FCO backs investigations
(CNS): Following the unprecedented debate in the Legislative Assembly Thursday on Ezzard Miller’s motion proposing that government sue the UK and the governor, the FCO issued a statement on its website hours after it was rejected. Overseas Territories Minister Chris Bryant said he believed it was the right outcome. He said the governor had acted in the best interests of the Cayman people and the investigations should be seen through to the end.
Bryant, who was cited in the Daily Telegraph as one of the MPs who made questionable expense claims, said the investigations were important and should be paid for by Cayman.
“In order to address the allegations of corruption, it was right to undertake these investigations and it is important that they are seen through to a conclusion. I also reject the suggestion that the UK Government should meet the costs of these investigations, which are entirely a matter for the Cayman Islands Government,” he said.
Bryant did not, however, explain how they were “entirely a matter for the Cayman Islands” when the Cayman Islands elected officials had begun calling for them to stop over one year ago and those calls were ignored by the governor.
The minister, who has yet to visit the islands, indicated that the government’s rejection of Ezzard Miller’s motion was the right outcome for all concerned. “It is in no-one’s interests to pursue such a case,” he added. “I absolutely reject any suggestion that the Governor has acted in any way other than in the best interests of the government and people of the Cayman Islands. I am satisfied that he has at all times acted in accordance with the Constitution.”
During the debate in the House on Thursday, Ezzard Miller, Anthony Eden, Arden McLean, Alden McLaughlin and Moses Krikconnell joined the community at large in the growing support for taking some form of action against the UK. Despite the position of the FCO, a significant number of people in the Cayman Islands, as evidence by comments, blogs and calls to the radio talk-shows, do not believe these investigations were in their best interests.
Even the leader of government business and his party members, while rejecting the motion, have nevertheless expressed their outrage over the costs of Operation Tempura and Cealt and the disruption they have caused without producing any results. Moreover, when the government benches registered there vote of ‘no’ to the motion on Thursday evening, they did so with little enthusiasm.
Bush said the debate in the LA was an important one and it gave members the opportunity to have their say. Explaining why the government had chosen to reject Miller’s motion, Bush indicated that he had taken advice from Jeffery Jowell, the legal expert that worked with the previous government during the constitutional negotiations, and he had said it would be hard to win.
“I have already made a statement of disgust in regard to the expenditure,” he said. “But we don’t believe we can win this one.” Bush said. While the LoGB felt the member for North Side had made his case, it would not get the people of Cayman anywhere and he did not believe we would get the money back. “I know how the member feels as we all feel that way,” said Bush. “I don’t believe that it is time for that kindof fight.”
Speaking about the future, the LoGB made it clear that he expected there to be far more fights to come with the UK and said that he had never been afraid to stand up to the FCO in the past and would not be afraid in the future. Bush said he would not allow the governor to push the new government around but he warned that the UK still has the upper hand even in the new Constitution.
Meanwhile, on Friday Miller put out a statement clarifying an error in the print media that had misquoted him regarding the basis on which he brought the motion. “In my efforts to bring the Private Members Motion on this matter to the Legislative Assembly, I was at pains to point out to all the media that I was bringing the motion on the basis of ‘misfeasance’ on the part of the Governor. I was equally at pains to point out the definition of ‘misfeasance’ – as the ‘wrongful exercise of a lawful authority’ – and that while I believed the Governor may have acted according to law, that he had wrongfully done so,” Miller said, adding that a print article had said he defined misfeasance as ‘the doing of an unlawful act in a wrongful manner’.
“I said no such thing – neither to their reporter, nor in any of my other public pronouncements on the matter,” he said. “I was not suggesting that we take the FCO or Governor to court for doing anything unlawful. I wish to make it abundantly clear, once again, that my motion was brought on the basis of citing the Governor and the FCO for ‘misfeasance’ – that even though they may have acted legally, their actions could be seen as the wrong application of their authority.”
Miller said that, regardless ofthe outcome of the debate, he still maintained that the outcome of the several investigations and the reputation and financial damage to the Cayman Islands bear this out.
Category: Headline News
The FCO need to go sit down!
What Chris Bryant really means is "“I absolutely reject any suggestion that the Governor has acted in any way other than in the best interests of the government….." The rest is just "spin". This is the "New Labour" pseudonym for "lies".
The FCO politician is a notorious leftie who aside from his Captain Underpants adventures is an ex clergyman (so called) and whose "expenses" have cost the UK taxpayer around 92,000 pounds over the last five years (as reported in the Daily Telegraph). No wonder he is such an advocate for direct taxation eh? He recently made the lunatic claim that the Red Cross should change its internationally recognized symbol of a red cross on a white background as it could be offensive to muslims! He somehow came to this conclusion on the basis that it could be seen as a link to the crusades, completely failing to understand that it is simply a reversl of the Swiss national flag, the country in which the organization began and was intended to indicate neutrality.
This is not a man who makes one proud to be British and is frankly an embarassment as far as I am concerned.
Now, I ask you, do you really need to wonder why Mr Bush says this is not a battle he feels he can win? Youwill never win against one of the most corrupt governments in the world – the dictators have spoken and that is an end to the matter. There is no consideration of right or wrong, it does not matter to the UK, as a previous commenter said, they hold the biggest stick and will beat anyone with it whenever they so choose.
One of Gordon Brown’s top "green" advisors, Jonathon Porritt, recently stated, on record, that the UK population needs to be reduced by 30 million in order to sustain their society! I just mention that to illustrate further the kind of lunatics who are running the asylum. Think about that for one second – a top government advisor sees nothing wrong in claiming that depopulation to the tune of 30 million human beings is a valid solution to improving the world. To some commentators it amounts to an endorsement of genocide.
Now ask yourself, do a few thousand of us on this small island really matter to people like that at all?
Talk of independence for Cayman upsets many, ignites others, but the truth is, the islands are left between a rock and a hard place. That is the reality however you dress it up. All I am suggesting to the people of thse islands, natives and expats, is to at least have your eyes wide open regarding the relationship between the UK and its OT’s rather than holding on to the idealistic, naive and imaginary benevolent protector scenario.
The UK and Brown’s government are backing the climate change hysteria and fuelling it every day – it is prominently featured on the FCO Cayman website. If you don’t understand the aims behind the scientific fraud that is global warming please, please, go and learn more and inform yourself before accepting the media and politician’s lies.
The bigger picture in today’s world is far more sinister and I encourage readers to investigate things like the New World Order, the climate change scam etc. because trust me when I say that the changes going on in the US, UK and Europe make these things, shameful as they may be, pale into insignificance and will have devastating effects on all humankind. Watch the two hour documentary on YouTube titled "Fall Of The Republic" and you will understand why I urge you to start thinking about how all this is going to impact the standard of living for millions upon millions of people. Do not think it will not affect Cayman, and do not expect the so called Mother Country to care one way or another what happens to the people, either here or in the UK.
I believe we should get back our money if not from the UK then from the superiors who sent them . Can you imagine there are not being fired .If that was Ruddy or Burmon who had done that investigation they would be in jail. Look at what we put these men through, while these men from scotland yard were having a party. Let me tell you all, they would be sued . I want my money back. I am tired of losing our money we need it just as bad as the UK. So someone start writing a check . When you come to visit make sure you bring your own money for your own parties and boat. By the way thats our boat. That needs to be seized. Come on Bryant do your job!
"bite the hand that feeds you.” What a joke when was the last time we depended on the UK for anything. No good mother treats her children like this.
Come down off your "UK" high horse and get a grip. We are getting screwed like it or not!
So…
This only serves to prove that you are sadly deluded.
You talk of the UK and its goverment in language and phraseology that is , and I’m sorry to say this, completely nonsensical.
In your second paragraph you claim for governments and sovereign states the rights surely reserved only for tyrannical dictatorships. Madam, governments in free societies are supposedly elected by the people to serve the people and they should be reminded of this constantly and without mercy. (I use the word supposedly because I am not naive enough to believe that it is the normal outcome). You strip away, without a thought, even the limited say that the people have in a so called democracy with your attitudes. I’m sorry but this places you firmly in the category of a sheep, exactly the kind of dangerous thinking that has allowed so many of history’s vilest criminals to rise to power.
Now, you may well wish to set aside your right to protest or speak out against governmental injustice or to give up entirely your hard won civil and human rights but please do not be so arrogant as to force your blinkered choice onto the rest of us. Sitting back and claiming "it’s a waste of time" is a cop out, nothing more, nothing less, yet the irony is that people who adopt this philosophy fail to see how they exclude themselves from all and any debate in one stroke!
Your third paragraph – did you think at all before writing that one? Your assertions are quite astounding. The UK had no problem with any of its OT’s operating as offshore financial centers which is why there are so many of them. The sudden desire to "lay down the law" is for no other reason than to appease the latest puppet in the Whitehouse who works for Wall Street interests and who decided to single out offshore financial centers as the cause of the woes of the big western economies, particularly that of the US. It’s nothing but diversionary lies to pull the wool further over the eyes of the American people but the UK has it’s hand so far up the US skirts and is so fearful of falling out of favour with them that they will basically do as they are told. Do you honestly believe that your "masters", as you seem to view them, have no masters of their own. (if you do not have any knowledge of US politics, foreign policy, economics and monetary systems etc. you might like to take some time to learn about them and understand how andwhy "boom and bust" cycles occur and are sometimes engineered by very powerful people for their own agendas).
Moving along, the "realtionships are built on trust" line all sounds very poetic and flowery, and in a Utopian society would, I agree, be a fine standard to aim for. The reality is that when human beings are involved and you mix in the politics of power, money, personal avarice and a whole host of other ingredients, most relationships are based on things like lies, fear, control and what each party feels they can get out of it.
Please don’t get me wrong, I concur with you that seeking independence at this juncture in Cayman’s history would not perhaps be the most prudent move but my agreement with your views ends there.
Feel free to live your life with a blinkered and idealistic view of the "motherland"; "she" who nurtures and protects you, but don’t expect others to sit there and accept such dogmatic platititudes from someone who plainly knows little about the cynical ways in which global politics is shaping their lives and those of their children and grandchildren.
The UK is well along the path to selling out its people, their sovereignty and democratic rights, and their whole way of life, so your view of those who control you can soon be shifted to unelected "officials" in a federal Europe. (go and look up the Lisbon Treaty for a start) I honestly believe you should go and research how the UK government "governs" its own people and perhaps talk to some of those people themselves before making such hollow claims about the altruistic people pulling the strings in the revered motherland.
If you think this all sounds a little "off the wall", I am simply trying to point out that this kind of narrowmindedness is exactly why it is so easy for people to be manipulated, propagandized, and deceived into "going along". It is a dangerous and ignorant world view, albeit one held by many. Focussing on the politics and the squabbles over race, creed, religion, left and right etc. is exactly how you become completely detached from that which has the largest impact on your lives and those of millions of others and how you are thus rendered unaware, harmless, unwilling and powerless, or both, to do anything about them.
Candy
It is one thing to not swing on the side of Independence, but it is another extreme to swing on the side of dependence and tolerate the abuse from our mother country.
Are we muted? I think, respectfully and humbly, we should speak out against such abuse of power. Maurice frightens me, because he sounds like he is all about war between us and them. He sounds like someone who would be disrespectful to UK officials and threaten these Islands more. And Candy, you frighten me, because you sound like someone who will sit down and just allow a bully to do whatever it wants with us.
I say if we have a voice, let us be respectful and humbled, and speak out against the wrong. Speak the truth and let the world know, especially, those in the UK who can help us
Luke
Luke, your comments are reasoned and I agree pretty much with what you say.
As for fearing people like me, believe me when I say I am not some radical anarchist who believes in destruction and revolution at every turn, very far from it in fact.
Having said that, all the points I have made and the suggestion that people inform themselves of the realities of world affairs are something I will always advocate. What goes on outside our small nation is just as important, if not more so, than what goes on within it. Taking an insular view and never looking beyond our own back yard is one of the reasons that people remain vulnerable to suggestion and control through apathy towards what goes on in the world around us. If we remain ignorant and allow our opinions to be downloaded to us rather than undertaking our own investigations and from those investigations, drawing our own conclusions, we have no basis for our own arguments.
As far as respect for the current UK government, no, I have very little, if any, at all. Yes I am a British citizen, English by birth and I did not vote for them and never have because I strongly disagree with what they stand for. Their actions have proved my misgivings time and time again and they have steadily and insidiously done untold damage to my country, its society and its reputation. I strongly campaigned against Blair and "Nu Labour" back in the day and time has again and again proved that my concerns were well founded. The current PM was not even elected by the people and if you care to look at polls and public opinion you will see how little respect most citizens of the UK have for him and his brand of government.
Nor am I under any illusions about the record of my country in the history books and whilst I certainly do not hold what I consider traitorous views, neither am I blind to some of the appalling things that can be laid at her door in her long history.
Holding stubbornly to views of the Motherland based on nothing but historical relationships is misguided, and suggests the belief that nothing ever changes if you simply wish it were so. That is not really rational, nor the mentality of a thinking person. Ultimately we can and are hurt by the "outside world" and are at the mercy of levels of corruption and greed that would make most people angry if they only took the time to understand them. If you think the threats to UK sovereignty and the rights of its people are not real, if you think that the aims of powerful and shady corporate interests are only something for the US to worry about, think again, because these people consider "countries" an outmoded world view and would rather see us all taxed, controlled and literally enslaved by a "world government". As a small and defenceless nation the effect on us would be just as pronounced as anywhere else and as the UK premier blatantly advocates such a vision, I hardly think any protection or exemption would be forthcoming from them with regard to Cayman or any other OT.
I for one do not want their world view to become reality, not for myself, my children or my fellow man. We can only hope the UK will remove them at the next election and that the country will see some major policy changes, foreign and domestic.
No to Independence!
I’ll say it again; Stand up to the UK if/when we need to, and do so with grace and self respect. But do not let some Politicians lead Cayman to Independence to serve their own selfish agendas. A few Politicians may get rich from such a move…but the people and Cayman as a whole will suffer greatly. Read, research, learn that no small islands have benefitted by Independence. NONE!
Do not allow a few selfish people to cut off your nose to spite your face.
The debate was very good, but I was to remind the people that the Government of the day did not put this through.
The Government of the day, including Mark and John John who agree that the UK/Governor can come here and put us futher in the hole without saying anything.
Mark and John John you both let Mr. Solomon talk for you.
Cayman wake up
Thats because they can’t talk for themselves dear……they are puppets remember !!!!!
Do not forget, that the FCO, ‘Capt. Underpants’ and our current ‘Inept’ Governor, are ALL part and parcel of the Gordon Brown led UK Govt., and the WHOLE WORLD knows that G.B. has an agenda against the Cayman Islands, and the Off-shore Financial Industry.
How in the name of reason, are we to expect Justice from that lot?
Justice is not about right & wrong, it is about WHO has the Deepest Pocket, or as in our case, the Bigger Stick.
This motion being defeated is a terrible mistake. As an expat, I am sure there is corruption in the police force, but I do not have knowledge of how rampat it might be.
That being said, the government should sue for something (maybe for just reimbursement of the exposed cops salary and accomodations). If you read the article in the Daily Mail today, you would be shocked. It would appear this met officer (more than Joey even) partied on your money. It is quite shocking and moreoever the guy wasn’t even fired, just transferred!!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1222593/Sunshine-squad-The-married-detective-blonde-lover-Caribbean-fiasco-Yard.html
For the record Chris Bryant is reported to have claimed over £92,000 in expenses over the five years leading up to the 2009 scandal over MP’s expenses. During that time he flipped his second-home expenses twice, claimed mortgage interest expenses that started at £7,800 per year before rising (after flipping) to £12,000 per year. He also claimed £6,400 in stamp duty and other fees on his most recent purchase, and £6,000 per year in service charges. A claim that he made for £58,493.26, almost three times the annual maximum, in 2004, was disallowed.
MAYBE THE INQUIRY produced the results the UK was after. Maybe the UK was not looking at Police Corruption after all. Maybe TEMPURA was actually a significant success but we do not know it yet. Maybe Police corruption was just a cover to the real investigation.
I find it hard to believe that after all this money, after all the tempura photos, after all the lack of credible arrests, after the lack of convictions, that after all the negative publicity that we find the UK and Governor is still supporting this operation with stubborn conviction….it clearly is about something else!!! WAKE UP..this is the British that we are dealing with!
I wonder whenever UDP is in power there is some form of hatred for the Mother Country ( UK ) from us the people of Cayman, is it because of the UDP Goverment or this is something that happens every other 4yrs? Because during the PPM Reign there was not all of this go Independent attitude which we see here from our Caymanians today and personally I feel we are not ready to go down such a road that we would all regret because we are disobedient to our Mother Country. Do we Caymanians know what would happen to a child if they don’t obey their parents, take a look around do see what is happening, parents not putting enough time in with their children so children do as they please well UK does not want that to happen with Cayman to go ahead and do as we please. we would not be as prosperous and to have such strong currency dollar, if we let go Uk what our currency be? Nothing, we Caymanians have a lot to give God thanks for. If mother country wants to continue with the investigations so let it be in the end we will all be surprise in what they find and we then turn around say wow what if we did’nt let them continue? Then we do as always, regret… So sit back and be patient we all should know that big investigations like this does’nt bring quick results, yes it may be expensive but what is in that box of cookies we would never know until it’s open.
Children also move away from their parents all the time.
ITS PAYBACK TIME….McDinejad is paying Gov. JackA** back for the Clifford Enquiry and for ignoring Dan Duguay’s report on the $1.6M that was paid in financing fees on the Boatswain’s Beach project to two of McDinejad’s business associates !!!
We need to have good memories Cayman !!!!!
Its in the Auditor General’s report…..I assure you its worth the read.
We need the Chuckster back to deal with Mac like no one else can 🙂
Yea, we really do need Chuckie back.
Ezzard! You be careful and dont cross paths with Captain Underpants.
You could end up on youtube in your Jockey shorts.
Motion was defeated because of the party politics. Both parties should have been united here for the sake of the country. Anyone with a little bit of brain can see that the people of the country did not get the value for money. This is why the party politics is very bad for this country. Those who voted "NO" should have been at least abstained from voting.
Is the FCO’s position a surprise to anyone?
Could Mr. Bryant please enlighten the people of the Cayman Islands why the investigations were important,when to date there has been no convictions. Why should the Cayman Island people pay for what they did order!!!
Hang in there. He’ll be gone after the next parlimentary election.
And lets pray that the same will be the case for McKeeva !
who is this bryant guy?? type type
ohhhh i see
he’s an mp for some place in wales who used public funds to profit on real estate deals?? is that the same bryant?
is it the same chris bryant who posed in his underwear??
it appears he is one of upstanding fiscal responsibility and morale authority. so we should really pay attention when he says the uk gov’t. shouldn’t pay for our bogus investigations.
thank you for that spin Mr. Bryant.
I say it’s time we start looking at independence. I’t can’t be any worse than having to live with these SOB’s doing whatever they want to us!
I am sure under oath and duress from Captain Underpants, Mckeeva was most likely ordered not to pursue this matter becasue they knew if this got out it would make the world see them for what they really are.
Caymanians, just like McKeeva has said, expect more to come from the UK and if you think we are screwed now, wait for the next round!
Yup! You’re doing just what Ezzard wants. Getting out the independence document. Fair enough. Just make sure you know what you wish for because Britain will very very gladly give it to us in a nanosecond ..for all sorts of reasons not suitable for us but just to boot us up our offshore a–, get the UK out of that stupid UN decolonialisation committee which has harassedthem since Adam walked on earth, and of course close down our financial industry so the City of London can prosper again.
But we’ll be OK. Ezzard will be our Premier.