Brussels office-share is an option, and we do have an invitation
Saturday 17th October 2009, 2:29PM BST.
THE Policy Council today admitted that sharing an office, as part of its plans for a presence in Brussels, was an option.
Former 10-year member of the European Parliament Roy Perry (pictured), now a deputy leader of Hampshire County Council and executive member for international affairs, believes there is an opportunity for serious cost-cutting measures if the island decides to go ahead.
He is chairman of Southern England Local Partners, a consortium that provides seven counties with representation in Brussels.
In Bruce Parker’s Guernsey Press column today councillor Perry invites the States to join SELP in Brussels at a cost not of £200,000, as proposed by Guernsey’s government, but £20,000.
‘It is just possible that Guernsey might want to try a toe in the water by combining with the South East England office that currently exists,’ he said.
‘That would let them hit the ground running.’
‘They might want to send a member of staff to work with the other eight staff in the SELP office.’
A Policy Council spokesman said it was seeking to use up to £200,000 funding next year for various external affairs initiatives in the European Union and a presence in Brussels was just one of them.
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I see many references whereby the UK is wanting to give Guernsey a piggyback. Many external interferences that the island should feel they were doing themselves a favour by allowing themselves to be categorised alongside the UK.
If this continues we will end up being overruled by default. This is what I predict will be the start of the recession for islanders and very tough times ahead.
The runway and the incinerator should be put on hold because with things as fragile as they are the classic business traveller argument wont hold much water.
If finance look elsewhere then we will have a real chance to recycle as much as possible due to the drop in population and the fact that we have no other option.
The money just is not going to flow as freely as we have known in the past. It is commercial suicide for the politicians to borrow for things that would make life easier but we could actually do without.
I don’t think we need an office in Brussels either. Just a well tuned individual that can interpret what it is they expect from others.
The bottom line is if they are not happy with what is being presented by any outsiders they will simply not invite you around their table and if one shows up they will be locked out.
This island has taken advantage of others for far too long and now it is fearing the future without the way being paved with ill gotten gains that others have lost out on.
We can make a small fortune by exploiting the high net worth individuals with refuels on their luxury motor yachts. There is even a spare fuel ship depreciating and costing the taxpayers a small fortune by doing nothing at all.
The politicians need to find something fast. Fuel would be a start on this road of recovery!
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Your Poll could give completly the wrong impression. You should have a second question.
Q1 Should Guernsey be considering an office in Brussels? Yes/No
Q2 If Yes, should they:
a) Go it alone
b) Take up the offer to share.
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This is interesting from the Editor’s Opinion in the Jersey Evening Post:
“Comforting noises about the merits of negotiating directly with the EU rather than through the agency of the UK are being made, but, even if this does represent an advantage, it is a marginal matter. Like it or not, the overwhelmingly serious issue is the massive and deeply troubling question mark now hovering over the whole of our fiscal strategy.”
http://www.thisisjersey.com/2009/10/15/taxation-and-eu-demands/
So over here we get Giba (which appears to be the GEP Opinion benchmark) making daily political statements about how the local elected representatives should act, what they should spend tax payer money on, and what “sacrifices we’re all going to have to make in order for us to maintain our corporates’ needs in these times of sustained attack from jealous communists.”, and Jersey’s ‘voice of the people’ deems an EU connection a ‘marginal’ issue.
And the concensus for inter-island co-operation begins where exactly?
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I suspect the author of that offer has remembered his childhood tales as per childcare school
That story about the ginger bread man wanting to cross the river
Along comes the old fox and offers to ferry him over on his back.
gradually the fox sinks lower and lower, and the ginger bread man climbs right on to the fox’s nose
then whoosh no more ginger bread man.
Just a fable folks, but being used more and more by the foxes.,
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