Island is eleventh-best place for mobile rich
Tuesday 9th June 2009, 2:29PM BST.
GUERNSEY is one of the most desirable places for the mobile wealthy to live.
The island was ranked 11th by British business strategy adviser the Scorpio Partnership, which compiled the world’s first index judging the attractiveness of financial centres to the mobile rich.
Switzerland placed first, closely followed by London, then Singapore, New York and Hong Kong.
Jersey ranked sixth.
‘The fact that Guernsey appears on a list of the 11 most attractive places for the mobile wealthy is a testament to the many advantages of living here,’ said Treasury minister Charles Parkinson (pictured).
‘Scorpio have given us good scores for political and economic stability, legal considerations, proximity and convenience and education. There are useful pointers here as to what we could do to improve our image in this market and the first which catches my eye is the availability of quality housing.
‘I think we should encourage upgrading by making it possible to delete poor-quality houses from the open market register and to replace them with better stock, as was permitted at Admiral Park.’
He was concerned that Guernsey ranked behind Monaco and the Isle of Man for proximity and convenience.
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Eh , Thats 11th and last out of the countries surveyed, so not very impressive. However probably a good thing as you would not want these people coming in and cluttering up the crown pier with their Ferraris.
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Come to Guernsey, the avaricious micro-state. Yes individuals who would move for a marginal tax saving, having done so well in the good years, would find this place to their liking.
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Instead of worrying about the number of houses available for the rich, perhaps Deputy Parkinson should concern himself with the lack of affordable housing available (in both the rental and sales markets) to the young and low-income residents already here?
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Don’t be silly Paul; if you think any politician
cares about any other people other than idle rich
then you are sadly mistaken.
He and his mob would like to be rid of all Islanders who don’t come up to the monetary level of those rich.
His talk of taking inferior houses (for that is what he means) so that large Mansions out of keeping with our Island. Can be built for those tax dodgers.
If Old brownie is going to alter the way he Governs then he must take a look at the way things are over in Guernsey.
He is like that biblical story;
“I thank God I am not like ordinary men”
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Yes I agree, not really something that I really want the island was on born on known for……..kind of a greed table really
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This is one list where I am glad that Jersey is ranked some way above us.
Interesting that the tax haven of London (for non-doms, anyway) is a full 9 places ahead of Guernsey. So where does that leave Brown and his posturing about offshore finance centres?
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arnt all guernsey people lucky, we should be so grateful
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It’s quite obviously Bernard Flouquet’s fault.
All seriousness aside, I have a solution.
1. Merge GuernseyFinance with Housing. (With an option to relocate Dave Jones to Shanghai.)
2. Divert all social housing grants and rent rebate payments into setting up a ‘mobile rich settlement agenda’.
3. ‘Decant’ anyone earning less than Sam Maindonald to a holding area, maybe close to the Red Lion.
4. Raze the Bridge.
5. Restructure the north of the island so that it looks like a massive freesia, or tomato plant, or a donkey eating a tomato, or Jersey from the air. Call it ‘Little Dubai’.
6. Build a load of things that rich people like.
7. Advertise real estate in a suitable organ. Maybe ‘Adventures In Secondaries Monthly’ or ‘Rich, Mobile And Only Tolerated Because You’re Rich. And Mobile. Daily.’
8. Watch as we climb that list! Marvel at the tenacious (yet adaptable) spirit of the Guernsey people as the new currency in the Belle Greve ghetto is the Trott. Tiny wobbly-eyed representations of the CM fashioned out of ‘outfall bounty’.
9. By 2020 the States may have finally agreed on whether there should be paid parking at the sewage facility (for the Tourists) on North Beach (now incorporating Herm).
10. The resulting collapse of the Belle Greve Shanty Town economy due to the implementation of 19th century urban planning fundamentals attracts yet more mobile rich types as they can ensure a decent charity ball will be had for all the little dirty local children, usually found begging for some panini crumbs from around the North Plantation (now incorporating South Plantation) as the cappucino quaffers gaze idly at hyper-yachts outrunning Customs with their cargos of Spice and Thai ‘helpers’.
This ten-point, ten-year plan is guaranteed to raise Guernsey’s profile and by the end of Lyndon Trott’s fifth term in position, we should have reached at least 7th.
Unless we get annexed by the UK under BNP hegemony.
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Probably the only table I hope we drop down to around 100th. Last thing we need is a bunch of english tax dodgers setting up home here build crap houses on what’s left of our beautiful island.
I met one of these well off typese once and he was the lonliest man I had ever met. After banging on about how much money he had saved he then went on to bemoan how he hated the island and wished he hadn’t moved here. He had no friends.
Personally if I was that rich and that unhappy I think I would pay my tax in my home country and just be happy with my friends and family.
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Ahhhh Guernsey home of the tax dodger…..
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Does C Parkinson mean that those atrocious buildings known as Admiral park are a vision of beauty?
I think even Admiral Horatio Nelson would yet again put his telescope to his blind eye; and pointing with his severed arm say
I see no Beauty there—
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nice one bingo-jane, if you don’t have a job writing satire then go get one, good stuff.
more super rich please, what a smashing idea!
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report here
http://www.scorpiopartnership.com/pdf/scorpio-pr_hnwdestinationsindex_may2009.pdf
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Guernsey is LAST! That is not a good thing at all – what on earth is this report saying! Behind Jersey and even London. It was third from bottom for “Sophistication/culture/infrastructure”. This is awful for the island. It’s not all about getting the super rich to live here – this survey sends out a message – Guernsey is behind most of the countries surveyed in each sub category, some of which are intrinsically linked to business and tourist appeal.
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Couldn’t we convert the mothballed boat into a super casino? All the high rollers will flock to Guernsey to get a piece of no-holds barred Crown and Anchor debauchery. A perfect local employer.
There’s nothing the mobile rich love more than a good beauty pageant. Miss Sarnia Liberty could be elected weekly from a selection of returning graduates, wondering if their BA in equine motivational psychology will land them a data input job. The lucky recipient could pass round the ormers at the Wednesday Night Quiz Night to raise funds for a statue of Jack Honeybill to be erected in view of his Good Works.
Talking of pageants, wouldn’t it be great if we had an annual parade of the mobile rich, you know, like the battle of flowers but with more pinstripes and chutzpah. The Guernsey plebs could line St Julian’s Avenue waving little flags and cheering as our benefactors amble by, waving and throwing alms.
As they walk past the grandstand on the roundabout, they would pledge allegiance to forever maintain favourable tax regimes and perks by doing a funny handshake with the CM, who would grin and boggle. It’s a beautiful image. Blessed be them for making Guernsey ‘unique’. At least the eleventh most ‘unique’.
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Bingo-Jane
???????????????That’s a strong batch on LSD you’ve got your hands on!
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Charles Parkinson was concerned that Guernsey ranked behind Monaco and the Isle of Man for proximity and convenience. In addition it ranks behind them (and also behind Jersey, London and Singapore – not been to N.Y. or Hong Kong) for democracy, friendly treatment of foreigners and conscientious firefighters!
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DANNO Excellent and informative website. Does Guernsey and all those living there really want to become a second MONACO?
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Ha ha, I agree with Nikkers. Bingo-Jane keep up the good work, you’ve really made me chuckle and trying to conjure up the image of the pageant has made my mind boggle. I do miss my beloved homeland, never a dull moment!!!!
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from the report:
“While the media around the world has tended to focus on high profile examples such as the Russian oligarchs, this group of ultra HNWs represents a small proportion of the world’s mobile wealthy population. The majority of the mobile wealthy are professionals such as doctors and dentists, architects, lawyers, accountants, entrepreneurs and financial services executives”
So, wealthy but not in a private jet sense.
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To MOO:
Your comment was discusting how dare you class all englishmen together and in such a hurtful and rude way. YOUR ENGLISH TOO dont you know that? No.. you’re probably so ignorant and self involved you think that living in Guernsey is your own world and anyone else that isnt from Guernsey is worthy in your eyes. I should report you for being racist.
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I wonder what the mobile rich presently immobile in Guernsey think about having the eleventh best taste out of all their peers?
I can see associates in Jersey calling them up and laughing. If you look in the windows of the higher class eateries you can see certain well dressed types weeping into their lobsters with the shame of it all.
They’ve even had to ‘Spinal Tap’ the league table to squeeze us on there. Who’s heard of a top eleven for goodness sake?
So next time you bump into a mobile rich, be forthcoming with your condolences at their poor choice.
Charles Parkinson, why don’t you put a suggestion box in all of the mobile rich’s favourite haunts? You know where they are…
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Mr Parkinson said “Delete Poor Quality Housing from the “OPEN MARKET”does this mean that some open market houses are POOR QUALITY and therefore buy definition OVER PRICED !!!! estate agents take note…
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IHG, MO, ERIC and the rest of you.
When will you lot get it.
GUERNSEY IS NOT ENGLISH!
What part of ‘Guernsey is not English’ is so hard to understand.
The UK Government itself states ‘Guernsey is NOT part of the UK’.
Eric as you are being such a stickler for history get it right.
PS Eric you don’t seem to understand that since the Act of Union with Scotland in 1707 the United Kingdom, the UK, is just that. It is not just England.
PPS Eric since you are so keen on origins – Western Europeans originated from a mass migration from Anatolia (S.W. Turkey) around 1000BC so we are all blood brothers and sisters under the skin whether you like it or not. Sorry mate!
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@1000BC so we are all blood brothers and sisters under the skin whether you like it or not. Sorry mate! @
Go further back and we is black! Sorry Bernard!
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Is there no thread that won’t descend into a history lesson? You lot are as bad as Arnald’s tax-dodgers-under-the-bed-and-in-every-corner-aren’t-they verbals.
Viva Pangaea. 1st on most lists.
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Yes, history lessons are so enlightening aren’t they!
It’s such a shame that so many people see these threads as being a place where they can flex their intellectual muscles and berate those who know less in order to make themselves look better. Bullying from the keyboard is so safe for small people isn’t it.
And to add insult to injury, it’s all irrelevant on this thread. Whether we are English, British, Black, White or otherwise is not the point. The point is, our island was last overall and scored badly on most of the sub-categories. That is shameful for all of us. Perhaps ‘one’ would do well to drop the all to regular English bashing sessions. God knows, if Guernsey started to be a little more accepting of the outside world we might even improve and score well in such surveys… perish the thought eh Guerns?!
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It is strange how even in the 21st century there is still an anti-learning culture; intellect is seen as shameful and statement of actual fact is seen as ‘bullying’. What is it they were saying about Guerns and education?
However Me does have a very valid point and since I actually see these threads as learning curves (stupid bully that I am) maybe Me could explain to this simpleton exactly WHY the Guerns hate the rest of the world in general and the English in particular. After all the island has done rather well out of the rest of the world in general and England in particular.
PS given that the Guerns do hate the English (and their intellectualism) so much why do you keep flying OUR flag?
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Me
There is nothing wrong with being proud of being Guernsey or relaying the islands history to others. There is a real issue here, as the island becomes more anglicised and as people who come from somewhere else constantly whinge about what they have found here sometimes almost immediately after arriving. I am firmly with the Guerns if people who have moved here are so desperately unhappy with the way the island is governed or the Guernsey way of doing things then there choice is obvious, after all no one brought them here in chains and one of the fundamental planks of our consensus democracy is that people are free to leave any time they wish. What infuriates Guernsey people is being told what happens in England, they are simply not interested and will tell you so in no uncertain terms. How we score on several scales is also of no interest to them, they want to continue living their lives as they have done for hundreds of years and what others think about that is of no concern to them. My own family members are fiercely loyal to Guernsey and its way of life and they have watched over a number of years rich predators buying up everything in sight and destroying the community in the process reducing choice as everything is owned by one or two companies, Pubs, Breweries, small parish shops, Supermarkets, Bakeries, Garages, wholesale drinks companies and a lot of property. A large amount of what has been bought has been closed down leaving gaping holes in the fabric of this community the properties being bought for their land value rather than the service they once provided. I could go on as why Guernsey people get so upset but I am sure there will be other points made.
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D Jones
i think i`m beging to warm to you :)
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Historian asks a valid question. However it would be impossible to list the reasons why Guerns hate the English as each person is bound to have their own version of the answer. Perhaps the answer is broader – and in fact, I would suggest that (cue the generalisation) Guerns as a whole do not like any outside influence. The relationship with Jersey is a case in point – as in fact, there is no logical or historical reason for the tension (or maybe someone knows better and will correct me?).
And one last message for Historian – my reference to bullying was in response to your post that begins “IHG, MO, ERIC and the rest of you. When will you lot get it.” I make the point that some people see these forums as being a safe place where rudeness is acceptable and you can engage in impolite language during a conversation. It is your phraseology that deserves the title bullying from the keyboard, and not your overall message.
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Mr Jones
Maybe ‘rich predators’ wouldn’t have been able ‘to buy up everything in sight and destroy the community’ if it hadn’t beeen for the greedy idiocy of your own Housing Department in laying down a thousand regulations for ordinary workers but allowing anyone to buy into the open market housing provided the house costs a minimum of £1million (Housing Dept policy as stated by staff summer 2008)
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Bingo-Jane……
Class :-)
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I liked this one by ‘turn the tables’:
Charles Parkinson was concerned that Guernsey ranked behind Monaco and the Isle of Man for proximity and convenience. In addition it ranks behind them (and also behind Jersey, London and Singapore – not been to N.Y. or Hong Kong) for democracy, friendly treatment of foreigners and conscientious firefighters!
I would add: “…and pensioners who lost the majority of their life’s savings after depositing their trust in Guernsey, who’s Govt has done next to nothing to help them recover them. The only country in the world that has refused to help.”
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Democrat
They are not laws laid down by the Housing Department, they are laws passed by the States of Guernsey and it is Housings job to enforce them, quite what housing and employment regulations have to do with certain companies buying up half the island I am not sure.
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Democrat – the open market is exactly what it says on the tin: open to anyone. Houses on the OM do not all cost £1m+ as far as I know but they can all be bought by anyone – that is the whole idea. However, the OM is essentially closed and no new houses are added – so there is no influx of incomers as a result of houses being on OM. Restrictions are placed on local market houses in order to keep prices down and to try to keep housing for locals. Really cannot see what you are objecting to.
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Also, local market houses can be bought by anyone, there’s no restriction on who can buy them, just on who can live in them.
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I don’t know how many times I’ve heard complaints about outsiders or incomers buying everything up and destroying our way of life. If you agree this is a bad thing, who is more guilty, the buyers who have no local allegiance or responsibility or the sellers belonging to long established Guernsey families?
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What a load of pomp.
I know over a dozen ‘Guernsey’ people who own more than one local property which they rent out at exorbitant rates.
Mr Jones – your name sounds very English to me. Hardly a Robilliard are you?
I doubt there are many true Guernsey, i.e. pre 1900′s, folk who can make the claim to be just that, i.e., a Guern – most of the alleged Guerns are from the UK, or have been cross bred.
At the end of the day Guernsey has a lot to offer people who have lots of money, but little to offer the hard workers that come here. We take the taxes off the licence holders then tell them to push off, meanwhile they get no benefit for the taxes that they pay.
And Deputy Jones – why don’t you get over the fact that commercial entities have ‘bought everything’ as you put it. You and the rest of Guernsey are in love with the money when it comes to the island, to help with taxation, infrastructure, housing boom etc, but soon as things get tight, and those same companies want to maintain a profit margin, you are the first to whinge and moan about them selling their property on, or hanging on to it empty.
If Guernsey was as interested in its local population as you make out then there would have been a cap on commercial and housing rate rises year on year to protect the market.
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Darren:-
How to you propose to ‘cap’ house prices?
Does this mean you would also support a cap on the exorbitant wages paid over here?
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Darren my name sounds English because it is English but that does not prevent me from supporting the views of large numbers of local people who wish to defend their way of life from those who want to turn this island into a plastic replica of the place they just left. Just as an aside my wife’s family goes back over 700 years, my children and their children are all locally born with a huge extended family of dozens of aunts uncles cousins all who also come from a long line of Norman ancestry, so I will always defend their rights and freedoms to live in an island that is not dominated by those from another place, I accepted forty years ago that I am coming to a community that wants to live as they wish and you have a choice either accept that or leave it is simple really. My complaint about the abuse of the dominant position of any company in Guernsey is that it denies people choice by forcing people into outlets controlled and price set by one central office, it matters not one jot what name is over the door of the pub, shop, garage, restaurant, or whatever, it is all the same company and therefore it has removed a large part of the competition and it has changed the face and fabric of this community for ever. Not content with buying up lots of garages they then alter them into small forecourt shops which also went a long way to helping several parish corner shops closing down. I will give you just one other small example. If you take the Salerie pub that used to be part of the hub of the Salerie harbour community. Local men and women went down there and worked on their boats local people who fished out of the Salerie harbour and met at the pub afterwards, where they had a drink ,played euchre or cribbage, it used to be a small focal point how on earth are local people expected to get over that as you put it. As for the workers who come here, they get lots of benefits from the community, not least of all jobs that are not always available elsewhere. I also know that many of them want to stay but that simply is not possible, so I don’t recognise the description of guest workers and license holders you describe and incidentally they get exactly same benefits as every other taxpayer in Guernsey while they are here.
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Mrs P
Does this mean you would also support a cap on the exorbitant wages paid over here?
Could you please enlighten us to what the wages should be and for which proffesion they are attacthed to ?. Or maybe your one of those that compares to UK rates of pay ?.
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Mr Jones
May I respectfully point out that your surname is most likely welsh in origin and nothing to do with the english
If only people could spend a little less time arguing about their family origins we could forget the bickering and work out what is best for our island
because it is whether you like it or not everybodies island a mix of cultures and races
wake up Guernsey there is a whole world out there and benefit fight to keep your identity but embrace anybody that wants to share all that is good about the island
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Darren what a brilliant email. I agree with you 100%.
Incidently Mrs P I don’t call £6 an hour (especially when you’re paying high Guernsey prices for everything) for washing other people’s dirty dishes and cleaning out other people’s (often disgusting) loos exactly exorbitant. Perhaps you’d care to suggest how much you would expect to be paid for doing that. Or do you belong to the ‘Let’s Stamp Hard on the Revolting Peasants Society’?
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to be fair, Overpaid Worker, Mrs P was talking about house prices being driven by exorbitant wages. I doubt that she had £6 an hour cleaners in mind when thinking of the causes of sky high house prices.
and from her various posts, I think that Mrs P is a founding member of the “Let’s Pretend to Stamp Hard on the Revolting Peasants as a way of making an Ironic Statement Society”
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