BOTs get new minister in May’s reshuffle
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
(CNS): Another Conservative peer has taken over the Foreign Office job overseeing the British Overseas Territories after Baroness Anelay was moved in Prime Minister Theresa May’s post election Cabinet reshuffle. The Baroness has gone to the so-called Brexit department created to oversee the UK’s departure talks with the European Union and Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon has been appointed minister of state for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Both moves have been welcomed by Cayman Islands Premier Alden McLaughlin.
After a long career in the City, the premier said, Lord Ahmad will understand Cayman’s position, and having Baroness Anelay at the Brexit table would also be an advantage for the islands.
“Whilst it is a shame to lose Baroness Anelay as our minister at the FCO, we have now gained a great friend that will be at the Brexit negotiating table who is familiar with the combined priority areas of the overseas territories,” said McLaughlin. “I congratulate Lord Ahmad on his appointment and look forward to working with him to address areas of common interest and continue to improve the United Kingdom’s understanding of our aspirations and priorities.”
He continued, “I welcome the opportunity to meet Lord Ahmed and hope to continue the spirit of positive engagement and mutual respect we have enjoyed over the past four years, which has served to enhance the position of the Cayman Islands in the United Kingdom and on the global stage.”
Baroness Anelay replaces David Jones, a keen European leaver who was sacked by May, signalling that the new minority Conservative government may be abandoning the hard Brexit plan and seeking a softer departure.
Lord Ahmad has a 20-year career in the City working in banking and finance, including at the NatWest Group where he was a senior manager in corporate banking and financial markets. He was later vice-president and marketing director of Alliance Bernstein and his last role before joining the government was as strategy and marketing director at Sucden Financial.
Category: Caribbean, Local News, World News
Dear children,
One day I would like to come onto this site and read an article and the comments and not have it turn into the usual local vs expat nonsense. I am a perm res and I am more than happy to abide by the rules that were here when I decided to move here, if you don’t like them, then leave. On the other side on that coin, I really don’t like the term paper Caymanian, my wife an I were here for Ivan and stayed and helped put it back together again, I am not asking for special treatment or to be a member of parliament, I am just asking to be treated with some respect that I feel I have earned by following the rules and eventually becoming Caymanian.
So if you all could just grow up and get along you might just work out we are all extremely lucky to have been born here, moved to live here or been lucky enough to make this your home permanently. Expats leave if you don’t like it, Caymanians, run for office and change something if you don’t like the system that is law. Please don’t just sit here and throw mud at each other everyday it sets such a bad example for our children.
Thank you.
Anyone that says “if you don’t like it go home” is a sell out apologist for bigotry.
…and anyone that says what you just said is an idiot.
Nothing about his resumé and track record suggests he is a suitable or sensible candidate for the appointment.
Geesh, 100% positive rating.
Guess I should not sign off with my moniker more often.
– Who
😉
…and there it is! The negative ratings have commenced.
🙂
Honestly, you guys are more entertaining than the telly.
However, thanks for clearly confirming that Who’s posts will be negatively received by many, despite the issue and validity, simply because of who Who is.
😉
– Who
Does that mean we get free Wimbledon tickets through the FCO?
In the U.K.it has long been a policy to have it’s large ethnic community represented not only in Parliament but also in Government.Here in Cayman we also have a large expatriate community many with Cayman Status or permanent residence, but who represents them?.
This is not a sensible or fair comparison. Those elected to public office meet the qualifying criteria of the country (generally meaning being born in the country or having direct family connections which can be evidenced).
It is generally accepted that the elected government is there to represent all citizens, permanent residents and guest workers; but citizens come first.
Perhaps the question is why do you expect Cayman to be different?
Nonsense of course. Typical US centric myopia.
So Bluff Patrol what are the qualifying criteria, do you include all those born here, regardless of parentage, and what about those with Cayman status described by so many local bigots as “paper Caymanians”?. In Britain after 5 years residence you can apply for citizenship on receipt of which you can vote and stand for election. As for representation in Cayman you shoot yourself in the foot saying that our MLA’s do not treat all residents equally.
Except you are entirely wrong and it is different – at least from the UK, which was where the comparison was.
The UK allows you to stand for election if you are a British citizen – which includes BOTs, so you can run for office in the UK but a Brit cannot run here – an Irish citizen, or a citizen of any member of the Commonwealth.
In Cayman you not only have to be Caymanian, but you have to have multi generational links and meet stringent residence requirements that basically discriminate in favour of those who don’t travel extensively outside the islands.
Cayman is of course at liberty to set its own rules on who can run for office, but they are neither consistent with the UK, despite being a BOT, nor fair on its own citizens. Stop throwing rocks at the OP – you are flat wrong.
Jotnar, who is flat wrong?, I don’t follow your argument.
Alden – just not in a way that the expats like!
We have a large number of “former expatriates” who have been here in excess of 25 years..they cannot run for elections. These “Caymanians” are being discrimated against…another CIG payment with a law suit?
Ok that does it. I am going to take away your Viagra…
I do suppose you recognize the difference between ethnic and expatriate?
At a loss why you think the expatriate population isn’t represented? While they aren’t directly able to vote (think about the resulting problems of giving an inherently transient population that right)they are able to voice concerns through numerous stakeholder groups, e.g. the Chamber of Commerce, etc.
Remember our ability to discriminate on grounds of immigration was expressly granted by the UK. Cayman isn’t a free-for-all as some believe. Buying Australian government bonds doesn’t mean I should get to vote on their Prime Minister- why bother have any countries at all in that case?
P.S. I believe an expatriate with Cayman Status is called “a Caymanian”.
BS 6.10 if an expat on a WP makes a complaint here (excluding the current PR shambles) against a Caymanian or dept, he is on the fast track home.
Given the abuse I’ve received from some expatriates who believed they had a superior worldview to mine (as if I was representative of all Caymanians), 9:47, I sometime wish it was as easy as you believe it is to remove them. If it was, no doubt the employer of that person had an even “better” expatriate in mind to hire in their place, and didn’t put up much resistance. Moving on…
Make an effort to meet with, maybe even befriend, a Caymanian or two and learn about the community you seem so adamant to remain apart from. We’re not all bigoted racists or xenophobia but we are all struggling under the thumb of poor leadership in this country, as you may be.
Not as long as they and their colleagues cowardly and anonymously attack everything that is Cayman on forums like CNS.
The rhetoric is clearly well-supported so how do we know who is who?
As a safeguard we will reject such requests for change.
None so blind as those who will not see.
He looks like he could be from West Bay, and I mean that in the good sense.
This is hardly encouraging.
There is a very interesting article in the Telegraph about this person.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/24/complacent-anti-terror-minister-says-uk-borders-are-adequately-p/
He was fast-tracked by the dubious Cameron and is of an ideology that is not a suitable choice to protect our interests.
I wonder if Alden McLaughlin did any research on this person, or does he just warmly accept every Foreign Office decision like the colonial, globalist lapdog that he is?
Mr. McLaughlin, a premier should enlighten his people so that they feel comfortable about the direction that you are leading them in. Please put a little more content in your public statements rather than the usual platitudes.
Well, at least he has financial services experience, and Mr Eden will no doubt be glad to see the back of Baroness Anelay given her views on LGBT rights.
Its a bit disturbing that the Premier seems to have confused him with Lord Ahmed – note the e instead of the a – who has a jail term to his record and is on record as saying suicide bombers have “an identity crisis”.
Tony was hoping she would give that post to one of the DUP nut jobs.