Minister: Brexit will see UK focus on BoTs
James Duddridge, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
(CNS): The UK minister with responsibility for the British overseas territories has said that a British exit from the European Union will be an advantage for the BoTs because the UK will be able to focus on traditional relationships with them and what he described as the English-speaking world. James Duddridge, who is opposing the Conservative government’s position to remain in the EU and campaigned with Vote Leave and the Brexit groups, told CNS he believes that if Britain were outside the EU, it would focus more on the Commonwealth rather than what he said was the “failed Eurozone experiment”.
On Thursday the UK will go to the polls in the referendum on whether or not the country should remain in Europe. The increasingly acrimonious referendum campaign was suspended for a few days after Labour MP Jo Cox was killed outside her constituency office in West Yorkshire by a man who gave his name at his first court appearance as “Death to traitors, freedom for Britain”.
The Leave campaign is tied up with anti-immigration sentiment and previously appeared to be in the lead. However, according to government polls, following Cox’s murder the Remain campaign has seen a resurgence in support, though many voters in the UK are still undecided.
Answering an enquiry from CNS before the shocking killing, Duddridge told CNS why he believed it would be a benefit for the territories if the UK was to leave Europe.
“An independent Britain can spend more time developing our historic ties rather than be shackled by the regulation and political infrastructure that is a federal union. OTs value the relationship with the UK more than the EU. The EU is sucking the life out of the UK as an independent nation state. The link with the OTs is a UK/OT relationship not one between the OTs and Estonia, Greece and Poland,” he said.
But an exit would mean different things for different territories. Some of the UK territories receive significant aid and support from the European Union; even in Cayman we have the EU to thank for the new radar system which has plugged an important hole in the region’s hurricane data.
Viewpoint: Brexit and its impact on non-EU hedge funds
The issue for Cayman, according to experts at the Caribbean Council, will be different as it will pose significant challenges for the financial services sector. If Britain withdraws completely from Europe and the Schengen area agreement, which allows the free movement of people in the EU, Caymanians with UK passports will find themselves unable to live, work or study with the same freedom on the European continent has they had previously enjoyed.
“Brexit is an unknown quantity that would directly impact Britain’s Overseas Territories in the Caribbean,” the Caribbean Council concluded.
Other political pundits have warned that the new-found interest the UK might have in its former colonies, especially with a more right of centre conservative leadership emerging, might not be as benign as the current rule from London, which some already find for too intrusive on local affairs. The need for Britain to try and flex its global muscle to avoid international irrelevance may lead to a renewed approach to managing its territories more in the UK’s interests.
However, others however believe that the European Union had an indirect detrimental impact on places like Cayman, with the imposition of the European Directive and human rights issues causing concern in the past.
Regardless of the impact that the outcome of the referendum will have on the territories, they will have no say on Thursday.
CNS contacted the remain campaign for comment on how the European Union is beneficial for the territories but we are still waiting for a response.
Category: Politics, UK, World News
Well now we hear that David Beckham has weighed in on the Brexit issue.
Here is what the GREAT British public had to say.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3651930/David-Beckham-backs-REMAIN-just-two-days-referendum-urges-voters-staying-children.html#comments
Because the UK should follow what a football player has to say.
I would just like to share this link from a national UK newspaper with the Caymanian public.
Thank you.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3652772/Jo-Cox-s-widower-says-MP-died-strong-views-worried-politics-extreme.html
Focus on ” Traditional Relatonships ? “. Really ?? And what might that be ? Finish us off ? PLEASE someone explain that statement to me : “Traditional Relationships” ? If Great Britain leaves the E.U, God help them and we.
I find it absolutely hilarious when those who left their country to find pastures new and earn a shed load of money off the backs of the honest British taxpayer, then think they are best placed to give a judgement on the UK’s future in Europe.
If you are that concerned about UK finances and it’s world influence, then come back home and work to do something about it instead of hiding out there on your tax free income pontificating to those who want the UK to stand with the rest of the world, instead of an incompetent, unelected, unaccountable and failing EU.
Just in case no one has noticed, the U.K. runs a huge trade deficit with the EU, in other words we buy more from them than we sell back. And despite the doomsayers, the U.K. has flourished outside of the Euro zone as the worlds fifth largest economy, whilst Europe is in the depths of a never ending recession that has lasted for years. Greece, Portugal, Italy and Spain are all basket case economies with huge debts and massive unemployment underscoring the absolute failure of the single currency and Germany’s absolute power to dictate European financial policy.
To those who sit and worry about the UK being out there alone, stop being such a defeatist, the U.K. already trades quite amicably and profitably with the rest of the world, a world in which the EU has failed to negotiate any form of binding trade agreement since we joined in 1975.
The EU isn’t our protector, we are theirs. We have the strongest and most active military in the bloc, it is us who contribute to every current theatre of operations, from air patrols over Eastern Europe to anti people smuggling in the Med. We actually do have a military force that is prepared to defend our allies, unlike Germany who can barely muster enough troops and equipment to fulfil its own defence.
NATO is where we belong, standing beside all of our allies as we have done since the 1940’s. It is that organisation which has brought us together in mutual respect and defence, not the EU.
I am a proud Brit who believes in our people and our national fortitude, I also consider myself European. You see, this isn’t about a xenophobic attitude to Europeans, it’s about soveriegn rule of our own country and the right of the British people to govern their country with democratically elected national politicians, not unelected euro bureaucrats and judges.
As for Cayman, well, I doubt whether Brexit will affect that many travellers, it may influence the financial services industry, but it’s on it’s way out in any case.
Cayman’s problem is that it doesn’t produce anything that the outside world needs and will have to rely on tourism as its main industry. Whether the UK is in or out of the EU won’t make a blind bit of difference to that sector as successive governments have failed to encourage the 500 million European tourist market to come here on vacation. They have preferred the smaller US market where 98% of the population don’t hold a passport.
So to those who shake in their boots at the thought of Brexit, I say this, go grow a pair and stand up for your country, we can and will survive outside of this doomed project. It’s better to go now instead of when another EU member decides that enough is enough and pulls the plug.
Voting out is at the very best, voting for uncertainty and if you think voting out will reverse decades of immigration your thought process is severely flawed. The damage is already done and irreversible. Everyone has a right to express their opinion because the UK going it alone is not just how it affects patriots. Patriotism has little to do with economics.
Better the devil you know, and keeping your friends close and your enemies closer is more appropriate when it comes to the EU. Exiting the EU will not cause the mass ‘growing a pair’ of British politicians. They will continue to pander to the sensitivity of the few over the sensitivity of the masses just to secure votes.
When school curriculums and even dietary preferences have forced their way into the school system because of religious extremism it is too late and the EU didn’t cause that, useless British politically correct politicians did that on their own.
Just because I reside outside the UK does not make me any less British than residing in the UK
No but it does say much about you when you believe that maintaining a failed status quo is preferable to change. My case wasn’t about immigration, it’s about the myth that Britain is too weak to work outside of Europe, that just isn’t the case, even the PM has acknowledged that.
But since you raise immigration, why should potentially millions of predominantly male, undocumented migrants enter Europe unopposed, apply for asylum, get European papers then be allowed to distribute themselves to wherever they damn well please. Why has Germany been allowed to tear up individual soveriegn rights and force unfettered immigration on us all. Who suddenly made them head of the EU and allowed Merkal to horse trade our money with Turkey to put a stop to their policy of madness?
That is what Schengen allows, the free movement of people and regardless of the U.K. opt out, hundreds of thousands of people will be able to enter our country totally unopposed as European citizens.
The fallout could be catastrophic for our society and any tree hugging liberal who believes otherwise is delusional.
I do suggest that you try and follow the referendum debate so far, because believe me it is definately not the sensitivity of a few that politicians are playing to. There are millions of people who are extremely concerned that their country is becoming overwhelmed by EU regulation, the removal of sovereignty and the product of free movement. The latest polls are very evenly matched, so don’t be so complacent as to believe that a majority won’t take the leap of faith in their own countries ability to forge ahead in the world.
I do agree however with your assertion that the UK has lost the plot in regard to political correctness. But I promise you, most of that emanates from the same people who want us to be the lap dog of the EU and whose liberal, metropolitan elite mentality has caused so much anger in the wider population. You’re right the EU didn’t cause this, but it is the same woolly headed thinking that would keep us tied to a failing vanity project in the false belief that the UK can’t cope alone.
Politicians are the same self serving idiots the world over, the U.K. Is no different, but hopefully they are going to get a real lesson in people power tomorrow, win or lose they will realise that people are fed up with being spoken at instead of spoken to. I hope that they will acknowledge that our countries relationship with the EU must change and that we cannot continue to be subject to the whims of unelected bureaucrats at the EU Commision.
BS!
What a load of rubbish!
This is certainly one serious matter for Caymanians, without a doubt. Not sure an exclusive and closer relationship with the U.K. would necessarily be in Cayman’s best interests culture-wise at all. Their society is so markedly different to ours, and judging by the awfully insulting comments that seem to roll so readily off the tongues of their citizens of late, I am not that optimistic. They are a different people, let’s not kid ourselves.
Whenever a vote is required, it is usually because an important question needs to be answered.
In these situations there are usually 3 factors.
1. For
2. Against
3. An independent press.
Once all of the grandstanding and speeches are over, the people go to the polls.
In the Brexit situation, my opinion is to leave.
Here is why..
https://www.brexitthemovie.com/
I wold humbly ask someone from the other side to submit through this independent press outlet.
Let those undecided weigh both sides and form their right to choose without censorship.
Long live democracy.
Brexit the Movie is a joke. They use the Adam Smith Institute for economic talking heads for goodness sake. Only the truly stupid and impressionable would have their opinion swayed by it.
Watch John Oliver, “last week tonight”.
“Focus on traditional relationships”? Look yah big man..mi nah cut no cane inna hot sun fi unno sugar plantation again! A woi!
No, but if the UK comes out of the EU their traditional Commonwealth trading partners can begin supplying cane sugar instead of the EU directives insistence on EU grown sugar beet.
This could bring huge dividends to some of the poorest nations on earth.
Good, we can send the radar back and put up wind turbines in its place.
1102am: Utter rubbish.
Mr Duddridge is quite correct in that the UK will certainly improve links, trade and co-operation with the Commonwealth and Overseas Territories. ‘Europe’ lost two world wars to the UK and allies; the ‘Common Market/European Union’ was created specifically to help the losers get back to their pre 1914 status vis-à-vis the rest of the world. It is unfortunate that some British politicians over the years have felt so embarrassed at being the victors that they have tried to surrender and become the losers economically.
Great, we get to deal more with the places we least want to deal with and the BOTS will be plagued by blacklists and so on precisely because UK will not be in a place where it could do anything about it. The US wont help, they are too busy protecting their onshore safe houses with no transparency..naïve to think any other way.
Absolutely loopy comment.
The EU is in the process of falling appart. if the UK leaves the fall will be qoicker. think anonymous if you were eurpoean and were at center of this crash, what would you do with your money. MOVE IT
Absolutely correct. The EU is dysfunctional and at least two of the major players are simply begging for an excuse to pull out. If the UK goes the whole sad mess will probably collapse.
The man is a nutter if that’s what he believes….UK exit world stage…
Nonsense of course. Brexit would result in the UK losing influence over EU blacklisting while Luxembourg, Malta and Ireland will be on the inner ring. Brexit would resutl in absolute EU blacklisting for the BOTs from the EU.
The fiat currency named the Euro is doomed either way.
No. It’s just a different name for the deutschmark and will last as long as Deutschland. Europe would look exactly the same if everyone had converted to deutschmarks instead of euros.
So how is that different than what they are doing now? German rules and French bureaucrats are no guarantee of anyone else’s prosperity.