Premier: UK treachery goes beyond enforced register
Premier Alden McLaughlin appears on Radio Cayman talk show, For The Record
(CNS): News that the UK is going to force the Cayman Islands and other overseas territories to establish public registers of beneficial ownership relating to the financial entities domiciled there is a “treachery” that goes beyond the registers itself, Premier Alden McLaughlin has said. The move is “way beyond” the policy question and has to be challenged, the premier believes, otherwise it will set a precedent for them to do it again and again whenever the British government disagrees with local policy and laws. McLaughlin said it was a challenge to the constitutional relationship Cayman now has with the UK.
He said the idea that the House of Commons could directly legislate for the British Overseas Territories and the register was not as much of a problem for the Cayman Islands as this particular action that the UK government is taking.
“This issue, constitutionally, goes way beyond the issue of public registers,” the premier said during an appearance on Radio Cayman’s For the Record Wednesday. “It is an issue that we are going to challenge because if we wind up in a situation where every time the UK parliament disagrees with a decision in one of the territories and takes the power to legislate for us, it is not just the issue of public registers and the future of our financial industry that’s at risk, it is our very existence.”
McLaughlin said the imposition of a public register is not impossible for the country to manage, but he questioned whether it would ever happen because there are many problems with public registers, as evidenced by the early experiments in the UK with its unverified register.
Pointing out that the entire episode is as a result of misconceptions about offshore finance, McLaughlin said that what happened in the UK on Tuesday was “treachery”, given the work that has been going on between the Cayman Islands and the UK for years on this issue.
“It betrayed the trust of the overseas territories, not just verbal but written commitments to the territories about how we would deal with this issue,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin said he has retained two top constitutional lawyers in the UK to take the issue on, as he pointed out the dark implications for the future of the Cayman Islands if the government accepted such an imposition and challenge to the constitutional relationship, which, he noted, applies to the UK as well as Cayman.
Meanwhile, despite the neutral position of the speaker of the Legislative Assembly, McKeeva Bush also stepped into the political fray on the issue and issued a statement Thursday. He said he was astonished by the move because, at this point, the imposition does not extend to the Crown Dependencies but specifically targets “the legitimate financial services industry of the Cayman Islands”.
Bush added that if the matter could not be sorted out through negotiation, the premier and the Cabinet “have my full support to determine the legitimacy of the proposals through the legal system as the same appear to be a clear violation of the Cayman Islands Constitution and an individual’s legitimate right to privacy”.
He concluded, “The Cayman Islands government is under an obligation to protect its people and, in the light of this suggested and unwarranted intrusion, to consider all its options, which responses I will fully support and urge all Caymanians to support the premier.”
See documents on beneficial ownership in the CNS Library
Category: Business, Financial Services
You can all make your grand pronouncements about Independence but I still want my garbage picked up on a regular basis and as yet this government doesn’t seem up to that task.
How do you think they would perform with no controls and no UK to blame?
Better or Worse?
is this registry not already happening with the new laws that were mandated to the banks with Fatca that all our banks have followed this regulation? so political grand standing?
No idiot – pay attention!
Actually it is
Time to free Caymsn now. Independence should begin now. Too many Caymanians keep complaining. Send expats home.
Be careful what you wish for , Alden might just think you’re right .
It’s not what I wish for. Nearly all natives cuss expats and blame them for all ills in Cayman . So it’s best they get independence send expats home and run Cayman the way they want it
stop generalizing,,,speak for yourself not all Caymanians..
Be real, all Caymanians live in a dream world. They play the game when it you suits you all. When expats get a PR you all sit and complain .
At least the miserable ones who keep complaining about how Third World we are.
I’m Caymanian, and you sound lost.
I am sorry that your are Caymanian.
Not all of the expats need to go, there are many expats here who have integrated well. It is just the arrogant ones who think they can ride roughshod over an innocent people who really don’t care about their financial exploits.
Unfortunately now, Caymanians cannot afford to buy homes in their own country.
Whoever has presided over this travesty (Caymanian Freemason Government) needs to be in prison.
To the Caymanian people. Why do you keep on electing Freemasons to rule over you? Why? Don’t you even bother to ask? Don’t you know they serve Lucifer?
You will continue to get the punishment that you deserve until you wake up.
Caymanians can’t afford homes ?
Then you all need to set laws in place where only natives can buy homes. Expats will always push the prices up.
“Too many Caymanians”, this is far from an accurate statement being that Caymanians are the minority here. You’re already drunk Rick go home.
Sorry bro. I don’t live in Cayman and never would too. I am just an outsider that find Caymanians a funny bunch.
You need to get out more theb.
I visit lots of other countries where I am welcomed. I would never visit Cayman to spend my money where expats hated and put through hoops for there PR and Status. You all live off from expats but don’t want to give what’s due to them.
Rick, get a job and get a life…have you been drinking again?…find an AA meeting and attend until you get a life and a job where you are not so idle..
It’s funny the U.K.’s views on us considering it was the U.K. who encouraged the formation of the Cayman financial center and similar ones to begin with to help handle their global transactions. They fuss and moan about us being a den of thieves and pirates allowing all these illegal transactions and lackadaisical methods but watch. When Brexit finally happens they wil lcome to us once more and the cycle will repeat itself when they are cut off from the financial markets in Europe.
EXACTLY!!!
https://www.taxjustice.net/2017/11/29/podcast-decolonisation-expansion-tax-havens-1950s-1960s/
Caymanomics, not even a basic understanding of how it works, but don’t let that stop you.
Whyever he is saying so/admitting the eventual effects, I applaud his stance to do so.
Soon the people of the C.I. will not be able to have any say on any type of growth and function of the country.?? if there is no resistance.
Please admit the same for the effects of most of Dart’s erroneous development(s), and government’s lack of attention to pressing and vital issues affecting the societal and core family of the islands also please, Alden.
Comment threads like these make me sit back, cross my feet on the desk, sip my Monday morning coffee, and bask in the glory that is; Truth always reveals itself in the end.
(Go on though – tell us more, folks.)
– Who
*Cayman, there was zero love lost from the other side by way of these UK parliamentary decisions.
Happy to see more of us coming to terms with that reality as of late.
UK is a sinking ship ever since Brexit and they’re trying to stay a float by squandering our economy. Got news for you Lizzie! That cold wet hole ya’ll call home will never amount to or take over what we Caymanians call home! The UK main focus should be stopping the cultivation of home grown terrorists before Papa Putin puts them in their place again.
Oh dear….if you have an axe to grind with the UK, at least have one based on fact and not invented drivel. The economy will not be squandered, even if this comes to pass (which I doubt) it will have zero effect on business here…everyone has to disclose all information anyway and CIG has signed so many Tax Information Exchange agreements that virtually any worthwhile country can find out what they need on any particular person just by asking. This is more about UK potentially imposing this on Cayman- which again is not going to have any effect on one single Caymanian…you think you got something to shout about but you got nothing.
All the childish shouting and screaming we have seen in the CNS blogs will not change what MIGHT happen. But anyone that believed that it could never happen has been living in cloud cuckoo land – the only issue was from which direction it would come. And if the absolute worst does happen, any thought of using that event to move towards independence from the UK is utterly ludicrous.
Productivity in those businesses who hire Hexpats must be bloody low. For all the time spent by the want to be don’t want to be in cayman hexpats making all of the negative comments; I say to you take it easy you don’t want to create unrest here or do you?. It is in everybody’s interest to be calm; with those who feel strongly against our islands to take their leave quietly , no one is kicking you out but if you want to go there is not much we can door perhaps want to do so Sayon
To the Government this is the time to pull our people together in so many ways and with the ultimate goal of finding ways and means of reducing our high dependency on the financial services industry . There are ways and means of diversifying our economy , you have people caymanians in these island who have the experience the expertise and connections so use them.
You lost me at “pulling your people together” Too funny!
Serious question: can anyone name these “recent cases of money laundering” that the journalism fraternity emphatically accuse the Cayman Islands of playing a pivotal role in? Is there a database of our cases and convictions from the last 5 years, versus other major financial centers? US State Dept reports 562 STRs filed in a one year period from 2014-2015 with only 2 convictions for (amateur local drug dealer) “money-laundering”. Why is it so hard to find this body of evidence? ie. Other than hearsay, and stolen data leaks revealing activity of foreign participants from decades ago, and duping gold-diggers, have there been any events since the grand-scale and internally-obscured HSBC-Mexico fiasco of 2012 here in the Cayman Islands?
When Cayman agreed to registers for state to state access the requirement for public registers was settled and inevitable. It was just a question of when not if. All that has happened is that the when is a bit sooner than expected. Rather than fighting the decision, which will be a waste of time and money and only ossify the views in the UK about Cayman, CIG and lobbying bodies should work with the decision to ensure minimum negative impact to the regulated capital markets work.
There seem to be two Pit Bulls; one the poster of one liner snide comments of a vaguely colonial slant designed to troll and this one, whose timing suggests it was written in the U.K. which makes a very sensible point. But Bull, do you have any comments on the whole level playing field argument? Delaware? Nevada? The crown dependencies? Hong Kong? Singapore? China? Etc etc ad infinitum ad nauseam.
I am in Blighty just now as it happens dear chap. It is lovely, even if the cricket fizzled out into a draw. I do not understand the “level playing field” issue, it always sounds like deflection. What happens in British territory is a matter for Parliament and it does not matter what Johnny Foreigner does.
Except when the US did FATCA. Then there was a good deal of running about notwithstanding the power of Parliament. Presently, the tax advantages will keep you in the game in the US. We don’t share the european moral aversion to minimizing ones taxes.
Top hole, Bull, back to your real self, don’t you know, eh what? But you are being disingenuous about the level playing field issue unless you are a cad. I’m glad you’re happy in Blighty. I suppose my Times, Guardian and Private Eye subscriptions leave me with a rather jaundiced view of a place I once thought stable and tolerant and the sort of place you seem to still be proud of. Unfortunately, despite what you say, Johnny Foreigner seems to crush us in almost everything these days…especially those pesky Euros Johnny Froglegs and Johhny Liverwurst who are determined to punish us for not accepting the inexorable march of European history towards French and German (or, erm, German) hegemony in Europe, something neither the Kaiser or the Fuhrer could achieve. Pip pip.
Just take it 1 day at a time sweet jesus. This is not like 2017 election monkey rinch for only the business people and the rich and not famous block Galleria road until 2020 and give another massive grant of statuses again to the independent people like what they did in 2003 in the yellow envelopes like hot plates of cooked food and they were all lined up at the george town police staion police record office we the caymanian people will never, never forget that day and UK sure will not neither we the caymanian indigeous people will never shake out of that i am the security for the cayman islands. We have a unity team CDP and PPM caymanians wake up enemies became best friends less than a week in 2017 and a few independents that were greedy for money.
Dear You-Know-Who’s,
Enjoy the Trans-Atlantic flight and the 45% income tax back home.
It’s been good.
Cheers!
Sorry to tell you this 5:58 but when those You Know Who’s leave it will result in the CIG imposing income taxes and property taxes too. A way has to be found to make up for the massive financial loss when all those financial services jobs leave.
Sad but true.
Someone is forgetting the decrease in required government revenue that comes with a decrease in population.
Poor lil tink-tink.
Cayman will be just fine.
Well no because so much of the government’s revenue comes from company registration fees here. If that is gone, who is going to pay for police and fire. It will have to come from increased taxation of the Caymanian people.
Still not getting it; with population increase came an increase in required revenue to provide adequate services.
I will leave you to figure out what will happen when everything reverses.
This is not rocket science.
I trust you are one of our unemployed residents.
8:43. It’s laughable how they try the fear mongering. They have been coming here and doing it for years. Time to stop. This place was tax free before they loaded BA and come here and it will be after. It’s amazing how they believe, this island is afloat because of them lol. In any case, Just like Ivan, many of them will leave when things get hard, and then return when they can fill there pockets while in A/C. lol these people boi
Yes, Cayman is a British Overseas Territory, it is theirs. No wonder this place is in a mess, people don’t even understand what they live on.
Anonymous 7:07 – The people leaving are the ones who consume the least in Government resources and who generate a large part of Government revenue (via WP fees and import duty mainly, but also through operating businesses that pay all sorts of fees). This is not a Cayman/ Expat thing. If you can’t see that the expat businesses and their employees leaving, isn’t going to have a seismic effect on CIG income, while having relatively little effect on it’s outgoings, then you really need to stop being so complacent. Other, bigger, more resilient and diversified economies shudder at the thought of an economic downturn of 2 or 3%. What impact do you think that a downturn of 40-50% would have on Cayman?
1.) You are a failed fear-mongerer because it ain’t working.
2.) Why do you (and your friends) even care?
Quit stressing over the future of Cayman and get on with your own grey, over-taxed existences.
Geeesh..
You are right, Cayman will be just fine, however, 7:07 and everyone else will be required to accept a much lower standard of living.
Well, we are “British” after all – just par for the course.
No worries, we have made enough cash as the premium for having to live in a cultural vacuum to make life on our return more than comfortable. And we won’t have to put up with the likes of you. Enjoy that sinking ship, buddy.
Yah. Sure you have.
Bless.
Some facts about UK tax (rounded):
zero tax on first £12k earnings
20% tax plus 12% National Insurance on next £33k
40% tax and 2% NI on next £105k
45% tax and 2% NI on earnings over £150k.
Yes there is a fair amount of tax, but it includes health insurance and a State pension of around £8k pa from age 67. Only the highest paid pay 45% tax, but pension contributions are tax free, so guess what? People contribute to their personal or work pensions and get the tax rebated at the highest rate that they pay.
There are also various tax advantaged investments as well as pensions.
The cost of living in the UK is considerably lower than Cayman’s. The job opportunities are wide and varied, and there is a lot of beautiful countryside, beautiful beaches ( but chilly water) and a hell of a lot more to do in your free time than Cayman offers.
It has its downsides, it’s underclasses and crime, but so does everywhere else. It ain’t paradise, but Cayman lost that label decades ago (if it ever truly had it).
Yet you and your friends are all here – or want to be here.
Make that make sense.
No, I’m in the UK. Was in Cayman many years ago in the 80s and suspect I saw it at its best. It was fun, but not the place for me long-term.
Ok, in that case, if true, you are clearly still very enamoured and current with the affairs of Cayman.
I cant think of a single Caymanian who after spent time living in the UK (and I know many), spend any significant amount of time and energy into the affairs of that country.
In fact, most speak in relief of having left the UK in the rear-view mirror of life.
Jus sayin…
True 8.46, no time for most Caymanians to look back, they use all that time hating each other, hating expats and on the marl road.
Is our alleged hate anything like the Tory v Labour battle?
Or how about the ongoing bombs, annual riots, and gun battles of the N.I. situation?
Should we dare mention the Brexiter v Remainer bitter bar-fight?
Did Scotland settle whether or not they will hold another independence referendum – it is so hard to keep up with the shit-fest that is British politics.
How are the Windrushers doing now?
You have more than enough hate to occupy your time over in good ol’ Blighty – so I dont know why you are obsessing yourself with Cayman’s affairs.
foh
“Is our alleged hate anything like the Tory v Labour battle?”
Way worse. Here it’s personal. There it’s political
“Or how about the ongoing bombs, annual riots, and gun battles of the N.I. situation?”
Pretty quiet since the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
“Did Scotland settle whether or not they will hold another independence referendum”
They did decide – they aren’t. Support for IndyRef 2 (and the SNP) is declining at the moment. It may resurface in the future and if so, good luck to them.
“How are the Windrushers doing now?”
It’s not just the Windrushers. New procedures aimed at removing illegal immigrants have made life difficult for a lot of people who arrived many years ago and who did not keep the relevant documents proving their right to be in the UK. You need to prove that you are entitled to work in the UK now (or to claim benefits, or get free medical treatment). Many are being refused benefits, etc. (or losing jobs) when they can’t prove that they entered and remained in the UK legally. In short, it’s starting to get like Cayman.
Sounds like paradise then, therefore, again, why are you obssessing over all things Cayman??
Answer: You are well aware of the superior quality of life that Cayman provides.
Now, kindly bugger off…mind your limbs and heads on those bridges tho.
Whoa, hold on a minute. I wasn’t “Anonymous” above. Quick answer – neither enamoured nor obsessed, thanks. But I do find Cayman and its politicos and wannabees, to be the biggest feckin’ soap opera I’ve ever seen. I just drop in for a laugh from time to time.
Jus’ tellin’….
Oops – that touched a nerve, clearly! I find it curious that you are so threatened by my interest in Cayman. I take an interest because I have close ties to Cayman. I have friends and colleagues there whose lives, like mine, may well be affected by this and other coming changes.
As for quality of life – actually, I find it’s pretty similar, just with emphasis on different things. On PPP terms (i.e. when cost of living is taken into account) average earnings in Cayman and the UK are pretty much equal. Cayman has a laid-back lifestyle, better weather and some nice beaches, but, frankly, despite the best efforts of many good (some very talented) people, it’s a historical and cultural desert – which is probably of no interest to you, but, for me (and, judging by the crowds in both the British Museum a few weeks ago and the Vatican Museum last week, many others) it is very important.
And aren’t we a brave little boy, flinging insults from behind your keyboard. Does your mama know you use words like that?
Pension contributions are not tax free for the highest earners. There is a cap of £10,000 pensions contribution relief.
You’re confusing a couple of things there. Private pension contributions get tax relief at your highest tax rate, so if you EARN more than the limit for highest tax rate, you get tax relief at whatever that rate is – so higher rate earners DO get tax relief on pension contributions (i.e. if you are a top-rate tax-payer, for every pound you put in, you get 45p put in by the Government). There is another limit of £10k on the tax relief that you can claim, however, but that is dependent on how much you put into your private pension, not your tax rate.
It approximates to the Government topping up the first £40k of contributions into your pension each year.
Utter nonsense. High earners are only allowed relief on £10,000 of contributions and there is nothing like the £40k figure you are blabbering on about. And no-one gets 45p relief, the highest relief rate is 40p
The first 20% of tax relief should be claimed and rebated by the pension scheme provider, then you claim additional relief on your self-assessment form:
(from the HMRC website)
When you have to claim tax relief
You may be able to claim tax relief on pension contributions if:
you pay Income Tax at a rate above 20% and your pension provider claims the first 20% for you (relief at source)
Claim tax relief in England, Wales or Northern Ireland
You can claim tax relief on your Self Assessment tax return for:
20% if you pay Income Tax at 40%
25% if you pay Income Tax at 45%
So – 20% (relief at source) plus 25% (self-assessment claim) – what does that make?
High earners are not limited to £10,000 in contributions. The limit for tax relief is £40,000 per annum. Contributions beyond £40,000 per annum (was £50,000) will be taxed, rather than attract relief. There is a lifetime limit of £1.03 million
So if I earned £200,000 pa (into the 45% bracket) and put £40,000 pa into a pension (not £10,000), HMRC would add £32,445.61 to the pension pot (not £10,000)
look at the per capita GDP of England e.g. what the avg man/woman takes home. World Rank 27-
Huge wealth gaps and dangerous social economic circumstances leading to stupid electoral decisions.
And the biggest?
Keeping hold of ingrate backwards thinking territories that don’t understand the consequences of independence, yet are too cowardly to really go for it.
hahaha! And that never happens in Cayman right? Jeez
Hmmm, companies all have a contingency for moving the financial arm away from Cayman. Singapore has a very nice ring to it and no tax.
Ps also cheap beer and restaurants
Yeah right, if Singapore was any better your a$$ would be there now..
I don’t scare about independence. There are enough options on how we can do that in a responsible manner. There are enough alliances we can make in this world to help us economically. Only a doomsday clan in Cayman who has interest in us being under the UK will wail and lament over the thought. For the common folk, do you seriously think independence matter?
No … we see and read how Mother country has not contributed one ounce to the development of our financial center; we see how she abuse her powers over the overseas territies; we see how she is becoming a real threat to our industry, and lauds power over us.
So either way for the average Caymanian, we know where are REAL POWER IS and our needs! Can anyone tell us what is our real power that nobody can touch? ? I know. And it is definitely not in the hands of these two elephants (CIG and UK). May they battle and spectators like us only laugh!
In DART you trust…?
Your sugar daddies – the UK citizen is tired of supporting your budget and turning a blind eye to the corrupt madness that is these islands.
And if you are in fact clean there is nothing to worry about ….but we all know the dark truth.
And you think it’s just the UK that feels this way huh! Travel a bit and listen to what people know us for.
Scary times for the white collar fan and worker.
supporting our budget??? When was the last time the UK gave us anything? If we are so corrupt then what are doing here…avoiding the UK taxation, maybe??
We have rowed our own boat for many years without the UK giving us anything. Every year we dole out millions of dollars so that the UK can have a representative here who together with his staff does nothing but have cocktail parties and attend diplomatic functions..
Get your facts straight…Slavery was abolished years ago and even dictators the likes of the President of North Korea are understanding that style of rule doesn’t work..
We Caymanians are a proud people and despite the sometime’s “crabs in a bucket” mentality of a few, we will band together when it comes to protecting these three little rocks we call home…
When your talking down my country man, you are walking on the fighting side of me…
Calm down sour puss. You obviously have no clue where the money comes from that fuels your annual and recent 2 year budget.
As for slavery – who said anything about it ? Seems your nerve is showing buddy boy .
“Talking down my country man ” sorry can’t think of a reason to talk them up! You can generalise my point or understand what I meant by white collar. Try to keep up
BTW born and breed . I know exactly what happens on this rock. I do not stand with criminals under any circumstance.
It is all in the fine print
If you were Caymanian born and bred you wouldn’t be generalizing about us Caymanians as being corrupt..otherwise then include yourself..
As for me and my household we stand for Cayman first..I’m 53 and during my entire lifetime I cannot think of one thing that we had to go begging England for..Our people worked hard and made this place what it is with help of some very good expats and for the record many of them from England too to whom we are most grateful.
Hopefully you have one of those passports that will allow England to take you in but remember what happened to the Windrush generation. They will kick your a$$ out there when they are good and ready and you had better be damn grateful that you will have one of these three rocks to come back to…
Caymanian did not work hard . You all live off from work permits and give sub standard advice. Yet still you all cuss expats and everyday.
Good Lord Rick, you obviously have an axe to grind otherwise you wouldn’t be on here generalizing negatively about Caymanians..Get a life!
Rick, please put that beer down and get off the computer..You are slurring your words and it is obvious you are quite drunk again…Please take my advice and get some help with your drinking problem..
All of them.
We don’t want you. Nothing personal.
The UK is becoming more like it’s middle eastern neighbors.. full of themselves and want to rule everything.
Middle Eastern neighbors? Geography not your strong point then.
Well one thing is for sure, the true hatefulness of so called Caymanians comes to the surface at times like these. So the UK parliament have ruffled your corrupt asses once again and now it’s time to kick out all the Brits who built, maintain and progress your financial services sector. So good luck with that because apart from spilling a lot of local secrets on the way out, these highly trained and experienced people are your connection to the world and some small time local kid isn’t going to make it, period.
And don’t be fooled by the racist idiots who propose kicking out British white asses only to replace them with Kiwis, Safa’s, Aussies etc….. Do you seriously believe people would come to a place that is openly hostile to people of the same race, especially when being a ‘Caymanian’, generational or not, isn’t a racial identity at all.
You forgot the Canadians and the Americans. I think its fair to say first they are here, 2 they have real economies and real connections.
We get most of our business from guess where- only 7% from Europe.
Caymanian is a real culture and a real identity. You have no clue.
Do expand. Should be fun reading.
“Brits built, maintain, and progress our financial center???” ? no really … please give us your historical sources. I would really like to see the proof of your claims.
Thank you ☺
…as if they’ve been keeping tabs and can point to some authoritative reports as proof. Laughable!
Why are you here if you feel we are “corrupt asses?” I came here from the UK many years ago and the people of this country welcomed me and have accepted me and my family.
They are standing up for the life blood of their country and yes sometimes things are said in haste but I don’t blame any Caymanian that is standing up and being counted…What I see the UK Parliament trying to do to this islands stinks..and if there are any “corrupt asses” here it is those corrupt politicians in the UK Parliament…
This Limey stands with the Premier and the people of the Cayman Islands!
Thank you for standing with us! It is most appreciated!
Yeah we want democratic people that reflect our democratic values.
11;07 , that my friend was not nice to say those things , are you sticking up for what you consider Your country / tribe ? can Cayman people not do the same ? or do You think that you and your tribe Own and Rule Caymanians ? you sir / madam are extremely Racist and so are the people that have agreed with your post !
Spot on. Scott’s response nailed it.
Mysteriously quiet? The other article has 160+ comments in a day!
Yeah comments are being posted. Trying to keep things under control
Cayman wha happen to the so called UK White Paper a partnership for progress and prosperity. Aaah Bo just like another white paper i know, but we did not even get Charmin or Novelle but Regina, which is hard to flush and harsh on the bum bum!!Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Cayman’s unwavering belief and support for the great white hope has made them totally blind of the darkest that has completely surrounded them.
‘Great white hope’, seriously? You are nothing but a racist dressed up in the dignity of bog roll.
The poster is not a racist, you are just an over-sensitive whiner. The phrase perfectly encapsulates the sentiment.
Who the Cap fit let dem wear it and when i throw mi corn me no call no fowl. Some will hate you pretend they love you and behind your back try to eliminate you. But who jah bless no Curse! Gowweh 1:34PM
Tryin to play both sides of the field huh….won’t fool the real poor people though we seen SO many like you. We refuse to be led to captivity backwards
You do understand that the true white Caymanian settlers were in fact the slave owners of Jamaicans who became the colour in the mix alongside Hondurans, Cubans and many other ethnic backgrounds?
You do understand that the Cayman Islands were never colonised by force, they were settled peacefully by the British alongside Jamaicans?
You do understand that the Cayman Islands are a British territory and not an independent country?
You do understand that Caymanian is not a nationality?
You do understand that it is your own people who have kept you powerless and poor?
Obviously not.
However, you will eventually understand that the real implication of independence is total captivity at the hands of drug dealers and those at the top of your society who will seek power and further enrichment at your expense.
Just look at Jamaica or the Bahamas, or look further afield to Africa and then tell me what happens when independence is given to those who don’t really understand how to shake free from history.
So we don’t have a right to a democratic society? We don’t have representation in parliament so UK doesnt think democracy is important high morals
Representation in Parliament was last suggested (in the UK) in 2012 and again in 2017. If the people of Cayman want it, go for it, but as it would bring a lot of other things with it (like taxation and Human Rights), I suspect that many Caymanians would not be too keen on it. The UK is all for democracy, but you have to accept that until you (and it really is up to you) decide on another constitutional arrangement, that Cayman is in the same position as a County in the UK and that Central Government has the authority to override regional and local level Government, particularly with regard to Foreign Affairs and Defence. The issue of Public Registers has a bearing on the UK’s and the BOT’s relationships with other countries and as such is (and always has been) an issue reserved to the UK Government.
The idea of colonialism in 2018 is laughable. That a powerful state could take over a small island (Treaty of Madrid – 1670) and thanks to a Papal Bull) and claim it as their own, then dictate through Order in Council what the inhabitants may or may not do, and the best part is that the citizens of the said island do not have political representation in the parliament of the colonial power. Democracy anyone? I think not. Nicholas Robson
No political representation in the UK, true. But the maxim no taxation without representation cuts both ways.
The premier is spot on with his comments. This goes far beyond the matter of the public registry. This is an egregious case of legislation without representation which has frightening repercussions going forward. Not only do we have no say in UK parliamentary matters, but the parliament is completely clueless about the will of the Caymanian people. They don’t understand our issues and they are completely out of touch with our culture and way of life. Why should they be making decisions for us when we have a democratically elected government?
Fighting the public registry will certainly be a losing battle eventually, but we should the ones deciding on when we will surrender to international pressure. The UK has so many ways in nudging us towards this initiative. It is asinine that they chose this route.
We do not need comments from the speaker. His is meant to be independent. Does he understand his new role in life. Keep him out of financial affairs of our island.
Chris Johnson you should have never ever been in cayman much less try to (with your hate) insult me.
Unfortunately for our financial services sector (and indeed if the UK carry through its amendment) for all who live snd move and have our being in these Islands) all that I have said in the past about these matters have come true.
As Speaker of the House I’m Neutral in matters to do with the Standing Orders however as an elected representative,when such a detrimental matter arises I’m duty bound to support the Premier and the cabinet to help see our people and all concerned wherever they come from, get the best deal in such matters!
So stay home in your castle Chris Johnson and try to stop your hatrage!!!
We are all duty bound to join hands in this matter!!!!
What a classic Mac response! Racially insulting, inaccurate (Johnson, whom I don’t personally care for has done a LOT for Cayman) and stretching the boundaries of the English language (I just love “hatrage”)
Don’t care what he got
I’m not now never been racist.
My opinion is mine!!
And you want to talk racist just look at the comments above. They didn’t come from McKeeva.
And whenever he makes any kind of insulting remark to me, him or anyone else, I will respond if I feel I should..
Stick to the issue
Cayman is being threatened and all he can find is to insult me.
I was told along time ago by the uk treasury and the FCO that cayman should not be on the financial services business and should stick to Tourism
Now they are carying out their mantra!!!!
How was his response “racially insulting”?
The only thing more disgusting than your false allegation is the wave of support it has received from your colleagues.
Birds of a feather they say – hopefully you and your crew will all find a strong eastward breeze in the near future.
– Who
P.S. Flick da chip off da old shoulder as you flap dem wings.
Is this the same Chris Johnson that received a pioneer award on Heroes Day, for services to sport spanning several decades.
So you have swallowed the Kool-Aid too?
Cayman Islands and its indigenous people are not CHAGOS ISLANDS. The UK used to conquer and rule but it’s fighting time here. It is no longer Veni, Vidi, Vinci, ( I came, I saw, I conquered).
What has or does the UK contribute to these islands???? It is like a waterspout.
What indigenous people?
Err, they settled, (never conquered) developed them and turned a baron rock into a thriving financial centre.
Contribution? Well how about security, defence, diplomatic services, EU/NATO and UN membership, economic guarantees and a whole room full of other benefits on the world stage that you do not nor will ever have access to.
Do have any idea at all how much this costs the British tax payer, no of course you don’t, you just take and criticise?
So you made a small financial contribution to the Falklands War. Well bully for you, what do you think would have happened if Cuba had tried the same as Argentina here on Cayman?
Our sons and daughters gave their lives and would have done, (and would still do so) the same for you if necessary, so what do you or have you ever done for us that wasn’t in your own pathetic interest.
Lol. Reading “books” huh?
“they settled” means caymanians’ ancestors are british.
Correction, they left.
Veni, Vidi, Vici was an Italian thing – you know – those Roman guys.
Actually pronounced “Weeny, weedy, weaky”
What did the Romans ever do for us?
You make a good case. My only disagreement with it is that if left solely in the hands of ( and let’s face reality here) some of our more backward xenophobic MLAs we would quickly become a pariah state ridden with drug gangs and violence on a scale not yet seen. So, do we need a voice in the UK? Yes we do. Can we go it alone? In reality, no. Sometimes there is a price to pay and I am not sure this is the one to fight over.
How exaxtly is an island nation at 50% native populace that hosts over 100 different nationalities xenophobic?
As for your last point; they say the same to UK re Brexit.
Time to put on the big-people pants.
Oh that’s interesting, 50%+ ‘native’, oh really.
So where do you include all those who have emigrated to Cayman since the 1960’s, have gained naturalisation, status etc…….
What about those immigrants who have married into Cayman families and now have given birth to Caymanian kids?
In reality the ‘native’ population, (those directly descended from historical settlement and not financial growth) still remains at a very few in number.
Almost every family has been watered down over the last 50-60 years by successive waves of immigration, so get off your high horse and talk sense.
Your society and politics are based on a xenophobic inclination, although you know damn well you can’t survive without external help. Just take a look at your MLA’s and tell me the ‘Caymanian’ drum beat of bigoted self interest isn’t alive and well.
Someone once made the comment during Mac’s disastrous run in with the UK, just one day without foreign labour attendance in all local industry and services and this place would come to an abrupt and terminal halt.
Be very careful when threatening those who keep you above water because one day those people may just not come to work and stand and watch the entire island close down around you.
Re: “Oh that’s interesting, 50%+ ‘native’, oh really.
So where do you include all those who have emigrated to Cayman since the 1960’s, have gained naturalisation, status etc…….
What about those immigrants who have married into Cayman families and now have given birth to Caymanian kids?”
You do realise you are only supporting my argument, right?
Re: “Your society and politics are based on a xenophobic inclination…”
Well, we are BRITISH after all.
Sounds very familiar.
Re: “..just one day without foreign labour attendance in all local industry and services and this place would come to an abrupt and terminal halt…”
Again, we are BRITISH after all. All sounds very familiar.
(Think “Remainer” regions.)
Totally agree with 3.41pm. AND, in the mean time, much of the dirty money of the Russian oligarchs is being laundered in London and Scottish bank accounts set up for the purpose. Absolute hypochracy. They like to bully the weak, as demonstrated by the ethnic cleansing exercise targeting the Windrush migrants who were invited to come to Britain to help in the post war rebuilding process.
We should learm much from these actions and chart our course accordingly! Britain does not mean it’s former colonial territories any good whatsoever, and any Caymanian who wants to continue clinging to the “mother country” is sadly disillusioned. Say whatever you want about our neighbours, they do write their own laws, are are pretty much immune to this bullying.
So much for leading the relief efforts on behalf of the FCO to their other BOTs that suffered tremendous devastation from hurricanes. That’s how we are rewarded compared to the CDs that got an exemption. And as a proud BOT I remembered how we raised money backed by the CIG and sent to support the Falklands war. I still hope that this can be reconciled.
It is also treachery to spend public money on an immigration report then keep it from the public
Sorry to say but a large part of the quote driftwood unquote from the financial services sector will be out of here from 2020. Look for a major drop in real estate prices and overall costs on island beginning next year.
Jobs in tourism for Caymanians are going to look better than ever.
All of this because the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers have hit home with British policy makers and decision makers. Thanks law firm in Cayman for working with nasty Russian oligarchs, Iranians and Libyans. We will now pay the price for your greed. Your so called intelligent lawyers will learn not to break international sanctions which the British Government is a party to.
Given the financial services sector provides 2/3rds of the economy its going to be a lot more than a drop in real estate prices. Major drop in the government budget as well, so you are looking at huge cuts in government employment and spending. And how are costs going to go down? Costs like electricty, water and import duty are not driven by the number of people consuming them but by the cost of import, tax and oligopoly pricing, none of which are affected by the numbers of driftwood here.
Fred, Costs will go down because with less disposable income in the marketplace merchants such as Foster’s, Kirk’s, A.L. Thompson’s will have to drop their ridiculous mark ups resulting in windfall profits. Reasonable profits will become the norm. Electricity provider CUC will be forced to take lower profits as there will be less money available for air conditioning and all those Caymanian shareholders will have to accept a 5% yearly return rather than 10% on their CUC stocks. Caymanians will find ways to cut back on their spending.
The driftwood here contribute significantly to restaurant and hotel revenues out of the main tourist season so restaurants and restaurant hotels will also have to reduce their prices if they want to remain in business. It will be just too expensive for so many people to go out regularly to restaurants when local disposable income is cut.
To make matters worse, income tax and property taxes will have to be implemented to make up for CIG revenue shortfalls.
Tough times are ahead.
Fred
Very astute comments. We should all be worried. Imagine just a 10% drop in the Financial Services revenue and it could be much more. There will be a considerable snowball affect. Caymanians and expats must be prepared for bad news.
We just don’t want you financial people here. You have done nothing for us.
I am not talking about the lasses that make coffee for the big boys. I am talking about Caymanians in general.
Releasing that report will most likely show how immigration dept are breaking their own laws and discriminating against potential legal immigrants to PR and Status.
haahha this government thinks they hold all the cards! Oops, there’s accountability and other people have more pull than you corrupt bunch.
It has been mysteriously quiet on here since this news broke. Where did all the British apologists and condemners of Cayman go?
Yep.
Can hear a church-mouse piss on cotton in here recently.
Very odd.
– Who
I must say I am jolly proud the the Mother of All Parliaments. Top show.
Erm no, Pit Bull, your admirer here. It is a tawdry piece of politics…actually politricks if I may use a meretricious modern term…from a desperately weak and unstable UK Government. The Overseas Territories are the only foes they could conquer nowadays (not even the Crown Dependencies for chrissakes) notwithstanding the stupid Trident programme, the F35 aircraft that America has flogged us and which are useless and the leaking aircraft carriers which will never be of any use except in a nonsensical Churchillian “place at the table” scenario. You know this perfectly well so your post this time is, I fear, more over the top trollish than usual and disappoints me very much….erm…bobo.
Yeah PB …what he / she said.
– Who
Packing their belongings!
Hmmm..I am shocked.
Sorry Alden; now you’ll realise the importance of students studying West Indian/Caribbean History in schools – you might have learnt something about British colonialist mentality.
CIG hire one constitutional lawyer and use the rest of the money on flags that you put on vehicles as a sign of unity. They got lots of flags in the UK we need lots of flags too!
As a story in the media recently pointed out one of the biggest problems we have to address is the fact that the only prosecutions for abuse of our banking system have been the result of US federal investigations. Despite all the huffing and puffing there’s no evidence that any of the legislation or regulation in place here is working. CIG have known this was the case for years and if it had been sorted out rather than just being ignored things might be different. It’s an image issue – if we look guilty the world assumes we are guilty.
Spot on, even the closure of HBMX for laundering drug money was the result of an investigation in the USA. The authorities here didn’t have (or didn’t want to have?) any knowledge of it.
Same could be said of the US. The HBMX suspicious activity was detected and filed in the UK not the US.
Absolutely, hit the nerve. There was and still maybe a member of CEC that was planning to refine noble metals here and now may be storing wealth of various offshore individuals at their high security facility. CIMA wanted nothing to do with regulating this entity since they claimed it was out of their jurisdiction as the law goes. And they didn’t update the law to accommodate the new Industry. Trust is due where it is demonstrated. As this ignorance continues we can only expect that the UK will be exerting more control.
What the f{>k is HBMX. Dipstick
HSBC Mexico
There is no evidence that it ain’t working either. Tried to open a bank account recently? Tried to transfer money to a new business partner? Seven roads to hell before you get that through…and don’t talk to me about regulators. Of course, there are always bad apples, but you conveniently forget the US taking down a perfectly valid and viable Cayman bank for no reason at all.
All due to US regulations.
It’s getting like that everywhere. You have to go through the same type of process now in the UK just to apply for a job, never mind open a bank account.
As for the US “taking down a perfectly valid Cayman bank” – I think you will find CIMA’s dirty fingerprints all over that. Freezing their assets, so that they couldn’t hire legal representation was a good start.
The regulation did work. Because nothing happened. Cayman talks the talk of compliance while ensuring the funds from those wanting to avoid tax or responsibility keeps flooding in.
Clearly, you do not work in the banking industry if you are ignorant of all compliance regulations.
Most banks in Cayman are, slightly belatedly, waking up to the issues and doing a lot of work to catch up. It’s the attitude, and indeed overall competence, of the Cayman authorities that is in question
You are correct 4:47. The big business story in Canada today is about a business person from China who allegedly avoided paying $3.0 million in taxes to the Canadian Government by routing the funds through Cayman.
It is things like this that continue to give Cayman a bad name. Those of you involved XXXXX, you are not doing the Cayman Islands any favours. Start thinking about what you are doing and the full implications for other countries.
And people wonder why the British are fed up with us.
CNS: Note that this case is under investigation. Quoting CBC in this report: “The filing was only made public Thursday, and it contains unproven allegations that have not been tested in court. Yang has not been charged with any offence.”
One of the real problems in places like Cayman, BVI & Bermuda is that people in position’s of power want to turn a blind eye to information revealed in the Panama Papers & Paradise Papers and then they ask, Why is London treating us this way? I would urge people to take the time to read these documents. It is very eye opening and raises all sorts of questions regarding the offshore financial sector and helps explain why London has developed the political will to take the action they have taken.
Despite generations hath passed, the John Smith’s position will always be the same.
Enter, Divide, Conquer and Rule. That’s been enshrined in their mentality for hundreds and hundreds of years. (not all… but most of them)
However, we generational Caymanians do have one strong piece of leverage at our disposal and we “will not” hesitate to use it when necessary. (Work Permit Cancellations)
Remember, there are many unemployed but qualified Caymanians who are willing, capable and able to work in the financial sector, to replace those who may fall into this category.
If we are lacking in numbers, we will fill those vacant positions with Canadians, Australians, Kiwis and others…… who are just “waiting patiently” for the opportunity to come to our shores and be part of our community.
Just remember, for every action there is an equal or stronger reaction at our disposal.
For the avoidance of doubt, we no longer fight with sticks, stones, bows and arrows anymore. Instead, we’ll fight with a pen, paper and a custom made red rubber stamp – that’s made in the beautiful Cayman Islands.
Don’t back down Hon Premier and members of the LA – “hold fast to that which is good” !!
Would you please elaborate on the use of quotation marks around the words “will not”?
Are you trying to imply that someone with the authority and power to do so has used those words in the context of removing UK citizens from Cayman Islands by revoking work permits?1
Or do you just have a poor grasp of grammar to go with anger issues and inability to join a rational debate without being able to suppress an inferiority complex?
I bet 100% you’re on a work permit (white collar worker) and is pissed scared of what you’ll be facing back home….. if the red rubber stamp falls upon your sorry ass Mr. John Smith.
Today is Friday Bo Bo – go and drink happy hour on that one.
Ha ha, Hong Kong, Singapore here I come. Enjoy your coconut water and half built pier Bo Bo
You are dreaming. If jobs are lost, Caymanians will be fired first.
You’re not a Caymanian. You’re just pretending.
Your come back is always “grammar” you bloody well understood what was written. Who the hell cares if the grammar is wrong. This is survival time by any means necessary. Of course if business is lost over this fiasco work permits will have to be cancelled. A lot of Brits will be going home, hope madam May has some openings- heck I have a British passport so perhaps I will be moving accross the pond too. I think I will find a little flat in Bristol!
If you want to play in the first division, you will need some basic skills.
This bloke is killing you because you cannot swing the axe.
The Word is powerful. Use it correctly.
1:29 You’re an idiot. Cancellation of WPs for UK citizens is a road to nowhere. All that’ll do is stir up anti-Cayman sentiments in the UK and make the situation worse. Every UK citizen here (I’m one) has access to an MP in Parliament – you kick us, they’ll kick back and HARD! Once we’re off island the confidentiality laws don’t count any more and the amount of embarrassing financial data I could download and make public back home would make your eyes water 🙂
Your obligation of confidentiality to your employer never expires. Nor that owed to your clients when information is given in confidence and remains confidential. If you don’t know that you aren’t smart enough technically even to cover your tracks as the leaker so I don’t recommend it.
Yeah right, real world calling. The documents on Wikileaks, the Paradise Papers, the Panama Papers, the leaks to tax authorities in the US, Germany and all the times a former employee has sold a memory stick of data to tax authorities for the price of a new house. Confidentiality counted for nothing every time. How did Appleby get on with that big talk lawsuit in the UK?
You naive fool, how do you think embarrassing data is constantly released without sanction? There are plenty of people out there capable of causing huge problems with data leakage, including the press who just love a tax haven scandal to get their teeth into.
5:49. Your duty of confidentiality is overridden by your duty to report criminality, or something that you “reasonably believe to be illegal activity” to the appropriate authority. No civil contract can be enforced if it requires you to break the law. In addition, most of Europe (including the UK) and the USA have “whistleblower” laws that give you explicit legal protection (and even reward you, in some cases).
2:55 You’ve got to be the biggest dunce that must have washed up on our shores in recent times. Did you not sign certain legal and binding documents here in the Cayman Islands at your work place in regards to workers confidentiality ?
Your specific workplace and the Cayman Islands Government will pursue you in any civil or criminal courts in regards to any such breach.
If you do have such plans, may I suggest something to you. Go buy the warmest winter coats and boots that you can find in London and contact Edward Snowden in Russia and ask him if you can bunk with him ?
Birds of the same feather will surely bond well together in Moscow. But then again, Putin might not give you the same rights and privileges he gave to Snowden. Afterall, the relationship between the UK and Russia are not the best these days, are they ?
If that fails, then I suppose you could always contact Julian Assange and maybe he could arrange a room of refuge for you in the Ecuadorian Embassy.
The jurisdiction of the Cayman courts ends with Cayman’s territorial waters. They will be unable to enforce their judgement in any of Europe or the USA (and probably most of the rest of the world) if it involves persecuting a whistleblower.
Cancelling work permits leverage? Hahaha. Direct rule. Your move.
1:29 That’s a bad move. The first UK citizen from any of the financial or law firms here that gets kick out under your proposal will hand over a huge smelly pile of dirt to the UK media. Once they’re off island and out of a job no laws or confidentiality agreements apply – they’ll sell whatever they’ve got to the highest bidder.
3:58pm – please refer to 11:54 and 5:49 for reference.
Belonger, you may “belong” but you understand absolutely F all about anything. This is a storm in a tea cup…nothing to see, move along. If other “belongers” (and I mean the intelligent ones, such as Jude Scott) don’t see much of an issue, you should be listening to him, (I will give you a clue, Jude is an “expert” in these matters, and brilliant with it) instead of puffing up your chest like a sex starved ching ching singing a song that you don’t know the words to.
Are you high?
Think hard about how all of society in Cayman is interwoven with every industry here and then think back on the folly of your statement.
Let us name him Dictator, so he may keep us “safe”
Hail Caesar
Diogenes
It is too early to be making such a fuss. The law now has to go to the House of Lords, who may well amend or delete that clause anyway. The C.I. London office should, perhaps already is, cultivate a few friendly peers……..!
The C.I. London office would have trouble cultivating a few potted plants!
It should have been closed down years ago. Total waste of money.
Sadly, nobody on payroll willing to do their job.
Tell that to the Crown dependencies. It was their proactive intervention that kept then out of scope. If you do not react you die.
As the proposal now has all party support, the Lords are not going to change anything.
Anyone got the number for Lord Ashcroft… CDJ?
It’s really nothing more than a last ditch effort by a handful of Tories to hang on to power. It will fail.
What a terrible tone to take on the issue. This is about damage limitation not reactions like this. Contrast Jude Scott’s response and the awful reaction from Paul Byles. You don’t win a fight with your boss guys.
The Premier can’t be the good cop. Think about it.
Good going Alden.
About bloody time he stood up for something!
2:18pm. You are right. Stop changing and making laws to elevate the Jonny come Latelies and sidelining the indigenous natives. It wasn’t the new arrivals that built these Islands financial platform, they came here and found it. Their were smart people here before the industrial flood of conquerors that Alden has been paving the silk for.
Invest in your own people, stop bending over for the grabbers, who dig tunnels for their own. I am one born before 1977.
Treasonous!!!!!
The whole thing is an orchestrated act played out in the mainstream media and designed to create outrage, trepidation and confusion in the public.
Both sides belong to the same cabal of plotters and deceivers.
Even if Cayman went independent with the same political infrastructure, it would be a disaster of Jamaican proportions where the few secret clans control the many.
If the people of this world actually woke up to the unrighteous techniques of our so-called governments, there would be a social upheaval just like in the days of Glendower, the great Welshman who marched on the criminals in London.
Little has changed. To the Freemasons of the Caribbean, slaves to the white Masons in the UK, carry on boys, we see your every move. You are not covert, only to the blind, innocent and unsuspecting, but more and more people are waking up to your shenanigans.
What an idiot. Man-up and accept your responsibility as the Premier. Did we not have MONTHS to organize a stronger counter-offensive and lobby like competent diplomats? Own your failure, assemble the war-room, and mount the offensive. There should be no free time for radio shows accept to briefly acknowledge your failure, and offer a new strategy. How do we get stuck with these inept ambassadors when so much is at stake?!? It would be funny, if it weren’t so sad.
Well whenever Alden is seen in the same sentence or image as the UK he is called a brown-noser. Do you want him paying attention to Cayman or the UK? Both? Does that mean he has our permission to have a strategy and pursue it without people thinking they have the right to change it by making enough noise? Or would that not work either? What do you people want?
Sadly, commitments from the UK Government are only worth the size of the governing party’s majority in Parliament, which is sovereign over everything. In law school they taught us that Parliament could ban smoking in Paris according to UK constitutional theory, even if no one in Paris would obey it.
This case may fail, but the issue is too big not to have the courts try it and figure out the exact workings of our relationship with the UK, which is changing (many would say had changed until this vote).
Hot air! In six months time he’ll be kissing butt and saying it’s a great idea. Anyone remember his tirade against Operation Tempura 10 years ago? After a quick reality check by the FCO that all went away and the same will happen here.
Parliament is supreme and the UK can legislate in its national interest. There. That saved a lot of time and money.
Then perhaps it should start with sorting out it own burgeoning money laundering and tax evasion role. I don’t think anyone disputes that the UK is one of the biggest culprits on both fronts. Based on the latest BBC on mafia and dirty money it seems they certainly agree.
What do you think this law is all about numbnuts?
speaking of numbnuts, do you really think that the Russian money that has poured into the booming property market in London has gone through the same vetting process as Cayman or been funneled through Cayman for that matter?! Do you really think that the tax evasion of European countries by using the UK has been done through Cayman? I can feel my nuts just fine, are you sure you haven’t lost yours?
Not the point, I am afraid. And politically tax havens do not have any leverage onshore nowadays.
Now, Cayman talking about cancelling work permits and getting rid of the Brits just like the EU did and had the Brit running scared. In the end, they had to keep all the EU immigrants.
This is what people respond to these days pure economic force.
I can assure you that Russian oligarch money has been funneled into the London property market through Cayman. Having said that, much more has gone through the BVI as is easier to avoid the British Stamp Tax through BVI by setting up a company to buy real estate in the U.K.
No – Parliament actually surrender its sovereignty by signing up to the Human Rights Act etc. It has fettered itself, and no longer has the supremacy it feels it once had.
AVD would be turning in his grave at that sort of talk. Orders-in-Council can be judicially reviewed, but Parliament can carve anything it wants out from the Human Rights Act.
Sure. But it has to first.
Please do not wade into deep waters since it is clear from your statement that you cannot swim.
These islands are not a liability to the UK. Hurricane IVAN was the best example of their interest as a mother country. We survived the 2004 hurricane without their help, and we shall survive theirs in 2018.
Well said 5:04pm. Not only did we take care of our own people and expats after Hurricane Ivan but Paloma that devastated the Brac as well. The Brac helped us after Ivan and we later helped the Brac four years later.
British Navy came ashore with their expired Tetanus shots and a couple of boxes of tarpaulin and called that help from the UK ? Their sorry asses left five days after being at Ground Zero in Grand Cayman in 2004.
Our sister territories probably have more respect for us these days than the UK. Afterall, we co-ordinated for the FCO in first responding to their urgent needs and later supplied so much for them, after being devastated by two hurricanes last year.
Parliament might be supreme but not over everything pertaining To it’s overseas territories.
Have we forgotten that we took them to the court of first instance on their determination to implement the Tax Saving Initiative in its original form – – and we won!!!
want independence eh Alden!??? more power eh….at our expense?
Foolish person you are!