Caribbean Studies ISSN: 0008-6533
[email protected] Instituto de Estudios del Caribe Puerto Rico Clegg, Peter The UK caribbean overseas territories, new labour, and the strengthening of metropolitan control Caribbean Studies, vol. 34, núm. 1, enero-junio, 2006, pp. 131-161 Instituto de Estudios del Caribe San Juan, Puerto Rico Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=39211247005 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative THE UK CARIBBEAN OVERSEAS TERRITORIES... 131 THE UK CARIBBEAN OVERSEAS TERRITORIES, NEW LABOUR, AND THE STRENGTHENING OF METROPOLITAN CONTROL Peter Clegg ABSTRACT The article analyses the complex and ever-evolving relationship between Britain and its Overseas Territories in the Caribbean. Links between Britain and its Territories have been shaped and determined by particular historical, constitutional, political and economic trends. For many years the relationship between the Territories and the UK was rather ad hoc—a situation that can be traced back to the compromises, fudges and deals char- acteristic of ‘pragmatic’ British colonial administration. More recently, however, there have been attempts by the Labour government in Britain to overcome the informal nature of the relationship and to develop a new partnership based on mutual obligations and responsibilities. The article describes the appli- cations of this more pro-active and coherent level of oversight and highlights how the principle of more forceful metropolitan control has taken hold. The article asserts that the Territories are now much more heavily integrated into the international system, having adopted either willingly or unwillingly a number of changes to their political, economic and social structures.