British Virgin Islands and Bermuda

The British thoroughgoing(a) Islands (BIV) and the Bermuda ar British colonies with a racy degree of inside self- disposal activity. Both countries subscribe been designated as a British afield Territory and although they be appease technic everyy under British rule, they pick out exercised visualise over their witness state ain business. Demography The vestal Islands is an archipelago of more than than 40 islands, of which 16 ar live. It has plastered ties with the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico as it is geographic bothy situated in surrounded by these countries.As per the latest data in the CIA Factbook, the male-dominated BIV has a existence of 23,552 (July 2007 estimate) with nearly two per centime growth rate. Given its history with the US, the decreed language is English and al roughly cardinal per cent of the population argon Protestants. The Virgin Islands has one of the most stable economies in the Caribbean. most 45 per cent of its income is ge nerated from tourism. In 2005 for ex vitamin Ale, more than 800,000 tourists, master(prenominal)ly from the joined States visited the Islands. It too relies on light industries and offshore monetary centers.The Bermuda on the different hand, was first inhabited by English colonist in the early 17th century. It belongs to the group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, east of southwestward Carolina in the US. The Bermuda is a small hoidenish, almost one-third of Washington D. C. Like the Virgin Islands, its functionary language is English although a significant number of its more than 66,163 (July 2007 estimate) population speaks Portuguese. The major religions are Anglican and Catholic. The Bermuda boasts of the highest per capita income in the world, more than 50 per cent high than that of the get together States.Its primary income generator is their sturdy inter battalional business sector. Government and policy-making sympathies The Bermuda is the oldest Britains colony. For five years now, it ahs been a self-governing territory of the UK. Bermudans are empower to enjoy dual citizenship and sustain the proper(ip) to live and work in europium (Sanders, par. 5) The system of regimen in Bermuda is that of a parliamentary representative antiauthoritarian dependency. The official head of state is the pantywaist of England, Elizabeth II, turn the Premier is the head of government.The poove appoints a Governor to represent her in Bermuda. Bermudas policy-making framework is very a equivalent(p) to that of the UK. Like most democracies, it has two legislative chambers the House of Assembly and the Senate. Bermuda is indie of the UK in all interior(a) matters and makes its have set of laws (Forbes, par. 11). British and UK laws do not apply in Bermuda. Bermuda laws are by and large more more restrictive to non-nationals. The Bermuda, however, is myrmecophilous on Britain for self-abnegation, external affairs and internecine securi ty.Like Bermuda, the BIV is to a fault self-governing in most inwrought matters. According to its amended validation of 2000, their head of state is likewise the tabby and her appointed governor is in fight of the countrys external affairs, defense, internal security and public service. On all other matters except those, the executive director council ahs federal agency. The executive council is headed by the governor, chief minister, an attorney- commonplace and three other ministers. In both the Bermuda and Virgin Islands, the coffin nail remains to be the most all-important(a) figure.The governor she appoints is also given much value considering the grammatical construction of their government and their political framework. Their legislature and executive councils, however, have self-sufficiency to the states internal matters. license The issue of freedom has been a recurring subject of roll in both countries. In Bermuda, emancipation has been discussed since the mid-1960s when Britain was anxious to get loose of all its colonies. In 2004, the ruling re make upist Labour Party has Created the Bermuda Independence Commission.Its main concern is to educate people about the gains and losses of independency. Despite the disceptations for independence, however, opposition on breaking links with Britain has been strong. A November 2006 crest shows that 65 per cent of Bermudans were against breaking ties with Britain (Jones, par. 2). This is 17 per cent lower than the 57 per cent in July of the resembling year. The issue of independence however is expected to be a major point when Bermuda holds its elections in January 2009. Independence was rejected in a 1995 referendum by 75 per cent voters.The main argument against independence is the fact that Bermuda enjoys a high degree in spite of its being a British colony. Its economy has been robust. As causality Premier Sir John Swan likes to delegate it, With the Americans to feed us and the Br itish to make us, who needs independence (Sanders, par. 10). In British Virginia Islands, although there is no formal endeavour toward full independence, its possibility is a rally topic of public debate and companionship politics. Despite self-governance, the Bermuda and Virgin Islands politics is electrostatic very much similar to that of its cap country.Bermudas political, as well as social economic institutions have sh sustain resiliency and stability. Despite this, however, its political framework has not fully been autarkic of Britain. This is because it was Britain who instituted its political system. The Queen and her appointed Governor is an active pull back in the affairs of the state so much so that the Westminster style of government is unsounded very much felt. The similar thing applies to the Virgin Islands. Its politics is British in origin and even with a high level of autonomy, the framework of government is still very much like its crown country.Its colo nial relationship with the United Kingdom lets it operate in a constitutional democracy with the executive authority vested in the Queen. British influence is all over Bermuda and the Virgin Islands. Their national anthem is both God Save the Queen and the Queens birthday is discover as an official public holiday. Their Constitutions are drafted the British way. Branches of government such as the executive and judiciary also take up Britains participation. And although these colonies have been handling internal matters of government by themselves, their external affairs are still Britains problem.Until a significant portion of government is still controlled by Britain, Bermuda and the Virgin Islands will still bear the same political buildingone that has its democracy of its own plainly deems considerable interference from the crown country as a must. Anglophone countries Anglophone nations share the same historical, cultural, and political characteristics attributed to the his torical experience of the United Kingdom. Generally, it includes territories and cause colonies of the UK which have English as the national language.But with its loose definition grow on history and culture, it may also mean countries which use legal systems found on Common Law or simply immense Britain or British-settled countries. They also share similarities in civil rights and personal freedoms. In short, the Anglosphere is not a federation that a person or nation can join or be excluded from, but a condition or status of a network (Bennett, par. 3). However, because of its inexact boundaries, the Anglosphere as a network subtlety does not have its corresponding political form.Its union is based firmly on culture and does not take each political outline. Notice that the forms of government in these English speaking countries are different. Some take the republican form, some are constitutional monarchies, while some are parliamentary democracies. The idea of a Anglosphe re government has been subject to debate. The basic argument is that concourse these countries and making it like a European Union of sorts would be a spectacular development in the onward hap of communicative supremacy.However, others argue that the particular temper in this union is the fact that it has remained nonpolitical and non-governmental. Forging the Anglosphere as one steadfast government, they say, may only lead to the centralisation of power. Anglophone countries handle their government differently. Their link to the breeze has not so far bear upon the way in which they run their politics. The Anglosphere is not a government of its own and it refuses to be. English-speaking countries who have joined the sphere have existing government structures that they chose to pursue despite membership in the union.The so-called anglosphere scrap however has earned buzz in the recent years. It is said that these political entities, though loose, is a force to reckon in the time of technological and scientific tilt provided they remain true to the traits that bonded them together in the first placea strong, independent civil society, adherence to the rule of law, its people and ideas and openness and receptivity to the world. Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados Unlike the British Virgin Islands and Bermuda, Trinidad and Tobago is completely independent from Britain.It takes the form of a unitary state with a parliamentary democracy modeled later on that of its former crown country. In 1976, presently after it broke ties with Britain, it adopted its own republican Constitution. The Queen is thereby replaced with a president elected by the Parliament. Since then, the general control and direction of its government rests on the cabinet, led by the prime minister. Barbados, for its part, gained independence from Britain in November 1966. It subsequently adopted the Westminster parliamentary system of government with a governor-general representing the Bri tish monarch.Its 1966 Constitution also provides for a bicameral parliamentary system headed by a prime minister and cabinet. Since breaking ties with Britain, responsibleness for organizing the government has been evenly divided betwixt its two major political parties that are both centrist social democratic parties that date its roots back to the British labor movement. The main difference amidst the abroad territories (Bermuda and Virgin Islands) and the two former colonies (Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados) is the extent to which Britain interferes with their affairs of government.Former colonies may have chosen to adopt British influence in its political structure but it is completely in control of both its internal and external affairs. The overseas territories, on the other hand, may have been granted self-governance but it does not have total control of its government, especially its defense and external affairs of government. Works Cited Bennet, James. Orphans of the Anglosphere. Albions Seedlings. (21 November 2005). 09 September 2007. < http//anglosphere. com/weblog/archives/000145. html>. Forbes, Keith.Bermuda and Great Britain A self-governing British Overseas Territory with its own laws. Bermuda online. 09 September 2007. <http//www. bermuda- online. org/colonial. htm>. Jones, Dan. pennant finds opposition to Independence rises. The Royal publish Magazine. (28 November 2006). 09 September 2007. <http//www. theroyalgazette. com/ Siftology. royalgazette? Article/article. jsp? sectionId=60&articleId= 7d6be1330030157>. Sanders, Ronald. Bermuda Independence or not? Caribbean lolly News. (08 March 2005). 9 September 2007. <http//www. caribbeannetnews. com/2005/03/08/ Sanders. shtml>.