Monday 23 March 2009

Easy Learning on the Net.

Our Chief Minister Terry Le Sueur was very evasive on a recent “BBC Talkback” about the progress of the UK Review of Offshore Financial Services led by Michael Foot. He also declined to assist any Jersey residents who might want to meet with Mr Foot and his team to discuss any matters of concern but rather said that it was up to Mr Foot to arrange for any local participation.

As always, our Jersey government doesn’t want an local critics speaking to such an investigative body directly and that seems to be the same tactic among Caribbean governments too. The team has recently been to Bermuda and the Caymans and is headed for Anguilla, the BVI and the troubled Turks and Caicos Islands soon but only meetings with official government delegations seemed to be planned.

How predictable that such an investigation will not apparently speak with the people most affected - the ordinary peoples of these threatened territories - and just what sort of a report will be produced?

The new link - Caribbean Net News - on this site gives a Caribbean perspective on this and many related issues and is well worth a visit (see the entry for Anguilla for starters).

Also worth a visit is - Crushing Fools - the blog of Allan Palmer in Bermuda who is an “independent thinker” and believes that “the greatest accomplishment is to be a positive influence in the life of a child (any child) and the greatest responsibility that is bestowed upon any one is that of being a parent….”

He also warns about those who seek independence for their little islands;
“Today there are many of these territories with ambitious men who possess burning, inflated, testosterone compressed ego; that feed that fetish to be a part of positive history and hell bent on thrusting independence onto people who they were elected to serve….”

Sounds familiar!!!!!

Unfortunately Crushing Fools is slow to load – but is worth the wait if you want to learn something different about the big wide world of which we are a tiny but integral part.

Submitted by Thomas Wellard.

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