Member

So if Amendment 12 is passed, it will correct a major defect in the Bill and a major asymmetry in what, almost throughout, is a very asymmetrical Bill that gives all the rights to Mauritius and none to us. It is a particularly odd thing to do when we start off with all the cards in our hands. One thing no one ever mentions in these discussions of international law and international agreements is the basic and most fundamental principle of reality in law, which is that possession is nine-tenths of the law. We start off with possession; we start off with nine-tenths of the law on our side. We should change it only if we think that that is a right and proper thing to do in line with our interests and obligations.