Mac won’t sue Jack
(CNS): Despite impassioned pleas from the opposition benches, the government has rejected a private member’s motion to take legal action against the UK andGovernor Stuart Jack to recoup almost $7million spent on Operations Tempura and Cealt. Brought by North Side’s independent representative Ezzard Miller, the motion asked government to consider a lawsuit in the UK courts on the basis of misfeasance on the part of the governor to try and get at least some of the Cayman Tax payers’ money back.
However, even before the motion had been debated, Leader of Government Business McKeeva Bush made a statement to the House that government had taken legal advice and had concluded it would be too difficult to win in the English courts, too costly to risk and the wrong battle to fight.
However, undeterred the North Side member presented his motion, which was seconded by Anthony Eden the second elected member for Bodden Town and member of the People’s Progressive Movement opposition.
Miller told the Legislative Assembly that he believed there was enough evidence of misfeasance on the part of the governor for a court to make the decision. He explained that while he was not a great believer in conspiracy theories, when one “followed the twists and turns” of the investigations it was hard not to believe the “colonial masters are trying to shut this country down.”
Miller said that over recent years there had been a seismic shift in the roll of the governor in the Cayman Islands from one where the governor represented the interests of the Cayman people to the UK to one where the governor represented the interest of the UK in Cayman.
Passions ran high during the long debate, which saw Miller and opposition members discuss their outrage over the impact the investigations had on the country but also revealed the disdain and contempt with which the governor had held the elected officials, almost from the time he arrived on island. In an almost cathartic exercise, the opposition, which had worked with the governor for the best part of the last three years, expressed its frustrations over how the investigation was handled and the governor’s attitude toward them as elected members.
Following the government’s rejection of his motion, Miller expressed his disappointment. Hs said that it would have sent a clear message to the UK and its representative, demonstrating that the representatives of the people were prepared to stand together and no longer accept the condescending attitude of the ‘governor knows best’.
“It is not just about recovering the costs; it is about getting the story told and taking a stand,” said Miller. adding that getting the $7million back would have been nice, but the fact that the people’s representatives had taken a stand and looked for justice and asked for justice in the right place would have counted for a lot. He also said he believed the government had a very good chance of winning based on the legal advice he had sought. Miller said the court was the right place to get this clean bill of health that everyone was asking for , and it would not have been such a costly exercise as government had insisted.
With the government’s rejection of his motion, he called on the local legal fraternity to take up the cause and sue Bridger, the FCO and the governor for damage to the reputation of the jurisdiction in which they worked and made their living.
Miller also took the opportunity to point out the very pressing need for Cayman to begin the conversation about independence, as it was clear that the UK would force the issue eventually. He said it was time to “debunk the myths surrounding the independence debate".
With only Ellio Solomon and the LoGB speaking for government and rejecting the motion during the day’s intense debate, it was the opposition members and Miller who expressed the outrage felt by the entire country. An outrage over how the investigations were conducted, the costs, the damage to Cayman, as well as the individuals directly involved, the attitude of the governor and the outrage over Jack’s continued insistence that there was corruption in the jurisdiction, as well as the constant veiled threats dressed up in comparisons to the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Moses Kirkconnell, the first elected member for the Sister Islands, put the situation in stark terms when he said that Cayman could never calculate the true cost of the damage these investigations had caused to the country and its economy. “These investigations made us lose our competitive edge and I don’t know how you can ever put a value on that,” he said. Supporting Miller’s motion, Kirkconnell said he could not see any other way of clearing the country’s name but by taking it to the courts.
Having been on the receiving end of what they said was the governor’s derision and contempt as members of the last cabinet, both Arden McLean and Alden McLaughlin implored the government to support Miller’s motion and demonstrate unity among elected officials against the unilateral power of the governor and his misplaced notion that all elected officials were crooked. McLaughlin said the motion was not really about whether the lawsuit would succeed or throwing good money after bad but it presented an opportunity for elected officials to voice their concerns about the unilateral action of successive governors and the idea that the UK’ s representative was free of all human failings because he was the UK’s appointee.
“Let us not lose the opportunity to send a collective message that we are all Caymanians standing up for what is right,” McLaughlin said as he implored the government to support the motion.
McLean, unable to hide his outrage at what had happened, took the opportunity to remind everyone of how the events had unfolded and how the governor had kept the Cabinet members, elected by the people, in the dark. But above all, McLean was outraged by the governor’s constant messages regarding good governance which clearly did not apply to him, he said. “If I say I heard the phrase ‘good governance’ 9000 t,imes I would not be lying,” he said, adding that for some reason the governor decided that elected officials were the biggest bunch of thieves going and did not know what was right for their own country. Wishing the governor on his way, McLean said, “He is the worst thing that ever happened to us since Columbus landed.”
The motion was rejected by all members of government but supported by all the opposition members as well as Miller.
Category: Headline News
Mac and Jack need to go sit down!
This comment is directed to Concerned Reader.
In regards to your comments about Hurricane Ivan. Please take into consideration that the UK is not the richest of countries and it has a lot of debts itself. They gave what they could, Cayman did not suffer and it made us a stronger nation because of it. We have learnt to figure out our own issues and not wait for hand outs!
In regards to the borrowing, I’m sure the UK just wanted to ensure that we can find a better way of sustaining ourselves so we borrow less. It may have came out the wrong way but guess what the news isn’t always the best source of information!
Some people are forgetting that the UK is not begging to keep Cayman so any day Cayman wants their independence I’m sure they will give it to us.
Tha fact of the matter is that the UK gave financial aid to independent countries such as Grenada (which was also devastated by Hurricane Ivan) to which it owes no responsibility. We did suffer. The EU recognized that we suffered and finally did give us some aid.
Our concern is that the UK wants to devastate our economy and then let us go. It knows that there is still a conservative majority in these Islands who believe that not remaining a colony of the UK is unthinkable no matter what and it is this mindset that does us serious damage since the UK is fully aware of this.
Thank you for addressing the obvious "hot-air" that was directed to me before I could reply.
Some people just "can’t see the wood for the trees!"
the UK govt got into the investigative mood after the PPM got into power in 2005 on their official political platform that corruption was rampant in govt.
The UK wasn’t interested in real corruption, just in creating instability.
Obviously Operation Tempura had nothing to do with the PPM; it had to with a former UDP MLA and the current LOGB who made the reports to the Commissioner about "the bald one" leaking information. Not sure why the former was prosecuted but the latter was not investigated. I realize that we are under a dictatorship but let’s not try to revise history.
My concern here is that Ezzard has mixed in "Independence" with sueing the UK Gov. One has nothing to do with the other. Which begs the question; what is the real motivation…seems a push for Independence to me.
Another example of a/some Politicians willingness to damage the country (if need be) to further his/their own self-centered agenda.
People….think, read, travel, learn more about other islands that have taken the route of Independence. None have prospered from it…NONE! We have to learn useful ways to work with the UK…and if that includes sueing then so be it…but not Independence…that would be chopping off ones own nose to spite ones face.
Imagine some of our Political Leaders with no one at all to answer to…Cayman would sink to total corruption in no time.
No! to Independence!!
I would have to agree that being independent is a separate issue from suing the UK.
However, this kind of thinking and statements concerning independence is exactly why we are in the position we are in now, with no plan in place and at the mercy of the UK, who does’nt give us any aid (remember IVAN and how much we got ) and is refusing to allow us to borrow.
We have to stop listening to the political dinosaurs that are around who have their head buried extremely deeply in the sand, and refuse to look up even when a herd is upon them. We are surely to get trampled if we act like they do.
There are many good examples of independent island countries who "planned " their severance from Britain and have been successful e.g. Barbados, St Lucia and lets not forget Singapore was a British colony.
We need to carefully plan independence as it is now clear that Britain wants us to go our own way. Failure to plan, is planning to fail – like most journeys if you don’t know where you are going, you are likely to end up anywhere.
The Singapore model is what we should be following and planning at this time.
This needs a reality check. For 1: Send someone over here..who is about to retire? Then…pay them $27,000 per month.. with no oversight..put them up in a condo..give them a car..and meals..and first class plane tickets. Then..allow them to hire thier buddies to come on over too..for an undetermined amount of time..and sleep at their desks and go boating.
And wonder why it took them so long?
To find corruption?
Now the Governor is telling us it’s still there.
And they’re still looking.
And… he’s about to retire.
This is obviously a nice place to retire… That’s all they’ve found!!
The joke’s on us!!!!
Mac can’t sue Jack after all Jack only did as Mac asked
Has any one possibly thought that there could be something out there which might just possibly be serious. If and I say if, what happens should the Governor be correct with regard to the investigations? Whilst I agree that to date it has been a complete disaster I have an uneasy feeling that something is seriously amiss. No smoke without fire.
But of course. Statistically there is the probability of corruption in the Police Force. The only thing that I have to go on is the fact that after almost two years of investigation the worst thing they could dig up was Rudy letting off Rudi on a possible drink-driving charge from four years prior. By no means am I downplaying the seriousness of "possible" DWI, but it’s not even a situation where it was an accident and someone was injured.
Like it or not, in every jurisdiction in every country police look after their own. Bridger didn’t need to come all the way to the Cayman Islands to find a police officer releasing another policeman who "might" have been driving under the influence.
The other case was to do with someone that everyone in Cayman knows to be a compulsive liar.
If after two years of investigation those are their two best cases, then what are we likely to see from Cealt? Did some police officer not polish the buttons on his vest at the last Queen’s Birthday parade?
If the Cayman people sued every leader that has lost money on something that brought back nothing for the people you would not have many leaders left. Think about it. Land fill Matrix deal? Turtle farm? Cayman Airways? these are just a few examples. If the people were really concerned about throwing away money there would be no financial problems here.
But by all means Blame the UK Governor if it makes you feel better. All the world gets it. Caymanians can do no wrong on Cayman. Problem fixed!
What you seem to be missing is the significant damage that has been done to our international reputation as a result. The significance of wasted funds is that this was all in vain.
With regard to our elected officials you conveniently seem to forget that they have been subject to investigations and enquiries regarding alleged misfeasance – Affordable Housing Initiative, Turtle Farm, Clifford Enquiry etc. In addition we have the right to remove them by voting them out. Why is it that you suppose the Governor should not be accountable? Because he is English?
I have heard of the significant damage that has been done toour (Cayman Islands) reputation.
Exactly how does that work and to what significant damage do you refer?
The significant damage was done in the 1970s when any money from any location was welcomed into the Cayman Islands. This history created the reputation that still sticks to the country. How exactly does a failed prosecution for corruption hurt the Cayman Islands international reputation?
Perhaps I am obtuse and am missing a subtle point that only Ezzard and you know about how the world views the Cayman Islands.
Actually the real culprit was " The Firm". Maybe we should sue Sydney Pollack. Damn, he’s dead.
Can’t we sue God as he is responsible for everything?
The Swiss are doing pretty well despite the persistent image surrounding their banking policies. And let’s leave the dead to rest and go after John Grisham instead!
I think you mean only you do not know, or you are indeed being obtuse.
Not only is there a failed prosecution we continue to be held under a cloud of suspicion by our Governor’s words insisting that there is corruption in the police force even though he clearly cannot prove it.
Clearly the two legal professional associations understand the harm as they have been calling for the Governor to give reassurance that the reputation of our judiciary is intact.
Which planet are you on?
Nope. But if you hold him accountable because of significant damage to your international reputation Then you should also be holding your goverment leaders accountable for the same reason.
The point, which you insist on missing, is that the local elected officials ARE held accountable while the Governor is not. My guess is that you are a Brit and this is just your way of supporting the Governor because he is a Brit, right or wrong.
Caymanians started all these corruption allegations against each other. Think about it and where it all started.
I thought it all started when Desmond Seales (a paper Caymanian) suggested to two Net News reporters, one of whom was English and the other Caymanian, that the source of his information was Anthony Ennis (a non-Caymanian). How is it that you go this to be an exclusively Caymanian thing?
We can’t afford it, but Big Mac should ask for some sort of appology from them.
O.K. you want to sue the Governor because you don’t think you got anything for your 7 million dollars. And it certainly looks like your correct.
Will you then sue your Goverment for the Billion or so that has not been accounted for?
How about the 74 million they thought they would have but didn"t?
What have you gotten for all this money? Are you going to tell everyone that all of this was well spent? Or is it the fact that it was spent(stolen) by Caymanians that makes the difference?
A fool and his money are soon parted. Your all still fools and your money is still disappearing rapidly.
but blaming the current Governor? Just proves my point.
Ezzard won’t be happy until Cayman has its independence from the UK and he has been pushing for this since the 1990s so every opportunity for him to bash the Governor and or the UK is right up his alley.
It makes him feel good to do this when the question of what is best for Cayman is still in some doubt in most people’s minds.
I Agree with you 100% Ezzard always wanted Cayman to go independent. I did’nt forget is early years as a MLA.
Thank you!
Thank you Mac & Ellio for rejecting this Motion.
Keep up the good work!
That comment must have been posted by Jack himself. Remember Elio is his friend too…..he even took him, as a non elected person, to London for the the Constitutional Talks. Hmmm…now isn’t that strange.
Perhaps we’ll have Sir Mac & Sir Elio !!!!
Really laughable.
Did anyone hear Ellio Solomon on the radio last night? And I thought that Mckeeva Bush was the least educated & dumb person in Parliament. I may be wrong about that, after listening to Solomon last night, what a laugh I had.
Or maybe the LOGB does not want everyone reminded that it was because of a meeting that he instigated with Kernohan at the Ritz that the whole thing started!
That has been kept very quiet…If he (the LOGB) had not thought that he could create trouble by repeating unsubstantiated accusations..the whole investigation would not have taken place.
Ah how easy we forget…….Jack and Mac are good buddies…….Jack agreed to undermine Charles Clifford as revenge for him removing McKeeva in 2005 and now Bush is simply saying "Thank you" to Jack by not taking him to court !!!
Wise up Cayman……knowing McKeeva he has probably got something else out of the deal…..perhaps the UK has agreed to "Knight" him for agreeing not to sue them and expose this fiasco……."Sir McKeeva"
If this wasn’t so serious it would be laughable.
The UK would have settled this matter out of court because things would have been exposed during the hearing that would have surprised Cayman even more…..including the extent to which McKeeva was involved in starting this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What does Mac have to hide? Poster 9:24 is right, the UK would have settled this out of court, and in the process our image would have been cleared ….
I think this more than anything just solidifies what has been in the newspapers lately. Mac was instrumental in starting this whole fiasco and costing our country millions of dollars and our long standing clean reputation!
Mac is running from this as fast as he can to cover his tracks.
Exactly poster @ 9:24…..Governor Jack what happened to the Commission of Enquiry into the many allegations of corruption against McKeeva and his UDP government as set out in the many Auditor General’s reports ???
The Auditor General for the first time in this history of this country referred two of those matters, Boatswain’s Beach and the Affordable Housing Scheme, to the RCIP because he said there was evidence of criminal conduct.
You Mr. Jack continue to sit on those Auditor General’s reports and ignore them. WHY JACK WHY ??????????
Instead you order a Commission of Enquiry into Clifford’s decision to expose the corruption and you have the audacity to mention "Good governance" in every other sentence that comes out of your mouth. THAT SIR IS SHAMEFULL AND DISGRACEFUL !!!!!!!
There was never any criminal conduct by Charles Clifford, a former Police Chief Inspector and respected member of this our Caymanian community, whichis why you couldn’t do him anything other than to distract attention away from McKeeva’s conduct at Boatswain’s Beach.
Down right SHAMEFULL JACK !!!……and now McKeeva who has sued the UK before and won decides this time that he can’t do his friend JACK that.
Just know that you can fool some of the people some of the time but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time !!!!!!!!!
http://centos6-httpd22-php56-mysql55.installer.magneticone.com/o_belozerov/31115drupal622/headline-news/2009/10/10/la-erupts-over-op-tempura
"…Leader of Government Business McKeeva Bush had himself played a part in triggering the investigation when he approached the former commissioner, Stuart Kernohan, about the information he had regarding Desmond Seales and Anthony Ennis, as revealed during former UDP MLA Lyndon Martin’s trial."
Don’t forget Mac is one of the main culprits who started this madness. Think he’s gonna want more negative focus on him? Nope! Actually far as I’m concerned he getting off too damn easy for having been chief instigator!
You say "knowing McKeeva he has probably got something else out of the deal…" PROBABLY????? You ask "probably"???? Have you ever known McKeeva to do anything unless "he is getting something out of the deal"??? I never have!!! But I do understand your point, & totally agree with you.
Don’t even go there!! We cannot afford it!
using jack as a scape goat…..
$7m wnen into an investigation but that happens in every country as part of gov tribunals…etc.
the gov was $90m in the red for last year, who’s to blame for that? jack is being used as a diversion by politicians trying to cover up their own incompetence
Don’t be silly. This is a significant part of the budget deficit issue (since the governor appropriated funds to pay these costs). However, it has separate and potentially greater significance. Other countries don’t just throw away millions of dollars on useless investigations, and if it happens there is an investigation into it and heads roll. But worse is the damage it has done to our international reputation and in particular to the reputation of our judiciary and all for naught. As for Jack, he is either completely out of his depth or devious. It is not simply the politicians; practically the entire legal fraternity sees him in that light.
In reality I doubt that we would have won this case in the British or even Cayman Courts but it would have sent a message that would most likely save us a lot more in the future than we would have spent.
As an alternative – why dont all of the MLA’s agree and spearhead a Petition to the FCO and UK Govt, the European Union and the United Nations signed by the majority of Caymanians and simply requesting that the UK re-pay us the costs of the failed operations.
In terms of publicity that would get our point across to the world, and it might convince the UK to at least partially assist with the costs.
Why don’t we built a rocket and send a complaint to Alpha Centauri so the whole universe knows?
Sorry. The rocket for Alpha Centauri left last week. There won’t be another one for fifty years.
There I was thinking the Governor was a well intended but bumbling idiot and then good old Alden goes and reveals that " …for some reason the governor decided that elected officials were the biggest bunch of thieves going and did not know what was right for their own country. " Now I’m not so sure.
And you have to love this one: " He is the worst thing that ever happened to us since Columbus landed.” So the Governor is the worse thing to happen and the second worse thing is that Cayman was discovered in the first place? I do like to start the day with a laugh, thanks Alden.
O’Really pay attention!! You are quoting Arden not Alden!
Ooops! Sorry, hadn’t has my coffee when i wrote that. Still funny though, eh?
I thought the worst thing that happened since Columbus landed was STD’s.
O’Really there is another way to read that. Perhaps "since Columbus landed" was simply a picturesque way of saying "in the history of these Islands" (which began when Columbus landed).
True, but it’s nowhere near as amusing, is it!
There is no basis for litigation. Ezzard’s comments were even more inane and badly informed than his usual, which is really saying something. Don’t waste any more money. The scariest thing about this lawsuit issue was a post a few weeks ago from Teresa "I am now a criminal defence lawyer" Pitcairn who supported the move. I hope other Caymanian attorneys set the record straight with more sober and balanced opinions.
Cayman doesn’t have taxpayers so why say that in your report.
It does have ‘indirect’ taxpayers
What do you mean Cayman do not have tax payers? what do you call the stamp duty on property and the duty charged on all imported items. Get your head out of the sand, you sound just like the governor.
Then you need to be arrested for non payment of duty, and avoidance of other government fees.
Almost everything that comes into the island has a tax levied against it in the form of import duties!!!
It certainly does, and most of them have no representation other than the Governor.
send a collective message that we are all Caymanians standing up for what is right – DO IT.
"He is the worst thing that ever happened to us sinceColumbus Columbus
There were no true Caymanians…other than the turtles, alligators, parrots and such…
Really? How would that make ‘native’ Caymanians feel to learn that the true Caymanians are no other then turtles, alligators, parrots, and such….?
You mean Darwin’s theory was way off mark and it was not a chimpanzee after all? Smile, folks, smile! Click!
I have written on this before. Although there are no indigenous Caymanians, there are native Caymanians, i.e. Caymanians by birth. No need for the inverted commas.
every single one of us pays taxes indirectly whenever we buy food, gasoline, alcohol, cigarettes, household items, building supplies – and the list goes on.
We pay taxes when we directly import items, and also when we pay for government services – such as vehicle licensing, garbage collection fees, stamp duty —-and the list goes on.
Just because it is not called income tax or property tax and does not come directly out of our pay cheques does not mean we do not pay it.
It is our money that the UK representatives have wasted.
Thank God the LoGB proved to be a bit more educated then the three side winders that think it would get anywhere!
There is corruption in the RCIPS and it’s unfortunate that it cost as much as it did but any fool in the Cayman Islands knows this, even the three bright sparks that thinks proof needs to be shown of the curroption.
For Arden McLean maybe you need a little check on your history because I do not recall Christopher Colombus being the worst thing that ever happened to the Cayman Islands. The islands may have been claimed in the name of the UK, but please do not be daft into thinking that by the UK ruling the Cayman Islands has nothing to do with the islands success to date.
At the end of the day Caymanians have to accept that we are ruled by the British Crown and if anyone has an issue with this then maybe the islands should go independent, we see what a great job it did for Jamaica and Barbados.
Great job Mr. Bush! Keep the peace and not cause bigger issues for the islands!
MLA member and Opposition, I expected better from you. Please think before you act. Mr. Stuart Jack was the first Governor to expose the RCIPS for what they really are. Accept it or not!
Finished sucking up, yet? You are a part of the problem why we are in this position today. The UK and the Governor can do no wrong. The Governor has only made allegations about RCIP. The whole point about the complaints of the MLAs is that his investigation team has not substantiated these allegations by bringing any successful prosecutions.Where are the prosecutions for those police involved in murder and the drug tade as was alleged?
Last time I checked Barbados was doing quite well actually. It may well be a model for us.
Barbados is doing quite well because we take care of their unemployment.
Boy I love Nelson Street.
No one said there wasn’t corruption in the police force but Operation Tempura was not the way to go about finding that out. That’s like saying someone hid a pot of gold somewhere on the island then paying a bunch of idiots who know nothing about it, then having them report: "well we did seem to find evidence that there is a pot of gold somewhere, and threre’s a lot more you don’t know about, just start digging" Is that money well spent? If the intention was to spend a lot of money to figure this out, pay off informants on island – this is just as corruptive and we’d get an answer.
And I think what Arden was trying to say was the governor was the worst thing to happen in the history of Cayman, our discovery being day one, smartypants.
FYI the governor didn’t expose anything. Everyone knows corruption exists and you’d think after all that money spent, we’d find out exactly what was going on but now all they got for us is, "guess what, corruption exists…" Now that’s progress, my friend.
I assume your one Macsmany of the status recipients? A (proud) Caymanian would hardly use the word "daft" unless he’s familiar with accepting this title or is used to…sucking up to the UK. I get it, we "belong" to them but our relationship (until this weak loan was approved) has been far from that of a "don’t bite the hand that feeds you" kind of deal.
Let’s face it, governors sent here have never had to do much because before this global economic crisis our economic model just worked and crime was pretty much nonexistant. Ivan hit and we heard a heartfelt message from the governor and saw some serious ships a few miles off shore; aww, they’re so kind. Now that one has been asked to do something with his power, it’s like a kid being handed a real life light saber, and everyone’s eyebrows are getting singed. We are surrounded by incompetence – our governor and in our elected government.
Young KY Female…. I have read many of your previous posts and I have to say,I have not always agreed with what you have had to say, but you really hit the nail on the head here…There is and always will be "corruption" not only in the RCIPS but in EVERY Police Service Around the world…however, I think what needs to be looked at here is what would differentiate "Corruption" from "Misconduct"…I am sure that there those who would aruge that I am splitting hairs in making a difference, but as you may see, there is a difference. If there was evidence of true Corruption, then the actions of bringing in an outside investigative team which would be free from the bias of knowledge seems like a good idea. However, if, and it would seem as this was the case given what we now know, there was not really widespread corruption as firstly reported, but what now falls under the category of Misconduct in public office. This would NOT have necessetated the need to bring in anyone from the outside and could have been handled by an inside department from the RCIPS. I believe they now have what is called the Professional Standards Unit. Most of what you hear people go on about as corruption really falls under the heading of Official Misconduct and should be dealt with quickly and sternly by the Commissioner of Police after it has been investigated and can be proven by the PSU. If this task needs to be deligated to someone outside of the RCIPS, like the complaints commisioner or similar body, thenso be it, but CIG did not need to spend $15 Million to find out that officers are guilty of Misconduct, they just needed to speak to local people and really investigate some of their claims…
Shame on Mac & jack. Never thourght of Mac as a coward. Could it he remembers that he started it all? He knows that if it went to court his involvement would become even more exposed.
There never was any claim. It would have been a huge waste of money. Anyone with a legal qualification who encouraged a claim should be embarrassed.
It might get posted. Surprisingly, mine was eventually posted. They are just not as quick to respond as CNS. Here’s mine:
http://blogs.fco.gov.uk/roller/jack/entry/more_on_the_theme_of#comment-1256215789975
Perhaps I have missed it, but how could a Governor fail to comment on a $150 million contract being awarded based on an "expression of interest" letter sent to a political appointee? How much will we be taxed to pay for this if the Central Tenders Committee is bypassed in a project of this magnitude? I suppose in a democracy we deserve the government that we get, but as one final act the least I would expect of a Governor is to say this is not right!
Definitely the wrong move…
Based on the feelings over here it is almost certain that the Met and the FCO would have settled a claim like this out of court simply to keep the embarrassing details out of the press.
It is true that the CI would have had to put quite a lot of money up front to get the ball rolling but the returns, and the message the move would send to the UK government, would have justified the outlay.
The details are already in the press.
Only a very small amount of info has made it into very select section of the media.
A court case would generate across the board coverage and the orders for discovery that precede a full hearing would force substantial amounts of additional material into the public domain.
Faced with that the FCO/Met never allow it to get before a judge.
Can we have one week of prayer for the people in the cayman islands.
politics, the radio talks , the internet has caused such a division in not
only our familys but within the entire population.These ISLANDS are very small and until recently was about the only paradise on earth but through generosity , hospitality and stupidity we our own Caymanians has ruined a good thing.I AM ALSO A VICTIM OF BEING BULLIED ON MY JOB BY THE EXPAT BOSSES BUT YOU KNOW WHAT THEY ARE NOT GOING TO PUSH ME OUT BECAUSE I SHOW THEM THAT I CAN WORK AS GOOD AS THEY CAN.
WHEN WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT WE DID NOT. INSTEAD THOSE IN AUTHORITY SAT DOWN TALKED ON TELEPHONES, HAD COMPANY LUNCHES OUT FOR HOURS JUST TALKING , TAKING TRIPS,ETC ETC . NOW OUR NEWLY INHERITED CAYMANIANS WAS GLAD FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONTROL
AND UNFORTUNATELY NOW WE HAVE THIS SITUATION. Whilst I do
not like to hear the bashing from either side enough is enough.GOVERNOR IS A VERY NICE MAN, when he first arrived everyone was singing praises for him . I know that what he did was with the best interest of these islands.However it just went sour. No man is an Island.We made mistakes too that is now costing us our BELOVED I slands. Mr Jack we know that you are a good man and we wish for you and your wife a long and happy life.Please dont leave with a taste in your mouths that all of us are the same.