Washington trip raises awareness of white listing
Wednesday 13th May 2009, 1:00PM BST.
Chief Minister Lyndon Trott in Washington. (Picture supplied by Jo Reeve)
AMERICA is looking more favourably on Guernsey then it did, says Chief Minister Lyndon Trott.
Speaking after returning from a trip to Washington, he believes there is wider recognition in the US of the island’s recent white listing by the OECD.
Deputy Trott last visited Washington in 2007 when he was Treasury minister.
‘Some in Guernsey still underestimate just how significant our white listing is,’ he said. ‘It has secured the future of the island as a financial services centre. Those we met in Washington were quick to appreciate our status as a transparent and co-operative jurisdiction as a result.’
Deputy Trott, who was in the US with States chief executive Mike Brown and senior external advisor Jonathan Hooley, was involved in more than a dozen meetings with senior counsel to Democrat and Republican senators during the four-day visit to Capitol Hill last week.
He met representatives of the United States Senate Finance Committee, the United States House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, the United States Senate Permanent Sub-Committee on Investigations, the Multistate Tax Commission, the Joint Committee on Taxation and the US Department of the Treasury.
Deputy Trott also met the International Monetary Fund, which is scheduled to inspect Guernsey this autumn.
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Forget about all the usual upbeat flannel. The question that I would like answered is how much is this man costing the taxpayers in expenses annually?
A hell of a lot I suspect!
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I bet I could half their expenses and I’m sure as houses are houses that they aren’t travelling economy! Perhaps a snug B&B would do as apposed to the lovely hotels I’m sure they have frequented…
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actually ben, LT has confirmed that he was travelling economy.
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The CM is suffering from so many delusions of grandeur its unbelievable. Any and every opportunity he has to mix it with the big cheeses he seizes with relish and pickles for good measure.
I honestly believe he is doing more harm than good. We are such a small place that we would be well near the bottom of any list for consideration.
With him going on his grandeur jollies he is bringing the attention, whether it is wanted or not, to the Island.
He just doesn’t seem to get it. He is so in love with his openness and transparency arguments. He is completely ignoring exactly what the g20 are wanting to end. Unfair tax advantages.
But still we will hear him bang on about his usual rubbish whilst deflecting the catalogue of mistakes he keeps racking up. And all this in a place that he claims to be the leader.
Still no answers to what is happening with the secondary ship that he chucked good taxpayers money at?
Has he been given immunity from answering questions that he doesn’t like the sound or tone of?
It would seems so!
If he is feeling charitable with getting down with the people and answering questions. I would be interested in knowing the cost of the security bill on his residence.
Once these have been answered I would be happy to enter into lengthy dialogue about the catalogue mentioned above.
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I think this type of story and consequent responses demonstrates a) the lack of news the island has b) the laziness of the reporting c) the simplicity of the mob.
Some English MP gets his moat cleaned and suddenly the front page is about expenses with the mob jumping on it like a pack of plebs watching a hanging.
Anyone who represents our island is perfectly entitled to travel business class and live comfortably.
I note none of you mention that as a Guernseyman LT forsook his family and Liberation Day for this trip.
Rather him than me!
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Paul – why is it “delusions of grandeur” for the CM to seek to look after the interests of the island? Someone has to do it and he is the best placed to do so.
You say that we are small and low down the list of considerations. Unfortunately, the evidence suggests the contrary. We are perceived in some quarters to be an easy target because we are small. We therefore need to get out there and reassure people that their worries about us are misguided.
He is not bringing attention to the island – that is being generated in Westminster, Washington, Brussels, etc. He is just trying to ensure that the politicians in those parts of the world are basing their views on a correct assessment of the situation.
If you were to move into a neighbourhood and the residents took a dislike to you because they thought you were of a certain type when you were not, would you hide under the stairs and let them talk themselves into a lather as they increase their hatred of you? Or would you start up a conversation with them and show them that you are actually a decent bloke?
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Well TL, and others; you may say what you like in defence of a mission that was totally unnecessary, I say that because in my opinion, and note that- my opinion is it makes no difference, on the contrary it will make those Americans that are not using such facilities look up and say
Hello what’s he trying to hide.”
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TL – “actually ben, LT has confirmed that he was travelling economy”
Where was this confirmed?
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it was confirmed on BBC Guernsey, and by Dave Jones on an earlier discussion here.
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All this moaning – I thought that most people reckoned that Guernsey was a better place with LT out of the way!
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Oh dear; come off it TL:I thought more of your writings than that bit;
“BBC Guernsey- and Dave Jones”
come off it again, both tied to the Big White Chief.
Say anything against it; no help given to that already dead BBC, and Jonesy boy dare not say anything; Big Brother is watching him.
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i just don’t like his manner and arrogance.i dare say he has gsy’s best interests at heart but at the same time he does take every opportunity to make himself look and feel more important then he is. as cm he is a chairman of the policy council nothing else, after that he is just another deputy.whether he goes to america on his own plane or stuck in the back with everyone else makes no difference to me, what’s a few grand to the millions squandered over here on projects over done to match the egos of some of those in charge. i think trottys problem from people i speak to is that lots of people simply don’t like him – that’s his fault. same with mass burn flouquet. And this culture now of scrambling for pr people to run their lives for them, ridiculous,if ever there was a non job it was pr, just talk to everyone like any decent person.white list, black,blue who cares what the usa think? you can tell it’s raining and i’ve got the day off,i’m wasting my time writing this twaddle! i guess i’m the fool.
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well nickers,
If that’s how you write when it’s raining; then I hope the rain continues.
Because I just loved that straight from the shoulder. well done, and nickers to them.
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Eric – thank you for the compliment!
Maybe I’m a naive fool, but when someone accountable to the public says something unequivocal, I generally believe that they are not stupid enough to say something that cannot be backed up with proof. ;-)
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Well, now Chief Minister Trott has spread the word how SAFE Guernsey is as a place to keep your lifetime’s savings ?
Was the subject of Landsbank-Guernsey raised I wonder. The none action of CM Trott and his deputies in the recent agonising months has been forgotten ? And the fact that CM Trott went into overedrive about being threatened by aggrieved old age pensioners and requesting police protection for his home ? After all, I am only a 76 year old widow and therefore very ferocious. I TRUSTED Guernsey whilst the State mantra has been ‘we’re working behind the scenes’ and I have suffered the indignity of being called a terrorist !
Memories are so short aren’t they ?
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Ben / Jackie / TL
I too found it hard to believe – but Deputy Jones assured me that the CM told BBC Guernsey that he travels in economy.
Now I ask you: how can Guernsey Finance travel to China and all over the world promoting its affluent finance centre when Guernsey is the only country in the world that cannot afford to help stricken savers in any way – and cannot even afford to send its CM on official business in Business – let alone First – Class?
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Makes me laugh how they get a picture of Lyndon outside the grounds of the building.
Also – who did they meet with??
Certainly wasn’t anyone even newsworthy – just some advisors to senators, or if you consider it in the Guernsey State rankings it would be the equivalent of a Police Inspector in the Police as opposed to the Chief or Chief Super…..
Poor, poor, poor.
A boys holiday no doubt.
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Don’t worry Miskina. There are a few Landsbanki Victims
who have already writed to the relevant senators to tell them how well Lyndon Trott has looked after our interests, how hard he and the deputies have worked behind the scenes leaving no stone unturned to help us pensioners ( and those who voted for them ) and to ensure Guernsey is the best place to put your savings.
OR NOT !
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As a retired US citizen who lost my secure future in the Landisbanki failure because I trusted Guernsey regulators with the inheritance from my Guernsey family, you can be sure that I am one of those writing to my own senator and all the others connected with this visit to warn them that the funds of US citizens are not safe in Guernsey.Also in case there is any question, let me state that I did pay tax on the interest earned. I have been very saddened by the characterization of those of us in this unfortunate position, as being tax cheats and opportunists by people on the Island that I used to dearly love.
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Darren
Sorry but you are talking nonsense. Just because you may not heard of the individuals does not mean that they are not extremely influential !
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oh dear oh dear, our big headed eader has met with the great and the good in a country which is threatening guernseys right to set its tax rules at the level it wants.a country known for its bullying tactics in matters far larger and more serious than us, so we go and suck up to them at expense of time and money.whilst crawling to China to sell business to an oppressive regime because it’s money that counts and not any sense of moral well being, and in all of this we are not a tax haven!. meanwhile in guernsey martin clunes comes to do a programme on guernsey, he opens by calling us a tax haven, great!then robert sillars picks him up in his flash maserati car and roars him around extolling the virtues of this rich mans playground. lyndon may think he’s important but more people in the uk will listen to what martin clunes says about the island than him, more work is done with the uk than the us and they will listen to martin clunes.whay do these people pay idiots in PR to then hamstring themselves with these mixed messages.i think the end of the guernsey section of the tv programme said something like, as long as you don’t break the law (because rob prow will chase you down in the leopardess like carribean drug runners!) and as long as you have a pile of money you can have a lovely time in guernsey! oh dear oh dear.
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thankyou eric for that appreciation of my previous rant.
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Brenda – so do you consider the US to be unsafe for US citizens too? Regulators (whether the SEC or the GFSC) do not guarantee that banks do not go bust.
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Trott should be ashamed to show his face in public ! As a depositor in Landsbanki I feel extremely let down by the Guernsey (so called) Authorities and have already written to all of the US Oficials on this list to make them aware that GSY is NOT a safe place to invest and certainly does NOT deserve being regarded as any kind of “financial services centre”. More like Toy Town !!!
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TL
No, but the Guernsey Govt is the only one in the world that has steadfastly refused to help stricken savers in any way.
Look at the actions of the Govts in the UK, Netherlands, Isle of Man, tiny Faroes etc etc. Their actions speak for themselves.
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TL
Whilst you are correct in saying that regulators such as GFSC do not guarantee that banks will never fail, it is understandable that the same people should have been confident that the regulator would minimise the danger of a failure.
What happened is that the GFSC ignored all the many warnings and relied on feedback from the FSA. That is why Peter Neville told the Commons Committtee that the GFSC was surprised when the iceland banks failed.
The facts, even if we strip out the pro and anti Guernsey sentiment, show why depositors are right to be dissapointed in the performance of the Guernsey regulator.
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Guernsey safe? ask all those that have lost money whether they think Guernsey is safe. Ask anyone thinking about investing in Guernsey if they think it is safe.
Inaction by the Chief Minister is saving some money now, it will hurt the island so much more in the future from lost revenue than he could ever imagine.
He hurts Landbanki savers today, Islanders tomorrow.
Facing up to his financial and moral responsibilities will benefit everyone.
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I’m surprised no one has asked how the taxpayer funded Guernsey Finance delegates travelled to China.
Business Class?
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“Authorities and have already written to all of the US Oficials”
Oooohh!! Scary!
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