Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

United Nations Article 73(b)

United Nations Article 73(b)

More often than not, it seems as if people around the world have allowed themselves to believe that colonialism was and remains some fairytale read in a book. You know the stories in which the handsome Prince marries a glowing bride and all in the Kingdom live happily ever after.
Well, on one hand, handsome Princes do get to marry the brides of their choice; however, the reality is those not in the Royal Families or their immediate circles do not live happily ever after.

For millions of people around the world, colonialism has had quite the opposite effect. There are very few who can say that their countries or lives are better off because of colonialism. Just ask the Aborigines of Australia, or the First Nations of North America how colonisation has worked out for them.

Post-1945, when the European powers of Holland, Portugal, France, and the United Kingdom were forced, in one way or the other, to lower their flags from their colonies around the world, they did not leave them in pristine conditions.

Quite the opposite, as they had essentially used those colonies primarily as sources of vast wealth. Nor did they actually provide educational development for the masses. 

Countries such as; Angola, India, Kenya, Indonesia, and Mali, just to name a few, were left with little to no proper infrastructure such as; adequate amounts of hospitals, proper roadways, telecommunications, electrical grids, and education opportunities, for their citizens. You know, all the nice stuff that developed countries had built for their “mother countries” with the monies generated from those very same colonies.

Hence the popular use of the comparative terms “first world” countries versus “third world” countries.

The newly independent governments were then in a predicament that they had to find financing in order to provide basic necessities such as; schools, hospitals and jobs, for their populations. For the most part, those countries such as India and Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, were major agricultural economies. In the case of many African countries, they had vast amounts of natural resources such as; oil, gold and diamonds. Materials that were still controlled by European corporations.

India alone was the source of over 45 trillion dollars for Britain.

Closer to home, up until the late 1950, the Virgin Islands did not have island-wide electricity. During the same time period, opportunities for schooling were limited for young persons in islands such as Antigua, Trinidad, Sint Maarten and Guadeloupe. Just ask the people of Puerto Rico if they were treated as equals after Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Here in Bermuda, the majority of black students had to attend Central School, now known as Victor Scott. Often the 1,000 students had to share desks and chairs.

All this willful neglect against a backdrop of European nations and their elite, growing untold wealth for centuries. Take a look at any given world map and it is clear to see that colonialism only benefitted a few whilst destroying the many. Indeed it was no fairy tale existence.

Now, as we begin to have the conversations about self-determination, let us be reminded that the nations of; Holland, France, The United Kingdom and the United States of America are bound by International obligations to educate their citizens about "self-government".

The United Nations Article 73 (section b) states the following "to develop self-government, to take due account of the political aspirations of the peoples, and to assist them in the progressive development of their free political institutions, according to the particular circumstances of each territory and its peoples and their varying stages of advancement…"

Has the United Kingdom ever taken up the mantle to educate the citizens of their remaining 14 colonies about Article 73?

If not, why not?
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
×