OT temp minister to make snap Cayman visit

| 25/08/2015 | 27 Comments
Cayman News Service

Grant Shapps MP, acting OT minister

(CNS) Grant Shapps MP, who is currently acting as the UK’s minister for the overseas territories, will make a short visit to the Cayman Islands on Thursday. The junior minister, who is standing in for James Dudderidge who is unwell, will be visiting Jamaica tomorrow and has tagged Cayman onto the trip. 

According to the governor’s office, the regional business trip presented an opportunity for the minister to call in to the Cayman Islands and meet Premier Alden McLaughlin for the first time.

Officials said that discussions will focus on the strong relationship between the UK and Cayman Islands and the Cayman Islands response to the G8 agenda that covers Transparency, Taxation and Trade.

“The Cayman Islands and the UK have a longstanding friendship,” Shapps said. “I am delighted to be making my first official visit to the islands, celebrating the strong links and shared values which continue to unite us in the 21st century. I look forward to seeing the premier and hearing about his government’s plans for future economic prosperity, building on the world-class facilities already available in the Cayman Islands.”

It is not clear whether the minister will be discussing the controversial topics of beneficial ownership or the government’s plans for the costly cruise port project, which will still require clearance from the UK if government decides to press ahead.

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Comments (27)

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  1. Michel says:

    What else unna want now ? Probably come from T & C. We can’t handle mote crap ay this time. Unless you want to discuss Tempura and other findings.

  2. Anonymous says:

    1.27, I am absolutely sure you have a point to make, could you tell us what it is?

  3. Heathens in Derision says:

    Anon 9:43am please please don’t wake these Colonial disciples up, let them continue to live and dream in La la land remember we may have royal visit coming up to restore our faith in the monarchy come on now! Oh but OECD and FATF nasty little programs to destroy other countries economies is paying real dividends now eh, Migrants flooding Europe I guess the masterminds in Brussels did see that one coming. As for the Food stamp president the reality is so dim all he can do is hit the golf course to avoid dealing with the mess in America who are now lining up to support a presidential candidate who curses and swears demonizes his opponents. Yes we can not!! do bullshit to others and expect to get away it .Big shout out to Jeremy Corbyn savior of the UK. Lord “Hep” us ya in Cayman

    • Anonymous says:

      Jeremy Corbyn, savior of the UK? He will preside over the demise of the once great Labour Party in Britain if elected leader but I suspect you are not a student of politics other than at the tabloid newspaper level hence your truly bizarre call to him to save us.

  4. Anonymous says:

    This guy is as clueless as Alicia Silverstone, is he serious with that statement or does he peddle the same snake oil in every jurisdiction on this little jaunt?

  5. Anonymous says:

    Speaking to John Evans’ comments, did anyone see an HBO film entitled “Turks & Caicos” which aired last night? A true “fictional” account of how FCO & MI5 operate in relation to the OT’s

    • Anonymous says:

      If it’s the series starring Bill Nighy, it’s very much fictional, 9:43, and is not intended to be thought of as anything other than that.

      • Anonymous says:

        Fictional. Just like the Chagos documentary on Youtube.

        • Anonymous says:

          If the Chagos documentary you refer to,3:27, is just that-a documentary -then it may very well be factual (though opinionated), that is what a documentary is supposed to be. But the program starring Bill Nighy as Johnny Worricker (or something) is a fictional drama, written and produced for primarily entertainment purposes.

    • Anonymous says:

      I’ll say one thing (thankfully?) about that movie, Bill Nighy was about the coolest dude I’ve seen on screen since Sean Connery!

  6. Anonymous says:

    He’ll no doubt impart certain expert advice to the Premier – like how to use a “bot” to inflate your Twitter followers, and how not to get barred from Wikipedia.

  7. Anonymous says:

    With a statement like that you can tell he has never been here!

  8. Anonymous says:

    Perhaps he could discuss LGBT matters with Mr Eden while he’s here.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yes, and perhaps convince Mr.Eden and Caymanians as a whole that they are entirely wrong to reject homosexuality as an alternate lifestyle. Well, good luck in that crazy endeavour.The utterances at the law school lecture were like something off another planet to the people of this culture, or hasn’t that sunk in yet? What’s laughable is the seriousness these visiting characters expect to be taken. I’m still awaiting a reply to an earlier inquiry as to exactly what crime Mr.Eden could possibly have been charged with here in Cayman were he to have said what he said outside of the LA* (see answer below), which is what the chairman of the human rights commission here was pointedly implying. Now, in the U.K. I have no doubt Mr.Eden – and a whole bunch of others who dared to oppose the MGBT lot – would be charged with “homophobia” and/or “hate speech”, but the slight difficulty for the visiting LGBGT crowd, that is) is that this ‘ain’t the U.K. thankfully! (Of course, they could always try their luck in Jamaica?)

      CNS: this was answered in another thread:

      Cayman Islands Penal Code (2013 Revision):

      S.88B. (1) A person who –

      (a) Uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour; or
      (b) Displays any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting,

      within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment for three years or, if the offence is committed in the night, to imprisonment for four years.

      • Anonymous says:

        Errr 9.03, technically and legally you are in the UK. Ergo your behavior and attitudes need to change. I wonder if you know what “electricity”, “television” or “world news” are? Are is your cave not equipped with that?

        • Anonymous says:

          It’s actually “behaviour” here for us folks living in the Cayman islands. I will leave the rest of your humour/humor to be based on that, sportsfan. (P.S. It’s the lowest form of wit, or hasn’t your HS teacher told you yet?)

        • Anonymous says:

          PS 1.31, lay off the cheap supermarket booze (the scourge of U.K. yoof) when commenting : it’s “or is your cave not equipped ……….”.

          • Anonymous says:

            Yes, cheap UK supermarket booze (not that I’ve ever partaken of it myself – well, at least much) has certainly not served the U.K. well. Loutism aplenty, no respect for authority, complete mayhem. Think I’ll go out and watch the Cayman sunset, a vital part of my recovery.

        • Anonymous says:

          Actually, legally I am not in the U.K. Or else, if you pause to think about it, why would there need to be a change to the laws here in regard to, among other issues, same-sex marriage? Can you see the logic here? No, sportsfan, persons resident in the Cayman islands are, most certainly, not “technically and legally in the UK”. Do you even know where the Cayman Islands is on a map? I doubt it, given your level of ignorance. Whomever you are taking legal advice from, cease to do so. Immediately. PS Keep wondering – eventually it can lead to enlightenment, apparently.

      • Anonymous says:

        Bam! Good lick, CNS.

      • Anonymous says:

        Nickey, thank you for this, which is true.My point of contention is whether or not the interpretation applies as it would in the U.K. In other words, would a complaint to the police here in Cayman of Mr.Eden having used words be accepted as having been “threatening, abusive etc”? It’s a straightforward inquiry. Can anyone answer it?

        • Anonymous says:

          It is utter rubbish. It is like someone saying that if someone robs their house they will deal with them and then calling that threatening and abusive speech against robbers. And molesting children is a criminal offence so it is directly comparable.

        • Anonymous says:

          Nicky, I don’t know if there has been any (coherent) response to my enquiry. It is a reasonable question to pose I’d have thought. And, equally so, surely central to the force of the quoted law.

  9. Anonymous says:

    Perhaps Governor you should get the minister to make the move on behalf of the FCO and come clean about Tempura. The time is running out for you and the Cayman government but you are determined to keep your heads buried in the sand. So be it and well done to those who have championed the revelation of the truth.

    • John Evans says:

      Unfortunately, as the person who drove this along for over five years I can tell you that the truth of what happened during Tempura will never be revealed. The FCO regarded it as dead and buried when I met with them in 2013 and they’ve since spent at least CI$1million on keeping things that way. The reality of Tempura is that it was a complete joke from day one but conceding that would mean that FCO has to admit that several of their senior officials (one is now Governor of the Falklands Islands) have been involved in a right royal screw up over the years – that will never happen.

    • Anonymous says:

      Tempura was a positive turning point for the governance of the Cayman Islands. In truth it represented tremendous value for money and the benefits should last for years to come.

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