‘Is the UN really effective?’- Hon Ronnie W. Skelton asks
“I know the Premier continue to [refer to] the UN Charter on self-determination. Madam Speaker, is the UN really effective?” Hon Skelton said during the Continuation of the Ninth Sitting of the Second Session of the Fifth House of Assembly, on Wednesday, September 25, 2025.
Members of the House have been debating the 2022-2023 Constitution Review Commission’s (CRC) Report and Hon Skelton was the last member to speak.
Self-determination discussions ongoing for a while
The discussion surrounding self-determination for the Territory has been ongoing for years, from leaders of government, individuals in public life, to opinion pieces written in the media.
In July 2025, a draft resolution calling for the full decolonisation of the Virgin Islands (VI) was adopted by the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation (C-24).
The VI is one of the 17 remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories falling under the remit of the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation.
The UN’s C-24 visited the Territory in August 2024 and produced the document, ‘Report of the United Nations visiting mission to the British Virgin Islands, 26 to 27 August 2024’.
Does anybody listen to the UN?
The C-24 report revealed that since 2019, representatives of the VI “invited the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples to dispatch a visiting mission to the Territory”.
Hon Skelton, during his contribution asked, “[Does] anybody listen to them anymore?… Because we continue to reference them, and I don’t think it has any effect on the British.”
He said the UN has existed for all these years, and the British are “still treating us like this”.
The former Opposition Leader told the Premier, “I think you need a new approach, that’s my observation.”
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14 Responses to “‘Is the UN really effective?’- Hon Ronnie W. Skelton asks”
Not to be forgotten, the $10, 000.00 you helped champion before tax collection was, and continuing being a needful help to all wage earners, especially minimum wage earners.
The National Health Insurance, too, even though it is unjustly violate by many, if not most business, and persons that employed people, daily, in exchange for high, medium, and minimum ($7.25) wage salary.
As soon as you take the results of the self determination referendum they can do what the people want.
The only thing holding that up is the HOA because they know the choice or the people will not be the Independence = Corruption choice that you in the HOA want.
That is why you keep trying to manipulate the people or manipulate things so they do not even get a vote because you decided they are too stupid.
The UK are ready. You are not because you do not like what the people will choose.
You are not ready because you cannot get your Independence = Corruption you all crave.
Moreover, the people are the animating , driving force for self-determination. As such,,the people should ascertain the self-determination status through a referendum..At the polls,,the decision can be decided by either a simple or supermajority of votes cast. But prior to the referendum, voters should be briefed/educated on the pros and cons of the various self-determination options, eg, Integration, Independence, Free Association, Status Quo, etc.