Your freedom is worth fighting for – Lord Jones
Friday 27th February 2009, 11:30AM GMT.
GUERNSEY should fight for its independence.
That was the message coming from Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham (pictured), at yesterday’s Institute of Directors annual dinner.
The sometimes colourful and outspoken former Minister of State for Trade and past director-general of the Confederation of British Industry said he was never usually one to visit another country to lecture them on their own issues, but he did want to share some views on the island’s relationship with the UK and Europe.
‘I get turned on by your independence. I think it’s very important, especially when freedom of choice is under threat,’ he told guests at the Collas Day-sponsored event at St James.
He said it was too easy for some people in high places to join the ‘go-after-tax-havens’ bandwagon to score easy points, but too often they completely misunderstood the point of what they were preaching in suggesting Guernsey was lacking in transparency and regulation.
‘I want Guernsey to be free and to offer a form of competition.’
Lord Jones said Guernsey provided an alternative with its independence and free spirit and he would support it all the way. He told guests at the dinner, which included the chief minister, the Bailiff and the Lt-Governor, that Guernsey had to tell the world it was as transparent as it appeared to him.
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Lord Jones for Chief Minister!!
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Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
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*sigh* another one with vested material interests.
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For reference I wrote on the 3rd January under ‘Politics was behind honours snub’
“England would love to be rid of us for the simple reason that their european relations are stressed by having autonomous dependencies. They are therefore trying to encourage us to first desire and then fight for our independance. After a reasonable effort at denying us they would then ‘reluctantly’ acquiesce, thereby achieving their objective with minimum cost.
Be very wary of anyone pro independance.”
Our charter with the Crown of England is priceless and belongs to us all. Now that Lord Jones has made this move I would implore the people of Guernsey to be on their guard against anyone trying to sell us out for ’4o pieces of silver’ to line their own pockets.
I hope the chief minister hasn’t inadvertantly been given the POWER to sign our charter away.
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a fat cat preaching to more fat cats most of them not born here.
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Lord Jones should go back to Birmingham where he belongs taking his messages with him
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I reckon Old Bill S- had it right when he said
“BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH”
What a load of twaddle from that bloke; he hasn’t a clue about Island life, or how his country has oppressed a little Island for nearly a thousand years.
And they have the nerve to say we’ll fight to give others the right to their own country.
But Guernsey Politicians are equally to blame; they fill their pockets as well:
They should have told those people we decide, not you: if you want to do business here then you’ll do It under our terms.
People will say, “If you do that they’ll leave” that’s bull….. they know where their bread is buttered: they use that as scare mongering.
Come on Guernsey people, our people, stand up to these bullies–
Did he have a good dinner and stay at our expence?
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Jackie: not wishing to be rude to you_
however if you say that lord should be 1st minister, then perhaps that other chappie that
gallant Sir Galahad with his multi thousands of pound Stirling as an honour for making his bank a multi Billion £s loss then you might be on to something.
So many of them Lords and Knights- the biggest laughing stock of the world: And the Barclay lot saying Sark had medieval ideas?
What else is this silly and abominable idea of Lords and Knights.
It would be laughable if it wasn’t for the fact that they get away with all sorts of things that an ordinary man would be punished for. Get rid of the lot and get into line with a Modern world.
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