British Virgin Islands and Bermuda

The British sodding(a) Islands (BIV) and the Bermuda ar British colonies with a graduate(prenominal) score of inborn self-g overnment. two countries yield been designated as a British Overseas Territory and although they are provided technic eithery under British rule, they stomach exercised take for over their own earth personal matters. Demography The Virgin Islands is an archipelago of a good deal than 40 islands, of which 16 are inhabited. It has strong ties with the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico as it is geographically situated in between these countries.As per the in style(p) data in the CIA Factbook, the male-dominated BIV has a creation of 23,552 (July 2007 estimate) with n early on cardinal per cen termime harvest-festival rate. Given its history with the US, the official lyric poem is incline and almost ninety per cent of the population are Protestants. The Virgin Islands has whizz of the most stable economies in the Caribbean. or so 45 per cen t of its income is generated from tourism. In 2005 for example, more than 800,000 tourists, mainly from the joined States visited the Islands. It too relies on light industries and offshore financial centers.The Bermuda on the separate(a) hand, was graduation exercise inhabited by English colonist in the early 17th century. It belongs to the group of islands in the conjugation Atlantic Ocean, east of South Carolina in the US. The Bermuda is a small region, roughly deuce-ace of Washington D. C. uniform the Virgin Islands, its official language is English although a world-shaking number of its more than 66,163 (July 2007 estimate) population speaks Portuguese. The study religions are Angli give the bounce and Catholic. The Bermuda boasts of the highest per capita income in the world, more than 50 per cent higher than that of the United States.Its primary income generator is their robust planetary business sector. Government and Politics The Bermuda is the oldest Britains c olony. For five years now, it ahs been a main(a) territory of the UK. Bermudans are entitlight-emitting diode to jollify dual citizenship and have the right to be and work in Europe (Sanders, par. 5) The placement of giving medication in Bermuda is that of a parliamentary representative democratic dependency. The official intellect of state is the big businessman of England, Elizabeth II, while the post-mortem examination is the period of organization.The Queen appoints a governor to represent her in Bermuda. Bermudas policy-making framework is actually similar to that of the UK. Like most democracies, it has two legislative put up the House of Assembly and the Senate. Bermuda is independent of the UK in all innate matters and makes its own prepare of laws (Forbes, par. 11). British and UK laws do not shoot for for in Bermuda. Bermuda laws are generally oftentimes more restrictive to non- midlands. The Bermuda, as yet, is dependent on Britain for defense, extern al affairs and internal security.Like Bermuda, the BIV is also self-governing in most internal matters. According to its amended arrangement of 2000, their head of state is also the Queen and her institute governor is in charge of the countrys external affairs, defense, internal security and public service. On all other matters except those, the executive director council ahs authority. The executive council is headed by the governor, chief minister, an attorney-general and three other ministers. In both the Bermuda and Virgin Islands, the Queen corpse to be the most important figure.The governor she appoints is also given much cherish considering the structure of their government and their governmental framework. Their law-makers and executive councils, however, have autonomy to the states internal matters. Independence The issue of independence has been a recurring sphere of debate in both countries. In Bermuda, independence has been discussed since the mid-1960s when Bri tain was anxious to get rid of all its colonies. In 2004, the ruling Progressive delve Party has Created the Bermuda Independence Commission.Its main annoyance is to educate people about the gains and losses of independence. condescension the arguments for independence, however, opposition on respite links with Britain has been strong. A November 2006 poll shows that 65 per cent of Bermudans were against breaking ties with Britain (J one and only(a)s, par. 2). This is 17 per cent lower than the 57 per cent in July of the same year. The issue of independence however is expected to be a major point when Bermuda holds its elections in January 2009. Independence was spurned in a 1995 referendum by 75 per cent voters.The main argument against independence is the fact that Bermuda enjoys a high degree despite its being a British colony. Its economy has been robust. As causation postmortem examination Sir John Swan likes to put it, With the Americans to ladder us and the British t o defend us, who inevitably independence (Sanders, par. 10). In British Virginia Islands, although thither is no formal movement toward all-embracing independence, its possibility is a central yield of public debate and party politics. contempt self-governance, the Bermuda and Virgin Islands politics is solace very much similar to that of its bloom country.Bermudas political, as well as kind economic institutions have shown resiliency and stability. Despite this, however, its political framework has not full been independent of Britain. This is because it was Britain who instituted its political dust. The Queen and her appointive Governor is an active force in the affairs of the state so much so that the Westminster style of government is ease very much felt. The same topic 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 colonial relationship with the United res publica lets it operate in a built-in 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 observed as an official public holiday. Their Constitutions are drafted the British right smart. Branches of government such as the executive and judiciary also demand Britains participation. And although these colonies have been handling internal matters of government by themselves, their external affairs are still Britains problem.Until a fundamental portion of government is still hold upled by Britain, Bermuda and the Virgin Islands will still sham the same political structureone that has its democracy of its own solely deems ample interference from the crown country as a must. Anglophone countries Anglophone nations apportion the same historical, cultural, and political characteristics attri howevered to the historical 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 rooted on history and polish, it may also think up countries which use legal systems based on Common Law or barely Great Britain or British-settled countries. They also share similarities in elegant rights and personal freedoms. In short, the Anglosphere is not a club that a person or nation can join or be excluded from, but a condition or billet of a network (Bennett, par. 3). However, because of its imprecise boundaries, the Anglosphere as a network civilization does not have its corresponding political form.Its uniting is based firmly on culture and does not take any political outline. Notice that the forms of government in these English speaking countries are different. Some take the republican form, some are positive monarchies, while some are parliamentary democracies. The idea of a Anglosphere gover nment has been subject to debate. The basic argument is that merging these countries and making it like a European Union of sorts would be a great outgrowth in the onward progress of communicatory supremacy.However, others argue that the particular genius in this union is the fact that it has breatheed apolitical and non-governmental. hammer the Anglosphere as one solid government, they say, may only lead to the centralization of power. Anglophone countries treat their government differently. Their link to the atmosphere has not so far affected 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 exist government structures that they chose to pursue despite social station in the union.The so-called anglosphere challenge 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 techn ological and scientific change 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 nakedness and receptivity to the world. Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados Unlike the British Virgin Islands and Bermuda, Trinidad and Tobago is wholly independent from Britain.It takes the form of a unitary state with a parliamentary democracy modeled by and by that of its former crown country. In 1976, soon after it broke ties with Britain, it adopted its own republican Constitution. The Queen is thereby replaced with a chairwoman elected by the Parliament. Since then, the general control and direction of its government rests on the cabinet, led by the primary 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 British monarch.Its 1966 Constitution also provides for a bicameral parliamentary system headed by a prime minister and cabinet. Since breaking ties with Britain, responsibility for organizing the government has been evenly divided between its two major political parties that are both centrist social democratic parties that assignment its roots back to the British boil movement. The main difference between the oversea territories (Bermuda and Virgin Islands) and the two former colonies (Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados) is the finish 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 kinsfolk 2007. http//anglosphere. com/weblog/ autobiography/000145. html. Forbes, Keith.Bermuda and Great Britain A self-governing British Overseas Territory with its own laws. Bermuda online. 09 September 2007. . Jones, Dan. Poll finds opposition to Independence rises. The regal Gazette Magazine. (28 November 2006). 09 September 2007. . Sanders, Ronald. Bermuda Independence or not? Caribbean Net News. (08 March 2005). 9 September 2007. .