Mac rails against UK red tape
(CNS): During last week’s Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) meeting in London the Cayman Islands premier told Mark Simmonds, the UK’s overseas territories minister, not to strangle the overseas territories with red tape. In a release from the premier’s office, officials said that McKeeva Bush made the case for Cayman to Simmonds during the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) meeting, asking the UK to help defend international financial centres from unfair attack and not to “strangle the territories with the red tape”, which was being cut in Britain. He also called on them to realise that entrepreneurs had made Cayman an international success story and infrastructure developments were vital to maintain that progress.
“I therefore have a plea for the UK Government; we don’t want aid or hand-outs but we want you to speak up for us in Europe and other international fora,” he said echoing comments made by British Prime Minister, David Cameron, who said, “We are all in this together.”
According to the release from Bush’s office, Simmonds said that he agreed entirely and that he was determined that the UK Government would do more to help the small international financial centres, which were a great success story.
Bush and the other heads of delegation to the JMCalso met with Cameron at 10 Downing Street after the close of the JMC on Wednesday, and the Overseas Terrirory (OT) leaders each had an opportunity to speak briefly with the PM. Bush pointed to Cameron’s recent speech to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), a presentation which the Cayman premier has referred to often over the last few weeks. He told Cameron that the Cayman Islands operates on the principles of international best practice through its laws, and he did not want the same strangulating bureaucracy as the UK was cutting.
In addition to the two-day JMC meeting, Premier Bush had a busy schedule, meeting with Minister Simmonds and separately with other ministers, attending a business event at the FCO where presentations by a government minister and British business interests were made, networking with the OTs and joining a Cayman Islands Reception.
The premier also signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement with Italy, marking Cayman's thirtieth such agreement, which now covers all seven of the G7 countries.
Category: Politics
All the new red tape is a way of telling Mac he is out of control. They are reeling you in Mac.
Mr. Bush, you sir have created this RED TAPE!! Do this Country a fav, Step Down before the next 5 months…..Or MAY we all tell you goood-bye? Catch our drift
Mr./Honorable/Dr./Premier Bush: I once thought that you could pull it out — that you could walk the walk that you talked.
Sadly, I think you've lost the plot. The FCO didn't WANT to have to come in and lower the boom; For them, it's like a parent having to enforce a rule that they hoped their child would accept through lessons of reason.
What you characterise as 'red tape' is nothing more than the good tools that you agreed to in 2009 — tools to wisely spend the monies that WE provide. You treat our hard-earned dollars as poker chips to gamble away on your lofty whims. We work HARD for those dollars, Mr. Premier, and we want to see them spent in aherance with what is best for the country.
Do you understand that big business doesn't care about people? Do you understand that small business is what employs the masses and fuels the economy? Why would you give concessions to the rich foreign investor that you wouldn't give to your own people?
I don't think you're evil, Mr. Premier, but I do think you've long since served your time and that your ideas are a detriment to the overall good of the nation. Consider this, Sir: Have you benefitted personally in any way as a result of your office? Yes, you have. That is just one test of good governance — there are many more.
You continue to battle the UK, which doesn't want to have to micromanage our government, however also doesn't want to see us fritter away our future.
Here's the bottom line: You MUST comply with the terms of your agreements with the UK. They are good terms, set forth to ensure accountability, proper procedure and value for money spent. Why, oh, why, would you object? I fear that we know the answer to that question.
It is my most heartfelt wish that you do no more harm before you are voted out of office in May. Please, Sir, just ride out your term; You've done enough.
You havedone enough damage to this country. There was a time, when the monster was eating scraps that fell from the table. How does that equate to the riches of today?
I think your wish has just been granted!…..what a HAPPY CHRISTMAS we shall have!
Red Tape from UK…? Anyone recently tried to get any decision from any govt. department…any approval from building control…?
Get your own house in order first Mac then worry about who's looking over your shoulder when you do your deals.
The financial industry will be just fine, the Cayman Islands financial industry is one of the best regulated in the world. There is nothing to fear the UK is not going to sit around and let the EU destroy our financial industry, however, the UK is not able to tell the EU not to close the tax loopholes that they are planning to close. There are great minds within our financial industry, I am confident that they will find solutions to anything that the EU will put forward.
Mac wants to sell our infrastructure, waste our money, fly all over the world and wear his Chinese Black Power suit without checks and balances from the UK. It not happening.
Oh come on CNS! He hardly "railed". Even according to your report he made, what for him, seemed quite a polite request.
That's a strong word. Save it for the next time he really does lose it.
Da red is PPM color. I na wan' see dat round ya! Why ya na make it green? Might be the same t'ing, but at least the color wud be betta.
Poor soul.
Mac,
I know you have not paid much attention to Cayman recently, but have you seen the volumes of red tape that your very own government places on local businesses? That, along with the massive costs of business in Cayman is strangling business here. Maybe you need to get your own Government under control before complaining about what the UK is doing? When your government imposes less red tape than the UK does on Cayman – then your compliant is justified. Until then, concentrate on the problems at home please.
The principal is correct, red tape can kill business and opportunities.
However, what Mac refers to, in my mind, is not red tape, but the process of checks and balances that any normal society must have to prevent corruption and abuse of public funds. That is not bureaucracy, it is part of an open and thriving society. We have seen clearly his refusal to supply FOI answers, or even to explain where he is going and why, or be transparent with deals he is doing. If there is nothing to hide, why hide it? Red tape no! Checks and balances, Yes!
Haha…thatsrich coming from Bush to the UK. Maybe, just maybe, he needs to look at how his own government strangles business in Cayman before worrying about what the UK is doing to Bush. How about we get our own house in order first?
The Jersey Government is embarking on an effort to make it significantly easier to use their services, partly in a drive to save money, but also partly to save the public significant time. This will translate into cost savings which will mean ultimately that it will cost less to do business in Jersey. They will not be trying to support a bloated and ineffecient public service by massive fees on the public sector which is killing business in Cayman. This is just one area where our competators are doing so much better than us. This is an "own goal" which we have within our grasp the power to change, but the politicial will is not there. Cayman suffers as a result.
If there is one area that Jersey can boast it is a massive and bloated civil service!
There are differences to Cayman, in Jersey the problem is that the Civil Service (CS) are almost all hired from the UK, they are paid way over the odds and have massive pension benefits which are all on their own capable of bankrupting the Island when the income stops flowing.
In Cayman, there is a different problem, which is that the CS is used as an excuse to employ the unemployable. In Cayman, nothing much gets done in CS offices.
In Jersey, too much gets done, they have strangled the Island with working practices brought from the UK, and they are now in control and will not let go, yes, they are the living example of too much red tape! Cayman is the opposite, because their CS is so lazy and ineffectual, their Politicians get away with everything.
Tout ca change mais tout c'est la meme chose!
All persons in the Cayman Islands who are rallying against the Premier Bush, I would like to have some suggestions on this Media, as to who in the house or out the house can do a better job.
Obviously, Premier Bush is doing an excellent job, he knows his job, he definately know his homework when meeting Top Dogs overseas, and most of all what I like about him he can look you in the eye and disagree or agree when he has to. I have listened to the other politicians talk, and not one of them has the intelligence to lead this country through the 21 century like Premier Bush. Say what you want to say about him but this man has it patted down.
My observation is that there are too many foreigners blogging negative comments against the Premier, Foreigners who want status, and the others who have status, but want it their way; and many Caymanians are doing what they do best; that is listening to people who know absolutely nothing about the Island and how it all began; even if they are all going over the ravine.
Your Premier Bush is doing a great job Caymanians so be careful about making changes.
I am no foreinger and i can say i dont trust Bush as far as i could kick him.
How is your new TV? Do you like it?
I’m not that good at math, but I didn’t think ole Mac had enough years in him to lead us through the 21st century .
Really???
Are you just daft, or on the Premier’s ‘preferred list’?
Umm, maybe my dog would be a better Premier, at least he’s loyal and decent and flies baggage.
Competitive bidding is not red tape. Keeping up to date books is not red tape. Passing annual audits is not red tape. Laws against corruption are not red tape. Why does Bush regard these things as inconveniences?
OK Mac, lets keep it simple.
Yes, there is a move in the UK to try and cut out red tape, it is mostly EU stuff, much of it to do with employment rules and it really is stifling growth.
When the FCO talks to you about "red tape" its a bit different, what they are trying to do is to help you by laying down rules that you have to follow, mainly to ensure that nobody, in Cayman or the FCO, can be in any doubt that your hands are clean and your heart is pure. Yes of course you and I know that you wouldnt cross the line, say by setting things up so that you personally benefit, but, and I am sad to be the one that bears the bad news, there are sad folks out there that really dont trust you, yes really! Now, if you want to convince them then things have to be done out in clear view, they have to be properly documented. Now if you just read the next news item, about Mr Misick, you will see how people that dont understand a man that was surely trying to help his country can turn on him and accuse him of all manner of things, imagine!
And then there is Mr Swarbrick, I dont think he is trying to get at you about anything, but he does have a job to do which is to give you that big tick in the box that says, yes folks his hands are clean (we all know your heart is pure) so try and make his job easy and make sure that he can see the evidence, otherwise he is bound to be a bit suspicious!
I hope that helps Mr Premier, trust me (as I trust you) the rules are quite simple, they dont take all that much effort specially for an intelligent man like you, and overall, they are there to help you make people trust you and see you for what you really are!
Oh, and about the travel costs, just give them all your back up documents, meeting notes, and justification of travel and they will all say sorry we doubted.
Oh another thing (sorry to go on) but fill in the gaps on your dealings with the Darts, Ryan, the Cohens, CHEC, and all the others and they will see that you only acted in Caymans interests, mind you, if I were you I wouldnt draw attention to the land rezoning First Cayman or any of that stuff!
Maybe someone should send Mac a copy of Don Quixote for Christmas, or since it is a very long book, a cartoon of the story. Because if there was a case of modern tilting at windmills, his position on asking the UK to defend tax havens would be right up there.
There is no way this guy has graduated from 5th grade. He must have payed a consultancy fee to get his diploma. Caymanians please do your homework next time you vote and make sure whoever you choose is at the very least educated up to high school level and they have some kind of skill. It would also help if they have been successful in something,anything, in the past. With changes comeing in the finacial section in the near future you are going to want someone who can negotiate with skill instead of excuses. If this is the best Cayman can do then we understand.