Jersey’s International Image and the IWC.

Jersey is hosting the International Whaling Commission (IWC) sixty third annual meeting. Delegates and NGO’s from over eighty countries are attending, sounds pretty prestigious doesn’t it? It would be if any other country had offered to host it!

There have been persistent rumors of corruption surrounding the IWC. Specifically some small nations are believed to have their fees paid “in cash” by other members, particularly Japan. Unsurprisingly these small nations frequently vote with Japan and the whalers. This year the UK have proposed measures to, shall we say, clean or tidy things up. This could stop the practice of paying the fees in cash at the conference(s). The UK, and others, clearly believes there is a problem surrounding the IWC, money, ethics and votes………Jersey welcomes the IWC. Incidentally Jersey is not a member of the IWC and has no vote.

So whom did Jersey’s government send to this environmentally sensitive meeting to give the welcoming address? The environment Minister? The newly appointed International Relations representative? The Chief Minister perhaps? No they sent Senator Alan Maclean the Economic Development Minister! Good old Jersey seizing any old opportunity to make a couple of quid, no matter where it comes from. Although there is merit in Jersey promoting itself as a conference centre, was it wise to link up with a body surrounded by allegations of corruption and vote rigging?

Why did Jersey not invite the “Sea Shepherds” as Monaco did in 1997? Did Jersey have any idea what it was getting into inviting the IWC? Were they simply blinded by the opportunity to promote our conference industry?

Sea Shepherd Captain Paul Watson thinks Jersey could have got it wrong. Hosting this conference could further damage Jersey’s already battered reputation, that the recently departed Lieutenant Governor told us could take decades to restore.

Team Voice has no knowledge of the workings of the IWC. The opinions of Captain Paul Watson are his own.

FAITH & FINANCE - Richard Murphy’s view…

We return to this series by interviewing Richard Murphy.


He is a Chartered Accountant who has worked in the Finance world and as an auditor, besides other business activities. He is a married with children, lives in Norfolk and has a wide-ranging interest in socio-political matters, speaking regularly at meetings with diverse organisations in the UK and overseas.

He is well known at Westminster, the EU and in other important forums and is a frequent contributor to leading newspapers, journals, and commentator on radio and television.

He has (so far) resisted invitations to stand for election as an M.P. to Parliament.

Norway currently funds his campaigning activities because the government of that country is so opposed to the avoidance of taxes through tax havens.

So far as Jersey is concerned, he is mostly known as the man who advised against adopting the failed Zero-Ten policy and as a campaigner against the abusive, roles of tax havens world-wide.

As a financial dissenter and because our government does not like to be exposed as wrong, Richard Murphy is not at all popular with our senior Ministers or within the Finance Sector.

His contributions to the TAX RESEARCH here and TAX JUSTICE NETWORK here blog-sites are very well respected sources of data, information and comment on international finance and the dubious dealings of super-rich individuals, corporations and governments.

Not so well known is that Richard Murphy is a church going Anglican Christian with a Quaker background. He takes his faith seriously and explains here how this is central to his campaigning activities.

We caught up with Richard Murphy in Jersey during his January visit when he spoke in public and met with States Members.

We thank ATTAC Jersey, Ted Vibert of the JDA and Time4Change for their assistance in bringing Richard Murphy to Jersey and facilitating the interview.





Submitted by Thomas Wellard.