Sir Philip: “Jersey is in a strong and…enviable position”

Friday 12 August 2016

Sir Philip Bailhache, the Island’s Minister for External Affairs, has discovered social media.

Recently he started tweeting, and now he’s writing a blog.

In it, he shares his thoughts on Jersey’s position post-Brexit.

He says most pundits had not predicted the UK would vote to leave, and that the result has certainly caused uncertainty. But, he says it is not all doom and gloom for Jersey.

He believes, “...Jersey is in a strong and in some respects an enviable position. We have offices in London, Brussels and France, each of which promotes our interests to key audiences and allows us to engage with foreign governments, industry professionals and diplomatic contacts on a regular basis. Unlike many developed countries, Jersey is not weighed down by debt, our employment level is reaching record highs, and our economy is diversifying into digital sectors.”

And he goes on: “Furthermore, we have a strong network of global partners. We should not ignore the substantial challenges ahead, but at the same time, I think that we can claim with a sense of optimism that Jersey is well prepared and well positioned to succeed in the post-Brexit world.”

He then poses the rhetorical question “so what is next for Jersey?” Again he is upbeat.

His answer: “We have established a Brexit planning unit at the heart of Government, which will be engaging with Islanders, local businesses and Government Departments, asking them for their views and aspirations.  We will be talking directly to decision-makers in Brussels and London – in fact, we have already held initial conversations with Ministers from the UK’s Ministry of Justice and the newly-created Department for Exiting the European Union. And above all, we will be communicating our objectives, both to the public and to our partners in the dialogues.”