We’re being treated like dogs by the UK, Smith protests
Territorial At-Large Representative Neville ’Sheep’ Smith expressed that he was disturbed at the way the BVI was being treated by the United Kingdom (UK) lately.
Smith was particularly upset about the potential power given to the Governor through an Order in Council in the UK parliament following the report emanating from the Commission of Inquiry (COI).
Effectively, an Order in Council is a forceful command made in the name of Her Majesty the Queen. Failure to comply with that command can result in the UK exerting diplomatic pressure on the BVI.
“The Governor could get up at any given time, if he wake up in a bad mood… if the coffee wasn’t hot enough. He could say, this [Order in Council] going [into] the gazette. That is not right. That is not right,” Smith said while speaking in the House of Assembly (HOA) last week.
The first-term legislator said he got emotional after listening to his colleagues, Mark Vanterpool and Vincent Wheatley, speak earlier during a debate in the HOA.
But unlike Vanterpool, who had indicated during his debate contribution that he wasn’t angry and that his tone only meant that he was speaking passionately, Smith said he was both upset and distraught.
“I can’t find the words to tell you how I really feel,” Smith told members of the House.
Smith argued that the UK had adopted the principle of ‘do as I say and not as I do’ in dealing with the BVI because ‘they (the UK) are doing all sort of things’.
“We can see what’s going on in the news. You’re reading the news every day. You see what’s happening. When a COI was called on them, [the UK government requested] not to have the COI now during the pandemic. But yet still, you gone do a COI on us,” Smith said.
He continued: “What are we, dogs? To me that’s what we’re being treated as right now, dogs. Our forefathers work hard to get where we are today. Toil, they work with sweat.”
And while conceding that mistakes were made along the way for the BVI, Smith said every member and leader in the HOA had worked hard to get where they are today.
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Sheep the sleeper, at the end of the day you all brought this on yourselves. No one else is to blame for this. Stop trying to sway blame and get the country up and running, the UK is not the problem, the greedy, dishonest politicians are. How much longer must the country suffer at the hands of all of you???
He wont do it then but he will do it if the crooks in the government keep trying to hide their interests from the people of the BVI.
The reason you wont pass the bill is because when people see what you own they will start to understand some of the decisions in the past.
Not stupid the UK are they.
They gave you this bill first knowing you could never pass it.
It is a territory of the UK. Not a country. Iam tired of the useless whining. These people have been allowing white people to take advantage of their people for years right here in the BVI. All of a sudden UK this UK that. Just distraction. The enemy is within.
THEY KEEP TALKING THE SAME BULLS**T. WHY NOT TRY AND START FIXING THE PROBLEMS THAT ARE PLAGUING US? THE UK, THE UK, I AM FEDUP OF HEARING THE NONSENSE.
They say the definition of madness is to keep doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome, fits the BVI perfectly.
The UK elected not to introduce direct rule following the local government promising it would enact the COI recommendations themselves, so, the UK cut us some slack accordingly. Now, our local politicians are blatantly reneging on their responsibility by not keeping their word. There will be only one outcome from this behavior, direct rule by the UK, just watch this space.
Now sit down, bunch of co**upt, incompetents, wining little children. This is NOT about the UK. It’s about the complete LACK OF LEADERSHIP.
HEADCOACH sounds familiar?
Did it ever occur to the at-large minister that BVI needed a COI far more urgently than ever would UK? For a number of reasons including the size of our corruption when measured against the economic condition of the territory. And how about the fact that the BVI is a territory of the UK.
I think the minister would also be surprised to know how many Virgin islanders wish that UK had stepped in much sooner. And it’s rather interesting to see what a little bit of heat from the UK does to the ministers. Like children when they know they are about to get their backside whooped for doing things they should not have been doing.
My Honorable, its all about law. The Law cannot and will not excuse our short comings citing the ongoing political imbroglio in UK. We played into their hands. Lets get things right. Lets put our house in order. Their own internal crises will hunt them and not us. Probably, we should push to be represented in UK Parliament and our success story to them some good lessons. The onging pressure on us is good for us in the long run. We may end up becoming a nation they never intended
I’ve noticed a stage being erected in the festival village. I wonder if it was tendered?
Feel how it is how you all treating expats
Uk rules cant treat us any worst!
Than how ayo treated us !
Praying Uk take over !
should be insulted by this comparison. Actually the UK is treating the recycled HOA as annoying trash for interfering with the reformation of the BVI.
I am disappointed the UK is allowing the confusion to continue. The tiny elite has got so used to doing what it wants, with no accountability at all, that it can’t adapt to the new system.
Instead of Sheep’s complaints I’d rather hear an explanation as to why, after billions of Government revenue since the 1980’s, we still have third world infrastructure and terrible public education.
Did you see the roads today after a bit of rain?
First of all, let’s get things in perspective please.
The previous Governor called a COI at the end of his tenure, due to intelligence he derived prior to and during the time he had been seconded for.
The DATE January 21st, 2021.
The World Health Organization (WHO) did not issue any Pandemic until January 30th 2021, of which nobody heeded until late March.
For misstatements of chronological order, holding placards with misperceptions, grammar and following extremely questionable pathways. You get an F.
Also for a Sheep to sit down in the middle of the road next to a Wolf, and then to be removed by Police, one must question the faculties of this mindset.
Someone else needs to sit in the road when the trucks come with all the equipment for Festival Village that was waived by the unhonourables!
Where are the protests for the corruption, thievery, drug condoning, abhorrent allocation of public funds, schools, sewerage, roads, and the basic human rights of locals and immigrants alike?
Needed are elected officials with nothing to gain other than knowing they have helped all of the people, without personal monetary compensations. You cannot not achieve this if the old dogs are still in the house controlling the pheasants, a watchdog is needed by the people and for the people to watch the dogs.
This is how people will change the dynamic, or then again, we all can just stew in the mutton pot with wool over our eyes complaining about the same stories.
Stop shaking your head and be a part of the solution.
Pandemic was in 2020, not 2021
Maybe you should consider how you treat your dogs. I treat my dogs very well, they are family.
Why dont you resign in protest.
Mr. Smith please ,please talk for yourself don’t mention VW ,he is a big contributor to what happened today. VW lack of leadership and xenophobic attitude towards others drove the country to that predicament today. I love the BVI but these traditional politicians destroyed the the country.It is sa.
Well… it’s the way you’ve treated the people of the BVI for the last 30 years.
You treated us like dogs, you went along with everything head coach did and said. You all need to hang your head in shame and stop trying to divert the wrongs to the uk
Most people in the UK like dogs…
Sir, this is a good lesson . what goes around comes around. Remember, the way the BVI politicians treat our Caribbean brothers. Don’t you think someone will treat you all the same way. Now ,look at is only your Caribbean brothers who stand beside you all” CARICOM”not the EU. VW put all kind of unnecessary policies in place just to harass the Caribbean brothers. He even reach to a point where he deported a lady without her 3 months old infant. Claude cline had to intervene so the mother can be united with her baby.After Irma ,it was our Caribbean brothers who came to assist us to rebuild our homes,restore our electricity and restore law and order. Learn to treat others with dignity and respect so wherever you go so it would be reciprocated. I leave you with that sentence and you will finish it “Don’t do to others…….. bye!
You all treat a lot of us like Dogs. So stop bawling. What goes around comes around. You spit in the sky it wall in your iiii
Too much evil was going on in this little country. Church members knew, civil servants knew, politicians knew Ordinary men on the streets knew , school children knew and no one lifted a finger to stop the financial evil, obeah evil, racist evil, discrimination evil, over pricing of food, housing evil, underpaid evil, … lack of respect for marriage vows evil, bars involved in prostitution evil, Immigration officers accepting bribe for favours ….. etc . It was getting to enormous proportions So the CREATOR had to expose the country
Where Sleep, I mean Sheep, come from?