

There are various issues on economic, social and other fronts where the Government does not have clarity of policies. Sadly though, our Oppositions do not have the self-confidence to challenge the government on its all round failures.

An opposition, which wants to persuade the electorate that it ought to be in a position of power, has the obligation to be pragmatistic; come up with real alternative policies, ideas and vision; and must not be devoid of new ideas or creative thinking if they feel that the Government of Anguilla has a poor dismal record.

A failure in all these areas concludes that our Oppositions do not have intellectual clarity, the vision or the political maturity to tell the government that the overall security of the country is intrinsically linked with good governance.

But they brag and boast about their greed assures - their personal achievements through detriments of their victims’ derailments. So what have they done for you lately - never assist always desist, no admiration only rejection. Disunited and disorganized as be; they are not fit to lead neither you nor me.

They have simply sit idle-by - waiting and watching for the government to stumble from one mess to another… then destructively criticize.

Tell me why must I waste my vote on them set of losers?

Teamwork or Dreamwork?

At the end of this silly process of electing Teamwork for continue growth and prosperity for Anguilla, the nation must unite at roundtables to create the opportunities for all Anguillians; and discussions for the liberation and reconstitution of our country. We must enter a new stage of unity and trust, struggle and rebuilding; applying all means necessary, working forcibly to eradicate all destructive forces.

Today, not surprisingly we are in an economic-cleansing called a recession, but the reality is that we are way past a hopelessness-cleansing. Sadly so, this will involve a vital part of our parliamentary democracy – our Dreamwork Visionless Oppositions.

Our way forward must be based on confidence, track record, realizing set objectives - a program mapped out which will serve the interest of all Anguillians. Anguillians 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.

Under sound leadership, the Government and people of Anguilla must hold the firm conviction and stance of our legitimacy and legitimate concerns and speak with one accord, one voice, one song.

This election the choices for leadership couldn’t be simpler: continue stability, growth and prosperity or back to the Stone-Age.

This election… Think.

Wisely!

A near miss for the Government and people of Anguilla

The Diplomatic and Intelligent Community decoded what the United Kingdom (UK) Government signaled via the Hon. Chris Bryant, the UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, this way:

The UK Government expresses confidence in the ruling Anguilla United Front Government in the face of its [UK] rejections to similar BOT’s requests and local Oppositions’ insensitive and senseless, inexperience and destructive criticisms.

The United Kingdom government takes into consideration - that despite Anguilla’s breach on the agreed UK/Anguilla borrowing guidelines, for which the UK Government takes seriously, the UK government is committed to credible partnerships and tried and tested (experience) leadership; prosperity and stability in its territories; and continued good governance and trust established between the Anguilla United Front and the UK Governments.

However, the UK Government foremost takes seriously (emphasis) that the obligation of freedom (independence) is the willingness and ability to stand on our own feet. It reverberates that this can only be realized with immediate and courageous plans to broaden Anguilla's revenue base even in the agony of defeat.

The UK Government further recommended, like the constitution review recommended committees, the use of ‘professional interim consultants’ on incisive advice and actionable recommendations. And with backgrounds in strategy, project management, government and research, and no family ties - they are capable of tackling any task.

Anguillians are still enjoying the luxury of being a tax free nation simply because their government - with the lack of finances, legislation or enforcement - is too weak to intervene in the private affairs of the people. As of such, rather than Orders-in-Council or heavy handedness; interim consultants are less intrusive, affordable, friendlier, and are a ‘more’ flexible way to scale up projects, bring in external expertise and deliver genuine strategic modeling for broadening Anguilla’s revenue base.

It is the absence of such plans, including details on how existing and any further debt will be paid back over the next 3-5 years, and planned changes to Anguilla’s taxation policy, coupled with the Anguilla and UK Parliamentary elections due in 6 months, the British government cannot agree to Anguilla’s entire borrowing request.

The Government of Anguilla and electorate welcome the UK Government strategic intervention and take seriously their administering power concerns.

The Diplomatic and Intelligent Community is of the view in 2009, that if the Oppositions do not have the intelligence to comprehend such diplomacy - then they are ‘not fit for purpose’.

Anguilla Won!

The United Kingdom has expressed its confidence in the ruling Anguilla United Front Government in the face of its rejections to similar BOT’s requests and local Oppositions destructive criticisms. This coded message was sent to the Anguillian Chief Minister, The Hon. Mr. Osbourne Fleming, from the Hon. Chris Bryant, the United Kingdom Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The United Kingdom MP confirmed that despite Anguilla’s breach on the agreed UK/Anguilla borrowing guidelines, the British Government is committed to good governance and the trust established between both governments. However, the UK Government has emphasized that the obligation of freedom is the willingness to stand on your own feet. According to the UK Government, this can only be realized with immediate plans to broaden Anguilla's revenue base even in the agony of defeat.

It is the absence of such plans, including details on how existing and any further debt will be paid back over the next 3-5 years, and planned changes to Anguilla’s taxation policy, coupled with the Anguilla and UK Parliamentary elections due in 6 months, the British government cannot agree to Anguilla’s entire borrowing request.

Anguillians are still enjoying the luxury of being a tax free nation simply because their government - with the lack of finances, legislation or enforcement - is too weak to intervene in the private affairs of the people. However, immediate stringent tax measures must be implemented by our next Parliament no matter which.

Unlike Ian Donalson Mitchell's distasteful and direspectful characterization of the Honourable UK Parliamentarian, Mr. Bryant has demonstrated nothing safe professionalism. This professionalism has baffled our Visionless-Oppositions back to the drawing board… the drawing board of destructive criticism.

Destructive change we can do without.

Racism or Guilt?

Across the United States of America, people have been vehemently protesting Obama’s proposal for health care reform. Thousands have gathered at town hall meetings to show their representatives that they oppose Congress’s plan to completely overhaul healthcare in America. Representatives in favor of the current proposals insist that the protests are due to “people just getting information that’s flat wrong,” such as that care will be rationed, health saving accounts will be illegal, private insurance companies will be driven out of business by the public option, etc. As there is no substantial alternative opposing debate; ‘race’ becomes the issue.

This mirrored the Anguilla’s situation on a critical piece of legislation, the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) 2010. Misinformation through unprofessional, non-analytical, unsubstantiated, antagonizing filth material, filled with uncalled-for fear-mongering and childish issues. Oppositions are more afraid of losing their ill-gotten gains, than wiping out criminal activities on Anguilla. So much so that the supposedly educated racist culprits are competing for supreme idiocy; though at extreme ends of the spectrum.

Dissatisfactions about proposed amendments to a toothless Act; originally ram through a lame-duck Parliament under duress from our “criminal-coup” (Anguilla Bar Association, the Anguilla Financial Services Association and the Anguilla Christian Council Association) - an Act destined revisiting.

In essence, this Act was treated like a Private Bill.

Ironically or interestingly, these are the said culprits who are interested in ‘Integrity Legislation’ and a ‘Freedom of Information Act’ for Anguilla. If it is good for the Goose, it must be good for the Gander!

Open your eyes and ears Anguillians! A POCA is a ‘catch all’ effective piece of legislation use in the fight against hidden criminal activities. It’s the best piece of legislation any legitimate government should implement. It’s one of the best tools our law-enforcement agencies can equip themselves with.

And does the United Kingdom have a POCA? Explanatory Notes were found here.

Say No, to our criminal-coup and racist Lolita – and let the democratic elected Government of Anguilla lead.

The other option is - to be treated like a child by an Order-In-Council.

Have you wonder why I am quoting 2010?

Prepared Remarks of President Barack ObamaBack to School Speech

Prepared Remarks of President Barack ObamaBack to School Event
Arlington, VirginiaSeptember 8, 2009

The President:

Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.

Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.

I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.

Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.
That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

British, Brutish... or Thickish?

November 16, 1965 – British Parliament passed the Southern Rhodesia Act which provided that no laws could be made or business transacted by the Rhodesian Legislative Assembly. The Court held in Madzimbamuto v Lardner-Burke [1969], that even if there was a principle which recognised the need to preserve law and order in territory controlled by a usurper, such a principle could not override the legal right of the British Parliament ‘to legislate’ for a territory under the sovereignty of the Queen in the UK Parliament.

This was recognised even in the face that by passing the Southern Rhodesia Act 1965, the UK Parliament was ignoring the previous constitutional convention that it would not exercise its sovereignty in Commonwealth affairs without the consent of the Rhodesian Government.

Likewise, in Reference Re Amendment of the Constitution of Canada (1982), the Supreme Court ruled that the constitution empowers the Parliament of Canada on ‘matters of law’.

In essence, the Government of Anguilla is within its constitutional right to pass any Bill in its House of Assembly deemed necessary.

As stated before, it is sad that our Oppositions on Anguilla do not have the intellectual clarity and political maturity to tell the government that overall security of the country is intrinsically linked with good governance.

Under Ian Donaldson Mitchell’s influence, change will be a disaster for Anguilla.

British, Brutish... or Thickish?