UK holds out for budget cuts
(CNS): The premier's efforts to deliver the 2012/13 budget were thwarted once again on Friday afternoon because there is still no approval from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Sources in London told CNS that the minister would not be approving the budget until further cuts were made in the Cayman government's spending plans. McKeeva Bush had stated earlier this week that no further cuts could be made and that he would be delivering his budget statement on 17 August. However, officials at the Legislative Assembly confirmed around 1pm Friday that the meeting was canceled and the budget session had been rescheduled for Monday afternoon.
Despite the protestations of the premier, the UK's economic adviser who is assisting with the budget process is continuing to apply pressure on the Cayman government to make further cuts before he can recommend that the minister give his approval. The latest indication is that the FCO official still wants to see a reduction in operating expenses of some $20 million.
Following the last minute cancellation of the LA meeting, the two independent members of the country's parliament warned that the continued brinkmanship being displayed by the premier with the UK was not helping anyone.
“I am extremely concerned over the continued confrontation that the premier is getting into with the FCO,” said Arden McLean, the now independent member for East End. “I believe everyone in this country should be concerned as well as he is destroying our relationship with the UK.”
Ezzard Miller pointed out that the constant announcements about delivering the budget followed by announcements to cancel it did little to help investor confidence in the local economy.
“The premier needs to get down to making the cuts necessary to gain approval from the UK before he makes any further announcements about delivering a budget,” Miller added, stating that there was nothing unreasonable about the UK's request for the Cayman government to deliver a sustainable andcredible budget.
Category: Politics
MacKeeva you should had gotten $50million more from Mr. Dart for the sale of our road. Go back to him now and get it!
The only way to escape the cost of living coming upon us like a tsunami, is to live simple, start your own grounds, plant your own crops, and be as moneyless as possible. For the love of money is the root of all evil. Other than that, if you want a pretty gal, nice house, good A/C unit, et cetera… you better be prepared to work like a dog. The more desire you have for things, is the more stressed out you will become and do whatever you can to trample on other people to get there. I rather die first than behave in such a selfish manner against my own kind. Isolate me on an island, I will live off fish and coconuts for life than to live in Manhattan on the backs of people trying to reach the pinnacle where I am.
Soon come.
But where will these cuts come from!?
Mac said there was no more room for cuts!
Ahhhhhhhhhhh!
…Oh yeah maybe it can come from all that government wasteage!!!
you sir are a genius!
honourable premier and all policitians (no capitals until you earn them)
You and other policiticans have caused this problem for your own people and residents and tourists alike, who all pay into these Islands just by living here or visiting here.
As such, $20 million is not alot for you politicans to pay back into 'your' society thatyou have all abused for years.
Now you are being held accountable and it is about time. The spending has to stop. If you loved your Islands, each politican would contribute to pay to make the $20M.
It is up to each one of you now. The decision you politicians, elected or not, owe these Islands and your decision now, make it the right one and not for praise and self gratification. It is because you owe these Islands and all the people some respect.
These are very dangerous times, folks.
Considering the way William Hague, the UK Foreign Office and the rest of the British Government have blundered themselves into the laughing stock of the world regarding the Ecuador / Julian Assange debacle – they may be out for blood at the moment!
Honestly, it is like watching a tragic comedy show whenever the British government steps into the international arena in these modern times. They are so ridiculously stuck in the past it is beyond embarrassing.
Anyway, it is gearing up to be an interesting week. Let us see what transpires. I only hope no one over there confuses the turtle on our beloved coat of arms for a condor! 🙂
*Btw, has anyone figured out what is the going rate of our national democracy? The last time I checked it was hovering somewhere around $6 million – think I ought to shoot off an email to ol' Haguey and Bell-Bell and enquire within.
(Popcorn in hand …)
Thanks Whodatis. You better be careful and continue hiding your true identity. You have some here that are not too happy with your comments. You could be the next one on the witchhunt list – not by government, but by your own peers.
You are so dramatic. Only danger right now for these three little Islands is one 'man' that has and continues to make these Islands a laughing stock. It is not the British Government that is as you say 'out for blood'. Appears your own has sold you out.
While Cayman burns, Whidatis points across an ocean and says " but look at the smoke over there"
it's typical diversionary tactics and never tries to deal with the problem at home.
I do so pity it
08:42
Across the ocean is Cayman's problem.
Best way to cure Cayman is if the UK would just step aside and say go ahead and do it your way. I would give it 6 months to spend everything they can get their hands on plus everything they could borrow and still get nothing done and nothing to show for it. The Caymanian run Cayman would eat itself to death. If not for the never ending debt cost to anyone who stays on I would say go for it. But datisjustme.
Sounds like you are saying Cayman would simply turn into another UK.
No?
Typical flaming.
Were they working hard on budget at Karoo on Friday night….over some applies and wine?
They pay for your food n wine or you paid for theirs?
While the rest of us drink milk and nibble on carrots.
These are some dark days for the Cayman Islands…….whos to blame ??
We are…for letting it get this out of control…WAKE UP Cayman! Take your Country back!!!
That one's easy – the PPM's uncontrolled spending is what put us here. Any wastage by the UDP pales in comparison to what the PPM did to us.
Funny how if you look at the facts, and the documentation, and the accounts, and everything with a reasoned objective, you will find that your words are pure and utter bullshit. The wastage has been far worse with the UDP this time around than any previous government. You must have missed this article on CNS: http://centos6-httpd22-php56-mysql55.installer.magneticone.com/o_belozerov/31115drupal622/politics/2012/08/13/udp-collected-most-fees
They might have made more money, but they enjoyed spending it all, not paying their liabilities or bills, and have simply put been the worst administration on record in the Cayman Islands.
What put us here is greed, the longing and thirst for wanting more and setting prices and cost to achieve this. And these things are not just coming from the government or previous governments. Everybody likes to point the finger at one entity. Greed and corruption knows no boundaries.
caymanians.
I'm surprised that Mac hasn't assembled all of the church leaders on the steps of the LA to pray for the budget. After all, there's money in it for them, and it worked really well for crime.
Sometimes I wonder if some of the bloggers on here know where their family is. Do you really spend time with your spouse, and do you know what your children are doing.?
You could never be, because you go to sleep and wake up with McKeeva on your minds every day. Gosh, people are tired of hearing you all talking absolute foolishness. Spend some quality time with your family and let the Premier do his job.
Actually there is less crime and increased detection of crime. Thanks for pointing that out.
Time for a reality check. Bush works for the Civil servants period. He does not represent anyone else. THEY have the power to vote him in and HE has the power to keep them in power and rolling in your money. The only way he goes is if THEY tell him to. The only thing stopping the UK , the rest of the Caymanians, and all the Others from cutting the huge waste of funds is the ones who are getting fat fast on the funds. Don't count on them doing right by anyone else anytime in the future. The virus has spread so much that it now controls the body. Only by killing the virus can you save the body that is Cayman and caymanians won't do that. Plan accourdingly.
I can tell you that I am a civil servant, and Bush don't work for me. I have no power to vote him out. The Constitution states that if you want to remove the Premier, there has to be a vote of no confidence. There has to be a majority of MLAs voting to have him removed. Read our Constitution for yourself. You call yourself "Truth" and yet your spreading false information?
lol… interestingly more than 30 people thumbs him up for it. Just shows you …. ;o)
This isn't about removeing the premeir. Its about who he is representing. Most of the money CIG spends goes to them. All of the money that they spend comes from everyone else. He wants more money(to spend on Civil service and expects everyone else to come up with it. Is this false information? You only see what you are looking for.
Yes, it's false information. He wants more money for the Nation Building Fund, Solar panels and other vote buying schemes. He is making Civil Servants cut the budget from government programes but not his slush Fund. Nor will he collect the money owing to government from his buddies.
Maybe the Premier and the other MLA’s could take a lead from Jay Leno. Different world, same problem.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19310907
Hmm I read that, and yes it would be great if they led by example, but really reducing his salary by 5 million to 20 million is hardly much of a sacrifice… My heart bleeds for him…. How will he manage?!…How many years has Leno been earning 25 million salary, and 30 million plus from his promo work outsidethe show… Perhaps giving up a year’s salary would have been more of a gesture. Even if he had “saved” my job I would be saying…big deal… Don’t get me wrong I have no problem in the free market people earning what they are worth in that market, but it seems very patronising to me to say here is 5 million, I can manage on 20…..
It is very sad to watch the humiliation of a man whose lack of ability and intellectual capacity, were always going to make it impossible for him to fulfill the requirements of the position to which he appointed himself – as Minister of Finance. In an article reprinted this weekend in the Observer, Sir Richard Branson admitted that much of his early success had resulted from surrounding himself with people who were much better qualified than he was in respect of the specialized knowledge needed for his various business enterprises – he provided the vision, they provided the technical expertise. It is a pity that bush didnot have the humility to acknowledge his own shortcomings, and create a similar operational structure within the Government. There are many qualified and experienced professionals in Cayman, who have been here for 30 years or more, who would happily have joined a ” Think Tank ” to assist with and advise on whatever ideas bush proposed, or address any urgent specific issues which arose. Of course it could only have worked if bush had renounced his philosophy of – ” My Way – or the Highway ” – and therein lies the insurmountable problem.
So true Skeptical. Bush ignores the huge amount of expat talent and fills the statutory boards with his mates. I agree that we need young Cayman talent but do not ignore the expat pool particularly those with status.
It is embarrassing and a parable to all those who thirst for the power of Premiership. E.M. Kelly sums it up nicely, "Remember the difference between a boss and a leader: a boss says go- a leader says 'Let's go!'"
So, without a tax exemption what good is this place?
I agree with some previous posters – it's time now for sure that the Business and other Leaders and Non-UDP Politicians come together and call for a March into central GT to protest.
And protest strongly…for Mac's removal and new elections NOW!
Has my favourite poster Pit Bull left the island? I haven't seen anything from him recently. Nothing from Patricia X either. These "alternate voices" were important!
important or biased?
I posted on Friday about the "captains" wanting more freebies down at Safehaven. Although the truth is that generally I have been using other nommes de plume recently since it has proved much more fun but I don't really need to do much posting to point out the complete mess do I? The politicians are proving it all by themselves.
Why dont we just buy out Mac's contract for $5 million – then he can go away and we never hear from him again. On second thought we could just give the whole UDP the $15 million instead of the solar panel deal. That would work out a lot less than what they will cost us between now and May 2013.
I have a feeling tha Mac’s sense of self worth is somewhere over 5 million.
Just a bit of advice to you on this one Mac:
It's not whether you win or lose,
but how you place the blame…
What a tyurn around not too far in the past we wanted the mother country out, now we see what would happen in we had independence, so lets thank Britain for protecting us against incompetents.
Oh by the way when we place job ads in the papers we ask for all sorts of degrees and recomendations, can someone please tell me what qualifications our illustrius Minister of Finance and Premier has, thus giving him the knowledge and competence to run a complex and very technical institution like the Cayman Islands Government?
Yes I can. The answer is "he done gradiated the 5th grade". Plus he is surrounded by experts in econimics who give him all kinds of good advice which of course he ignores. ie Miller-Shaw Report.
His education comes from his expat advisor who is telling him about his pretty new clothes when in fact he is naked. The same expat advisors who will bleed this country dry and when the time is right will throw him under the bus or better yet hang him out to dry. He will not be as lucky as the TCI premier who found a place of refuge. The mass status grants were not enough, that was only an inch now they want the whole yard and he is giving it to them on a silver platter. Come HM, please come you need to clean house and send a few of those expat con men to prison. We need to restore law and order to these islands.
If you are a UDP supporter reading this, at least take the time to weep with the rest of us.
I am a Cymanian, I am angry and dismayed as I watch my beloved Isle taken away from me and my children .
The vote buying grant of staus to thousands of unproductive economic migrants added to their whose children have added a massive social and costly burden to our land. Still this man continues to be blind to the damage he has caused both locally and Internationally.
For the sake of his greed we are being turned into a third world Island filled with dependents on the fragile state.
McKeeva out, and take your political lackeys with you….REMEMBER AT THE NEXT ELECTIONS…EVERY VOTE FOR A UDP CANDIDATE IS A VOTE FOR MCKEEVA TO CONTINUE HIS DESTRUCTION OF CAYMAN
Many of thestatus grants were illegal. Many of the recipients have left. I am voting for whoever agrees to revoke the status of any recipient who bribed their way to a grant, who has committed a crime made possible by the grant, or who has ceased to be resident in Cayman for more than 2 years. They should also have the police investigate every single recipient who had been here for less than 5 years including particularly checking their choice of real estate professional.
The poster above has nailed the reason why Cayman is in so much trouble and why Cayman/expat relations are so bad.
Governor/UK – you signed the damn certificates and it seems became a participant in official corruption. Any comment?
This is pure selfishness. This govt.'s lack of knowledge about finance is killing us finanically. Many small businesses have closed. Many financial service providers have left or outsourced leaving a lot of Caymanians who have had jobs for years and years out of work. I cannot believe they are so stupid that they do not know exactly what they are doing. Not that i want the UK to step in, but at least I feel that there would be an end to all this corruption and those who are involved might actually be held accountable. This should be a lesson to all of us to look very carefully at those people running for election and vote for people who are educated, ethical and honest and who will work for the people and not try to buy your votes. Vote buying is corrupt and iollegal in many places and should be here. Of couse, in Cayman, we are being squeezed every way we turn and the Nation Building – Vote Buying funds are paid for by us. I am outraged that my hard earned money is helping the UDP fuel corruption. I really wish there was some way that we could all get together and demand that this is stopped.
There is a way for people to come together to stop this. It's called "REFERENDUM". Draw up a petition and I'm sure you will get enough signatures to move it forward.
well we need someone well versed in the law to draft a petition for us – any volunteers?
Not the most helpful way and likely not to be followed but people could refuse all these things they are being handed. If I were a minister or a member of these churches who have received funds I would call on all members to start a drive to raise the funds from their own congregation to reimburse the government because in essence what you have done is broken a commandment by accessory to stealing. You have allowed yourself to receive funds stolen from all the citizens of the Cayman Islands and you need to redeem yourself and your church by paying it back. If you have any dignity or honor refuse to have the solar panels placed. I don’t know how people get all these vote buying perks because no one has come knocking on my door to offer me anything….oh right Iam private sector and am self sustaining so my votes don’t matter…must remember my votes don’t matter because I am fiscally responsible for myself, got it duh
Who's in whose backyard now, BoBo?
Cayman gotta stop drinkin' dat milk and crunchin' on dem carrits
When will this man listen?
Never. Like all despots he thinks he knows better than anyone else. We can only pray that he goes away before the country is totally destroyed as a result of his peculiar behaviour.
When the cow come home! LOL
Hey Lib, I thought for a minute that you were just getting brinkmanship and brickmanship mixed up but then I realized that you can see how many rocks Mac has in his head and adjusted your comment accordingly. Good work.
Another day another dollar (your dollars that is)
What can I say he's a mental invalid. No offense to invalids of course. It's only a FIGURE of speech.
Get RID of all your PORK.
Show the UK a plan to convert about 10% of the CS from Public Sector to Private Sector
Put on the table and make gambling in Cayman Legal.
This makes your budget work. Your problem is your pandering. You want so much to BUY your way into the next election that you are SELLING your country down the river.
STOP doing what gets you in and START doing what gets us OUT of the mess we are in.
When will we have politicians with the testosterone necessary to do what needs to be done? When? UDP don't have it. PPM I don't believe has it. WHO HAS IT??
But Daaaaaaad! I really want to keeeeeeep all my civil servents.
No som it is time to grow up and stop spending my money.
But I don’t wanna go to school whaaaaaaa !
Little Mac one day you will be a leader and wished you had gone to school to earn more than just bullshiting…trust me!
Mi nafi know mi nafi care seen!
If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance baffle them will bullshit…
Until dad say…not today BoBo….
And so went the story oif Cayman…,
Stay tuned!
DUMP THE SLUSH FUNDS & RETIRE THOSE WHO HAVE REACHED RETIRING AGE! Cut the contract govt workers! Move all govt sectors to the govt or glass house & stop paying rent! Collect from
All customers importing or exporting within these islands! Collect $$ owed to us (m-Ryan) etc.
stop wasteful traveling etc!
This man is killing these islands! He must go! One man one vote must come or else we’re going to continue to repeat these things over&over!!
Go to Haiti Keke & never come back!
"UK holds our for Budget Cuts" I think they want VAT. What they are doing to TCI on the VAT thing is terrible. MB should just throw his hands up and say look here you take the budget and do what you like with it. Of course, all Cayman would be celebrating to know that the minister of finance has finally humbled himself.
The FCO have said a dozen times that they want a credible and sustainable budget. The problem with the budget presented is that it plans to extract almost $90 million MORE than it had planned to from the local economy. To put that in perspective it wants to take an extra $1,800 for every man, woman and child in the islands.
To make matters worse please remember that we are still in the midst of the greatest financial crisis the world has ever seen and have relatively high local unemployment. The economic effect of removing funds from the productivesector of the economy to an unproductive sector will mean further decline in the economy, more unemployment, more business's closing and less revenue for government in the end.
The UK has made absolutly no suggestion that they want any direct taxes implemented – they do not think we need more revenue – what they want if for the cayman islands to take their head out of the sand and start cutting some of the outragous spending levels they are proposing.
As a reminder below are the agreed upon budgets – the 2012/13 budget is currently requesting $650million
Year 2010/2011 Revenue 509,609,000 Expenses 508,404,000
Year 2011/2012 Revenue 529,762,000 Expenses 479,265,000
Year 2012/2013 Revenue 564,602,000 Expenses 462,362,000
Surprised nobody has commented on Bush’s remark at oneof his very recent public meetings that – he might not actually be around for the 2013 General Election. If he is pretty sure that he will not get back into power as “Premier” next May, I would expect him to step down – I can’t see him being prepared to endure that sort of humiliation.
he's said similar things for the past 3 years……
surprised the caymanian journalists don't think it is newsworthy……
Don't guess they take him seriously, which is completely understandable given his behaviour. I mean, he's so retro he should be in some kind of museum for political dinosaurs. (Advice to his underlings : jump ship now or go down with it come next election.)
When he says that, I think he wants us to suspect that he has an illness which he is bravely concealing. In reality, however, he is stating that he may not be around as he will have escaped with his fortune to a foreign bolt-hole.
If the UDP was truly a political party then the members would have forced the Premier’s resignation by now, fearing, as they ought to, a rout in the next election. Similarly, if McKeeva was an idealistic politician, or one who actually cared for his party’s future, he would step down after this budget is delivered and allow someone new to lead the UDP into the next election.
In a true party McKeeva would never have been allowed to survive the First Cayman Bank scandal let alone any of the more recent questions he has faced. Is it any wonder that he thinks he can brass it out for ever?
I see everyoneblaming party politics for our current state of affairs but we don’t really have party politics here yet. We have tribal politics and McKeeva’s the Big Chief.
So Mike, Mark, Cline and Rolston, you all have to grasp the nettle soon if you want the UDP to remain in power, which means fessing up to whatever it is that McKeeva has in his little black book about you, that has so far prevented you from triggering the patricide that the jurisdiction so obviously needs.
I hope voters note that even if Mr Bush doesn't run in next year's election, they should not be encouraged to vote UDP since the same people 'driving' UDP policies will still be there as puppet masters, so will probably come down to other districts to ensure the makeup of government does change.
The problem is, or so he claims, that he is spending Premier's salary plus Premier's pension paying 8 mortgages. It would appear as if he runs his personal life and country in the same manner, spend more than you make and hope for the best.
I wish the UK stop playing the back and forth game with the UDP administration, and give them a push. Anyone who is reluctant to swim in the pool, you push them, you don't play around with them.
Some cuts that can be made:
1) Mac's slush fund (Nation Building Fund) whatever he wants to call it
2) No need for 15 million for solar panels at a time like this.
3) All advisors and liasion people that are not civil servants but are being paid massive salaries through the government purse, as in, Pearlina McGaw-Lumsden, Richard Parchment and the liasion person over in Tampa collecting 48,000 per annum for doing what???
Mac, cut all that and you are well on your way to the 20 million.
Hold on now, surely Jan Tomaski can't still be collecting that $48000 for (non existent) liaison work in Tampa? Not after the fuss that was made when it was first revealed some time back?
Why not 15:35? She is the daughter of the Honourable Speaker and therefore ideally qualified to provide liasion services for the thousands of Caymanians needing them in Tampa.
Wanna bet?
Industrial Action Urgently Required!!
The time has come for the various groups to call a country-wide strike until that jester steps down from the throne.
Shakespeare could not have written such drama and tragedy.
Whats the macro economic difference between a Cayman civil servant on strike, and a Cayman Civil servant at work?
Not much, so I suggest you dont go down the strike route!
Industrial Action Urgently Required!!
The time has come for the various groups to call a country-wide strike until that jester steps down from the throne.
Shakespeare could not have such drama and tragedy,
Thank you UK/FCO!!
There can be found more than $20 mil easily!…The Nation Building (AKA: Vote buying slush fund) is a huge chunk alone.
Mac is just trying to Bully his way once again…as he is so used to doing.
no, not yet..when the champagne bar is no longer in function he will throw in the towel. I have a feelin Vivue Cliquet ain't quite done yet…cruse you France
I know Mac ain’t got no education but surely he knows what a little word like “cut” means.
You just make sure you keep your fingers off his table, or you might loose them.
Yeah, he put a bandaid on one the other day…
Axe the Nation Building Fund. Mac do you not reqalize that the longer you insist on hanging onto this vote buying slush fund the more harm you are doing to the little respect the people have left for you. Save a bit of face, man, dump it.
Oh what a laugh it would have been if the budget was presented and the Throne Speech given without UK approved budget. As I've always suspected and can now confirm the government is given wrong advice most of the time. If that budget speech was delivered as proposed without the approval of the budget from the UK ,our leaders would be explaning a lot to the mother country this morning.
Cut the expat civil servants – some of them stopping Caymanians from moving up anyway!
Don't rely on the private sector to absorb any Caymanian lay-offs. They are not hiring us now much less.
The premier needs to ensure that for every two expats in every company there is at least one Caymanian. And I don't mean as messenger either, but holidng senior positions.
Check the Bahamas and Bermuda – their immigration laws do a great job of looking out for their own. Only in Cayman can expats have so much influence.
Some of the worse bosses I have ever had were Canadians – too damn narcicistic and arrogant.
Too Right! There is a job being advertised right now for the Deputy, Bank Of China, Cayman Islands office.
The fact that it requires someone to submit monthly and yearly reports in both English and Chinese shouldn't deter Caymanians from holding this position.
We should have the opportunity to be trained in Mandarin or Cantonese and with the aid of an online translator, be able to hold this position after a year or two experience at somewhere like Butterfield.
Yet again, the shutters will go up and the phrase 'not enough experience' will be handed out.
Just like those dudes at Cern and the Atomic divider research establishment!
Anon 17:38, a bit too ironic for the average reader here!
Funny, but not on point. The poster above was remarking on expats in the civil service, not the financial sector.
Ok, point taken, I will get back to rolling around on the pavement on Mary Street whilst drinking and shouting at passers by.
Thanks for the advice.
That was you?!
1st – We need to get rid of Bush, PPM, UDP and electing parties. Put in more independants.
2nd – We need break away from the UK and at least annex ourselves with Canada or some other superpower that would deal with us more competently (sorry to step on some toes – I love UK people but they have a screwed up government).
3rd – We need to educate Caymanians more about human rights and democracy, and drafting a better Constitution that will represent the people of Cayman solely and not just for the politician or UK politician.
i kinda like what ur smokin
That would be the only kind of Independence I would endorse. Allying ourselves with a superpower or a group of alliances. But that is if we are willing to take the risk. Independence to Annexation requires serious changes. I think the better option is to remain under the UK and do whatever we can to strengthen the ties between us and our mutual interest. Only when they start abusing their power, I would say it is safe to consider an Independence unto Annexation.
Hiow about Venezuela?
Erm, you’d better study up on who the super powers are. Unless you meant beer drinking super powers.
You just kicked out countless Canadians with your stupid rollover law. Now you want to annex to them. When will Caymanians learn the world doesn't need them. You are in a SERVICE business. You produce nothing. The services you provide can be done in Luxembourg, Singapore, etc. It may not be in the Caribbean, but it will at least be among people who understand the financial business. In Cayman's case, the very business that puts food on their tables.
If you are going to call rollover stupid, at least suggest a workable alternative.
Its like they like to roll over British Citizens and treat them like alients when its a British Territory, yet they still want to cling to the UK's apron strings. It's called wanting your cake and eating it.
Dear "My Thoughts" – don't have any more thoughts.
1. Independents. How many factions do you want? Who's going to be the boss?
2. You can't kill your mother (country) and then go looking for an adoptive new one because you're an orphan. No one will trust you – nor should they.
3. " We need to educate Caymanians more about human rights and democracy….." end the quote right there. Work on that and we are on our way to an integrated society and one that goes forward together. Goodness, what a concept! Expats accepted as a genuine asset – whatever next?
… well – there is a plan around for TCI to become part of Nova Scotia, so who knows? Maybe that's the plan – local politicians destroy the economy, UK takes over and sorts it out, Cayman gets absorbed in Canada and renamed Southern Newfoundland or something and all (former) Caymanians have to learn to say "eh" after every sentence.
Get real sir!
1. Yes, first part was right
2. Really, do you think the UK wouldnt yell for joy if they were rid of you?
3. Yes, you did need to educate Caymanians, butyou didnt do enough of that while you had the chance, the saddest thing was that when the opportunity was there you all adopted the "right to a job" stance. If you needed accountants, you went for the easy route, CPA not ACA, if you needed lawyers you went for a local degree when the industry needed you to go through proper training overseas, and worst of all, you mopped up all those that needed jobs by employing them as civil servants thereby covering over the shortfalls.
All the above is a shame because Caymanians of old were hard working people that knew the need to educate themselves and get off their butts!
Cut out the free jobs, the Cayman Airways perks and then you have a balanced budget, then take a step back and cut out all the other ridiculous costs, spend the resulting surplus on a proper education system, and above all, get real!
In what manner is the CPA an easier route than the ACA? US GAAP, if anything, is stricter than IFRS which are the standards, as far as I know, used in Britain.
Who is we?
Who is we??? Why, all of us Anonamusses!
We have met the enemy and he is us.
You can forget that suggestion of annexing ourselves from the UK. NO WAY BoBo! We are not ever doing that! I will agree that the Constitution needs a heck of a lot of improving so that politicians can no longer abuse their office, power and position and that their boundaries are clearly set out, but as for annexing from the UK, you can forget that one.
From the bottom of my heart – A born, bred and very patriotic Caymanian.
What makes you think Canada would want this messed up place? Especially after the people have been treated badly here with the usual comments: "don't let the door hit you on the way out", etc.
It is UK territory…hello….Canada or the USA for that matter have nothing to do with our precious Islands. Not too many places that deal in both currencies…so yes, we are accommodating to USA. What Cayman Islands should do is pay each employee in the currency of their own country, as they do in the Middle East. Employees miss out big time being paid in US Dollars….especially those from the UK! The US Dollar isn't worth much anywhere.
I do not trust independents. I saw what independentents have done in the past. They are spanish machettes. They cut on both sides until one side becomes dull and then they settle down with a Party. There is no such a thing as an Independents, only a bunch of think they know it all youngesters wanting to send Cayman further to hell. Independents divide and make strife, they sit on three sides of the bench. Two ends and the middle.
I told my girlfriend I hate Bush.
I was then kicked out
whats her number?
16:50 Are you sure? That was not what she told me.
Mac i am sick of hearing you say your hands are clean and your heart is pure. and now you can not cut the govt, well the way you done NRA i think you need to let hem have the saying now because he looks like man to have heart is Pure and hands is Clean.
I believe Mack's going to have a big surprise for folks like you. Just watch and see.
Do you really think that Mack cannot get the buget pass? Mack has fooled all of you. That is a very wise man, he knows what he is doing. So sit there and think he cannot get the buget pass. When Mack is ready to dump it all in the laps of the fix it all Independents, and the pieces left off from the PPM we all will have sleepless nights in Cayman. Pass what?
Lib, you seem to be the only person who doesn't understand that there is plenty to cut from the budget before you get to terminating civil servants. What about the nation building fund and solar panels? Don't you think we might save at least 1/2 of the $20m there?
He is right. It is unnecessary to have such a fat government for this population. That's a tax in itself.
Yes, cut those too, but see the civil service or government like an obese person who has an uncontrollable appetite. In order to live government needs alot of food, duties, fees, and fines to put on his plate. What do you do with this monster? He has to lose weight. He has to control his appetite. Just beating him and telling him watch what you eat won't do it. There has to be sacrifice just like what a business would do during the time of a recession – downsize. So government has to do the same thing. There is a saying, "if your right hand offends thee, cut it off… if your right offends thee, pluck it out… it is better for you to enter the kingdom of heaven without it than to lose your soul." McKeeva Bush should know this saying because it comes from the Bible which he claims he is a Christian. The passage quoted by Jesus simply means that in order to redeem yourself, you have to make sacrifices. Some things hurtful has to be cut away. When a fruit tree doesn't bear fruit but spread out its leaves and branches, getting larger and larger, but no fruit. What do you do? You don't only feed it with plant feeding, you prone the tree. You cut off someof its limbs, and sure enough it will bear fruit.
Civil Servants are PEOPLE.
You don't CUT people.
The purpose of a government is not only to provide public services, but also to provide jobs for the unemployed, since private businesses are focused on profit only.
To reduce the size of the Civil Service a government should create a set of rules and oppertunities for businesses to hire people, so civil servants can be employed in private business.
The current rules and oppertunities do only the opposite. Giving away land, exempting developers from paying duties or waiving them, is not helping.
Take the money, there where it is.
A property tax on real estate valued above 1 million, might be an idea.
A wealth tax on accounts above 1 million, might be another.
And as long as one keeps these taxes lower than the countries where these people come from it won't hurt the economy.
There are many people making millions from the Cayman Islands, while many Caymanians can't find the money for food, rent and schooling.
THAT is wrong.
yes its wrong, and that is what libertarian is trying to say ; )
No, I am afraid not.
thank you fco!
UK holds out for budget cuts
What a shocker.
Someone, PLEASE, buy Mac a box of Q-Tips – obviously he cannot HEAR.
Perhaps wax build-up?
Wake up fool, if Mac needs a box of Q-Tips it's your money that will pay for it. He gets almost everything free – remember!
Looks to me like he's eaten them shut.
The more delays caused by the premier's reluctance to make further cuts in order to obtain UK approval on our budget is also jeapodizing business and transactions in the local economy. Government project cant get completed without an approved budget, much-needed and vital equipment (e.g. hospital equipment and services) cannot be purchased before the budget is approved by UK and passed by the LA.
The premier's stubborn-ness and childish tantrum behavior, trying to hold on to his nation building vote buying-giveaway-slush fund, is one of the factors directly hindering major business and services from moving forward in this economy.
How much more do businesses and patients have to suffer because of his selfish unwillingness to make the necessary spending cuts to gain UK's approval?
Incompetence personified
He does not care how much damage he is doing to the country, this is an ignorant fool who is having a huffy because he is being told what to do, nothing less. Remember when you were told to go trim the hedge or cut the grass makeewa? go do it again, maybe even you could not screw that up. What an embarrassement to the Cayman Islands, what a disgrace as a premier.
Resign
Come on Mckeeva stop this madness.Trim some fat from the civil service and public services authorities. They still hiring people like crazy and paying overtime.Put a freeze on hiring and overtime as well.We cannot afford US$ 3/4 billion anymore.
We must cut our expenditures, Cayman's economy is still performing well however, we need to stop the excessive spending.
Know your place, Mac.
I think it is "Know your place honorble boy."
Cut hurricane Hilton and PWD new building cayman Brac for a start we don’t need either of else buildings
The Premier is showing brickmanship because he stated himself that he is avoiding laying off civil servants and causing more Caymanians unemployed. I must admit that this is difficult for any leader of a country, and the Opposition will use it as an opportunity to denounce the leadership. Truth of the matter is, they are all actors politicking for the votes. The Premier is showing brickmanship because he doesn't want to touch the larget voting block of the country, and the Opposition know well that the majority wouldn't mind seeing government cuts, so they will expand the issue and make public cries. It is all in the game. But despite political ambitions, the Premier should do the right thing. Since the UDP is already deemed the worse party in Cayman's history, the Premier should give what the FCO want: Reduce the size of government! The Premier will have to make the hard decision of cutting civil servants salaries, including the MLAs and his own; or, lay off civil servants. There is no escape. Under PPM's reign the civil service grew in size by the hundreds; now, since you oppose the PPM, make the right decision and cut it. Meanwhile public-private partnerships can be made, lowering costs, and appeals and arrangements can be made in the private sector to hire qualified layed off workers. And then government can lower permits, fees, and duties again and this will bring and expand businesses, creating more jobs once again. UDP party will go down as the worse party, but it will regain its respect after years to come because it had the guts to slash the largest voting block whereas the PPM didn't had the balls during their tenure. The more our government leaders fail to be humbled and do the right thing, is the more roadblocks we will get. The UK is being the watchdog, so I wouldn't continue fighting against the watchdog with my eyes closed to realities. Either resign from Minister of Finance and allow the UK to control our finances 100 percent, or comply with sound libertarian capitalistic principles and save our economy. You can't regress at a time when we need to move forward. It is either you love the voting block ofa few thousand more than 25,000 Caymanians, or you love 25000 Caymanians more than the voting block of a few thousand. Certain principles are higher than other principles, just like certain rights trump other rights. There is a time for everything.
government leader: thanks for being so optimistic and positive… ha ha ha ha.. i must cut my own salary
Dude get with the program you do not need to slash jobs in the civil service you just need to cut out all the slush funds and waste…it aint that hard to understand
He is certainly laying more than a few bricks – guess that is bricksmanship personified!
Ok then…"appeals and arrangements can be made in the private sector to hire qualified layed off workers." Good suggestion; just one issue here. You failed to insert the word "Caymanians" after the word "qualified." This country have too many expats. For that reason, Government had to take up the slack and hire the Caymanians. Ezzard have it right; tell the Businessess they MUST employ qualified Caymanians or their work permits will be cancelled and license revoked.
Please, please divide your comments into paragraphs like normal people otherwise many will just plain ignore your remarks like I do. Younger Caymanians need to see how the mature Caymanians handle their English. You need set an example.
Persnikity whippersnapper
And it would be nice if for once, just once someone would acknowledge there is a large voting block called Caymanians in the private sector and we are mighty tired of having to fund everything!
They fund more than the expats!!??
Well they carry as much burden as ex-pats and get just about the same in return and many are small businesses that can’t find Caymanians to work for them so they are paying the ex-pats so yup I would say there is a large voting block of private sector Caymanians who carry a burden, don’t get the perks that the CS get are treated the same way as ex pats which I go onrecord as saying is appalling in many instances and do not get their voices heard just told to cough up more money to cover the undereducated over pampered, underworked overpaid CS voting block….betcha that gets a ton of thumbs down!
Mac please cut the damn nation building and solar project, you are becoming a pain in our a$$
whaaaaaa. boo hoo
Oh my, what a surprise!!! No-one saw that coming!!! Those nasty FCO people ruining another weekend for Mac!!!
Mac, smell the coffee, cut the damn budget!! Everyone is sick of it!! Caymanians, Investors, Employers, Ex-pats are all waiting for you to stand up and do the right things, namely cut the budget, and then resign sighting your own incompetence as reason.
Riiiight.The last time his weekend was ruined, he went partying in Jamaica
Really, No one saw it coming! If you had ask me I could have told you that. We should all pray that the UK doesn't suspend our Constitution, leaving the elected government powerless, after which they will make the cuts and decide on what form of "sustainable revenue" to introduce. We had better wake up!
It to late. Best let UK fix mess.
Cut the Budget for what? Thereis not enough fat on the buget to cut. Besides I think it is time The premier stop telling the people what he is doing. Let them find out when it is done, then they can have all the time then to talk nonsense.
I had a vision last night that the FCO asked me to pass on to Mac that they will approve the budget if he took out the solar panels and the nation buying fund.
They also asked me to tell him that they will consider him keeping those in the budget if he can get his good friend the auditor general to provide a report that the monies spent through the nation building fund for the past three years provided a good value for money…
I called his cell to tell him about my vision but he did not answer – so anyone in close contact with him please pass on the message for me…
What ever you are COOKIES you areeating before you go to bed at night Stop it, They are giving you night mares.
The old Caymanians have a word for this…its UP START.
I'm pleased to see that the FCO are good teachers, and keep putting him in the corner.
I hope his parents (the voters) are out there are securing a good tamarind switch!
It is "up-started fop!"
OK enough of these stupid attempts by the incompetent Premier to bully Whitehall, does he not realize that he is harming the country. Will those who have a grasp of the serious damage being done to the name of Cayman please call him to heel, this tea pot dictator is leading a group of blind mice who can’t think for them self and or wont stand up to his rant and raving. Is this all part of some weired defence strategy?
Curses. Foiled again.
Thank you, UK. Please keep the pressure on to cut the waste.
1. Nation building "slush/vote buying" fund.
2. Overseas trips by politicians and civil servants.
3. Double dipping civil servants and politicians.
I think calling this "brinkmanship" is giving McKeeva too much credit. It makes it sound like he knows what he's doing when clearly he doesn't.
Nobody in their right mind believes that he has cut spending as much as possible. He has made no meaningful spending cuts at all that I can see and is simply trying to increase revenue without giving up any of his wasteful schemes and slush funds.
His personal "nation building" fund alone would provide half the required savings. Add in those unilateral duty waivers given out to favoured persons and it would be done.
Yeah Mac Daddy, what part of “cut 20 million” do you not understand!
Oh poop!
Would the Eternally Honourable Speaker of the House, who has the experience, please inform the Premier that when you get a 6-Love you have to get up.
That would be the EHS.
Cut the Nation Building Fund!!!
There is no one in Cayman that needs a new fridge/stove/washer/dryer every 4 years.
Spaghettios!
Looks like we're finally starting to understand who's boss in this country. Do as you are told by people who know and want to do better than you do McKeeva Bush.
Has McKeeva resigned yet?
has any caymanian politician ever resigned???
Franklin Smith.
Franlkin Smith Resigned.
Yes. I think Franklin Smith did.
In view of the problems that The Eternally Honourable McKeeva Bush is experiencing these days, it is timely to consider that If it weren’t for an unfortunate incident early in his working career, our Premier would still be employed doing what he did on leaving High School; the thing he was qualified to do, had real flair for and the thing he always did best – garden maintenance, especially mowing lawns.
But one day at an address in West Bay, he was sacked. As he told his boss, “I needed money ‘cause I had none. I mowed the lawn and the lawn won. I mowed the lawn and the lawn won.”
So he went into politics!
You willing me with Jokes king ..Im mean killing me ..the lawn won
Wouldn't be possible to run a company like that. Good luck!
Well, Goverment can start by a reduction in the service. They have 900 contracted workers, start there and contnue to cut.
Stop JUJU and her Cayman Brac “we always get left out cry cry” spending.
That should do it.
Without most of those 900 contracted workers, your country would fall apart