MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands’ representatives meet with Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg

Deputy PM Nick Clegg at the Lib-Dem party conference

The Falkland Islands were represented at Britain’s Liberal Democrat party conference which was held in Liverpool from Saturday until Monday, (September 17/20). Since the fall of Labour, Britain is ruled by a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition led by PM David Cameron and Deputy PM Nick Clegg.

Member of the Legislative Assembly Roger Edwards and FIG London Representative Sukey Cameron attended the event.

“It went very well I think, from our point of view” MLA Roger Edwards said. “We had a very, very positive response from everyone we met.”

They had the opportunity to meet the Liberal Democrat MP, Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Brown, and also briefly met Nick Clegg.

The statement made when the coalition was formed, that the new government would respect the Falklands right to self-determination, was reiterated at the conference.

“Indeed, all the MPs and lords we met, they were all very, very positive in their outlook towards us,” MLA Edwards said.

MLA Edwards and Ms Cameron received briefings on the strategic defence review from a Liberal Democrat viewpoint and were able to meet with various members to put across their views about the situation concerning oil, fish and “the belligerence of the Argentines towards the Islands,” Cllr Edwards said.

Although the FIGO reprentative in London Sukey Cameron has regularly done the conferences' round of UK's three main political parties, it was the first time a Falklands MLA attended the Lib-Dem event. 

MLA Jan Cheek also attended the Labour and Conservative party conferences with MLA Edwards at the end of September. (PN).-