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Crown Dependencies Pledge Closer Alliance

Mandy Robinson, Tax-news.com, London

12 October 2000

Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man enjoy a close relationship but the alliance is set to become even closer. This is according to three senior politicians from the Crown dependencies who attended Guernsey's "Question Time" this week: Senator Frank Walker, president of Jersey's Finance and Economics Committee, Deputy Laurie Morgan, president of Guernsey's Advisory and Finance Committee, and Donald Gelling, Chief Minister of the Isle of Man.

Senator Frank Walker said there were great mutual benefits to be had for the three islands: 'I want to see cooperation increased and increased still further, it is of real value to both islands and the Isle of Man, too. We have scarce resources and I think we can make much better use of our resources by sharing them more fully than we have done so far.'

Senator Walker confirmed that he and Guernsey's Laurie Morgan were in 'constant contact' out of necessity: 'We are in the international spotlight and there are predators. If one of the three moves out of kilter with the other two and gets picked off in some way, the other two become vulnerable,' he said. 'Provide a solid, united front and we are in a stronger position. Divided we fall.'

Furthermore, says Senator Walker, the Jersey and Guernsey governments are to face structural reviews and may look to the Isle of Man's ministerial form of government for inspiration. He called the Manx Council of Ministers a 'great success' and said the Jersey and Guernsey committee system 'may have worked well over a number of years but it's no longer working sufficiently well.'

Deputy Morgan admitted that he also felt critical of the current committee system, of which he said 'it might not be broke but it's very close to being broke as far as I'm concerned ... we need to have something better in its place.'

The Question Time meeting was the first time that the three politicians had faced a grilling in public together and they were in almost total agreement when answering questions raised by the audience, largely made up of representatives from the finance industry.

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