WHAT the Easter weekend’s row in the UK over a sleazy and cynical plan to destabilise the Conservative Party indicates is just what an uphill battle the Crown Dependencies have in persuading those in power that the jurisdictions are not tax havens.

The whole point of the Damian McBride emails scandal was that the online blog he was proposing to use to damage leading Tories and the party’s electability next year was not bothered about truth.

As long as absolutely reprehensible material appeared believable and was as a result wounding, that was good enough for the man who was a special adviser to Gordon Brown.

While the Prime Minister appears not to have been directly involved, the message is that at least some on his team believe this is an acceptable way to conduct government.

Why does it matter to Guernsey? For the simple fact that – email scandals apart – the Labour government has no qualms in manipulating facts to suit its own purpose.

We have already seen that over the high-level briefings against these islands and the constant reference to the dependencies as tax havens.

Even when the OECD gives the Bailiwicks a clean bill of health, it is not good enough for either the UK’s Chancellor or Prime Minister. Still the drip-feed of animosity continues, still the same reference to ‘tax havens’.

In many respects, where we are is worse than before the G20 summit. Then, there was a chance that the islands would, indeed, be found wanting. What is now clear, however, is that there is an underlying element of malice aimed at the offshore dependencies and it emanates from Downing Street.

As the Financial Times reported last week, Mr Brown wants the Crown Dependencies to go beyond the current minimum standards of regulation and transparency, begging the question, what standards are we trying to achieve?

The reality is that acceptability is whatever Mr Brown chooses on any given day and depends on what else he is trying to divert attention from domestically. If his key officials are happy to smear the Conservative Party, with all its political muscle, it indicates the very real difficulties facing these islands in the months ahead.