Bush heads to Londonfor annual OT council
(CNS): The premier, the education minister, the attorney general, the cabinet secretary, the financial secretary, as well as both the premier’s chiefs of staff and his senior political assistant are leaving for London today to attend the annual meeting between British Overseas Territories and the UK Government. At a time when tensions remain high between the Cayman Islands and the FCO, McKeeva Bush will meet directly with OT minister Mark Simmonds, various UK ministers and other territory leaders, and he will also present a session on “resilient economies” at the council meeting.
Formerly the Overseas Territories Consultative Council, the annual meeting between the UK and its remaining territories is now called the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC). The new name is said to reflect the aspiration expressed in the White Paper of equal partners deliberating on matters of mutual interest.
It begins on Monday with meetings between the Caribbean OT leaders, who will be seeking a common position to present to the UK. Bush will also be having a sit down with Mark Simmonds — the first time the men will be face to face since the exchange regarding the FFR and the instructions from Simmonds for Bush to abandon the CHEC talks over the cruise berthing facilities.
The first meetings take place Thursday with pre-JMC planning with the London Office and other meetings. On Monday 3 November, the bilateral meetings begin with Foreign Office Minister Mark Simmonds.
“This is a very busy but important agenda. I will have the chance to get our message across to some key UK ministers,” Bush said Wednesday in a release from his press office. “I will remind them that we are a successful economy, but have gone through a deep recession. I will point out that our tourism business is continuing to expand and our financial industry is still rated among the best in the world. I will make it clear that we do not want aid or handouts – but the chance to let our entrepreneurial spirit flourish.”
Bush hoped the new format would enable the “British Government to recognize the incredible assets they have in the Overseas Territories and treat us as equal partners. The UK Government needs to recognize that the Cayman Islands, like many of the Territories, are punching above our weight. I hope that we can go forward together like true partners, using our combined strengths,” he added.
The Caribbean OT leaders are also planning to hold their strategic meeting early Monday to map out the presentation of common objectives. The pre-JMC Political Council of the United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA) takes place on Tuesday morning, when the association will consider amendments to its constitution and the future role and direction of its work. The Political Council consist of the political leaders of the Overseas Territories. This is also another opportunity for the OT leaders to collaborate on issues before the start of the formal Council meeting later that day.
The formal JMC annual meeting begins on Tuesday afternoon with introductory remarks by Simmonds, in which he is expected to set out UK priorities. The opening session is scheduled to cover issues related to the White Paper, including legal and constitutional aspects ofthe relationship between the territories and the UK Parliament.
Bush will lead a session titled “Building successful and resilient economies”. This is a discussion of the UK’s prosperity agenda and focuses on how the UK and the territories can work together to advance the economic success of territories. Other OT leaders are expected to lead each of the deliberative sessions. The remainder of the first day’s agenda covers discussions on “The EU and the Commonwealth” and the important topic of “Health”.
Discussions on the second day cover sustainable environmental management; links between OT and UK public services, procurement, standards in public life and legal issues; sport and youth development, tackling disadvantage and discrimination, poor parenting, dissemination of Bill of Rights information; youth offending and gangs, national security councils; and raising standards in education. UK Ministers from the relevant ministries are invited to these discussions.
The Territories represented in London are: Anguilla, Bermuda, BVI, Cayman Islands, The Falklands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, St Helena, Tristan da Cunha and Turks and Caicos Islands.
As is the tradition, Premier Bush and Minister Rolston Anglin will host a reception for Caymanian university students attending school in the UK on Friday. Bush, through the London Office, will also host the Cayman Islands Government Reception on Tuesday for friends of and persons with an interest in the Cayman Islands.
The premier returns to office on 10 December. The deputy premier will be acting premier in his absence.
Category: Politics
How come Ellio is not getting to go on any trips?
I hope he has not been grounded…
And then another question I have is: What's up with our MLA's and Asian women?
I hope Rally don’t get another DUI up their also lol!
Braca
I heard that in the UK there is an electrical appliance chain called 'Comet' that has just gone into receivership. Bankruptcy sale – everything must go! Many hands make light work. ha, ha.
Unortunately all appliiances are 240v @ 50 cycles, so they won’t work here!!
Please keep him there for the next 6 months.
Make that 6 years.
6 to 60 with no parole
Mac speaking on "resilient economies”? Really? Our economy is in the toilet, thanks to him doing exactly what he is doing now: wasting our money on first class jollies for him and his puppets, which achieve nothing for the country, except the bill of course.
Our economy must be resilient. Look at the amount of pressure McKeeva has applied to it in the last three-and-a-half years. If it had been made out of something like stainless steel it would have cracked by now.
I believe we must have a Timex economy. It takes a lickin' but keeps on tickin'.
So will the bill for this be in excess of the civil service payroll for December or, perhaps, instead of it?
Wonder who actually got invited and if they know what they are letting themselves in for.
How many people does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Two, but it has to be a very big lightbulb or they have to be very small people.
I wonder what the British Press would have to say about Cayman's Government representatives.
Our Premier, with no less than three (3) open / active criminal investigations involving him, travelling with an Entourage that would make '50 cent' jealous with envy.
The Education Minister awaiting sentencing on one DUI
A Financial Secratary who can't tell the difference between "18 & 81".
Every time he goes anywhere he makes cayman look like a monkey republic…Mac and your whole party are an embarrassment to Cayman.
Not sure why it was necessary for so many to join the Premier on this trip, however at least this has the (rare) appearance of necessary travel……………. IF there isn't a side excursion elsewhere afterward.
Looks like they are planning a bashment party. We have seen Keke run his mouth, sprew garbage, pick on Ezzy and insult women but have we ever seen him dance? #duttywinemy bwoyduttywine
No, but somehow I reckon it wouldn't be pretty.
Mmmmm, wonder if they're going on the direct or via Vegas?
Can’t wait for Rolly to come to the UK to visit us students. We are going to hit up some pubs for predrinks, and then go looking for the ladies in London
If you get pulled up for drink driving, he can also teach you how to make your female companions disappear into thin air…
that's with the help of his lovely assistant…the RCIP
Sounds good. Just don't let Rolston drive after he's had a few. And then a few more. Plenty of night-life and birds in London for the guys, though, so don't go too hard on them for wanting to party real hard when they hit the clubs in Soho (but no strip clubs, definitely). Just try and get them back to their five star hotel at a reasonable hour, in one piece, and not too plastered. Remember these guys are all loaded and on a minimum of CI ten grand a month, so expect them to pay for you all as well. We're depending on you students to try and do as much damage-control as possible, but you'll have your hands full with this lot, we understand. Best of luck and thank you for your service to your country..
O Lord, come May, please deliver us of this buffoon and save us from further embarrasment. For thine is the power, not Mac's. Please do this for us and we promise not to ever be so stupid as vote UDP again.
Oh lawd. He's gone off to embarrass us all again…
have a good time guys don’t drink too much! represent well .
That'slike asking a bunch of thirsty Irishmen in a Guiness brewery to only drink one pint!
The photo is of him doing the thing he does on TV constantly: shuffle through that stack of papers .
Yes, I've noticed as well. Always with the constant shuffling of that big stack of papers. Wonder what's in them?
dont know, but if you go to cayman 27 site and watch any of the panel debates he's on you will see him doing it ENDLESSLY. makes me itchy just to watch it. At least he's not pulling out his eyebrows or some other compulsive thing.
Mr. Simmonds, I'd like to introduce the Premier of the Cayman Islands who is under three criminalinvestigations and his Minister of Education who has recently plead guilty to drinking and driving.
Won't you come in gentlemen?
Yes, Mr. Simmonds, the last time I was there…..everything looked fine in the Cayman Islands. What's that you say?? Of course it's fine!!! I'm fine! Everyone if fine. Are you fine Rolston?? He's fine. We're all having a fine time. Why, just last night at dinner during the fourth course I asked if everything was fine. Everyone said yes!!! We're all fine!!!! Except the beef might have been overcooked and the wine was slightly off. I don't know why you ask.
Can you imagine?
Mac is afraid to carry Rolly along because Rolly might get drunk and they might both look stupid…
Might look stupid?
"Hullow Mr Simmonds, you stoopid donkey face. Where the ladys at?"
I wonder if the Education Minister will be the driver in the UK. Is it just me or do these guys remind you of Rock Stars…Spend and Party to excess and then end up broke and homeless. Only sad part is that they are distroying a country rather than a hotel room.
Nice that the minister of education–who plead guilty of drunk driving, had a "unknown" female companion who "dissappeared" and lied still holds his post and can make the trip! Even better, he gets to host a reception for Cayman university students!!
If you work really hard at your studies look what you can achieve…
A ban from entering Canada and intimate knowledge of the bus system?
Please, just try and cut down on Rolly's trips to the well between his lectures on the importance of telling the truth (particularly to the police), not drinking and driving, and marital fidelity. He's got a lot to teach you so listen up good.
Can anyone explain why the Cabinet Secretary AND the Chief of Staff AND the Political Advisor are all going? The first two in any case have basically the same job to do and earn $125,000 plusduplicating each others roles. Such wastage of money under the UDP!
. . . and the "just" shall have their rewards.
More waste whilst they can troll the world on our dime. Wonder if they can pay us civil servants our December pay? Worried….
Safer to take them thanleave them behind.
No, I can't explain. It's unexplainable.
Big Mac is afraid that Richard might send another fax to Stan Thomas, so he has to keep him by his side all the time.
On Monday he will have a warm-up fight with the Premier of Bermuda, before taking on the current heavy-weight champion Mark Simmonds on Tuesday.
And why isn't our Deputy Premier going?! The people of Cayman Brac demand that sheget to go and enjoy the plush perks, I mean represent us!!!!
After all, we are living sooo much better of now that she has racked up over $250K on worldy jaunts!
Two super-fly weights and a heavy weight. It is just the super fly-weights do not realise their insignificance.