The prisoners of St Kitts
- LETTERS
From Vernon Gibbs, John A she, M. J. W. Bell, W. P. ',lathers, Peter Paterson, Nigel Vinson, Leslie Adrian, Janet Cox, Admiral Sir W. M. James.
Sir: I feel impelled to reply to Miss Diana Prior- Palmer's piece 'The Prisoners of St Kitts' (20 October)
Miss Prior-Palmer makes a totally unwarranted attack on Chief Minister Robert Bradshaw, a man who as yet has been given no opportunity by the press of this country to defend both his actions and his personal reputation. Far from being a 'dictator,' a man with fascist leanings as Miss Prior-Palmer suggests, Bradshaw has been a life-long socialist and a leading figure in the local and international trade union movement. In fact, his only concern is for the well-being of his fellow men, and the 'dictatorial' action he was compelled to take to subdue insur- gents has never been properly explained in the British press.
Firstly, it must be remembered that the govern- ment of St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla is a properly and democratically elected constitution recognised by the British government. Naturally, its officers are duty-bound to keep the peace and to uphold the laws of the land.
Secondly, it should be apparent to any thinking person that the offences with which Miss Prior- Palmer's friends are charged would warrant arrest in any country in the world, democratic or other- wise.
To illustrate this point, it is essential that the in- surgents' action in endeavouring to overthrow the elected government by force be seen in its true per- spective: the entire population of St Kitts is only 38,000: the government buildings and power instal- lations were attacked by twenty-one armed—and apparently trained—assailants.
This means that if the same proportion of the total British population of over 50 million people took it into their heads to take similar action against their government, an 'army' of some 32,000 in- surgents would be involved in the action. Given these circumstances in this country, surely even Miss Prior-Palmer would concede the police the right to take stern action to protect the public from harm?
Up to this time there has been a singular reluc- tance among the British press to allow any spokes- man to state the facts as seen by Robert Bradshaw and his associates. In the name of Miss Prior- Palmer's concept of democracy, this state of affairs should be set right immediately.
Vernon Gibbs John Cornell Associates, 6-7 and 8 Old Bond Street, London WI
Previous page
