St Helena insists with close business links with the Falkland Islands
Former Managing Director of the Falkland Island Development Corporation, Julian Morris, now Executive Officer of Economic Development on St Helena, has been caught up in a tight schedule of meetings during his visit over the past week, to encourage Falklands’ business investment in St Helena.
Speaking to Penguin News, he explained that with the exciting advent of air access to St Helena in 2016, there were now fast growing opportunities for business development as the island moves towards, not only being, “ready enough” for the anticipated increase in tourists, (currently 2.177 per annum with the aim of 30,000 by 2020) but the likely positive impact on other business sectors.
Laying out the aims of his visit to the Falklands he said from a general point of view it was, “important that people down here know what is happening up there because there is a lot of interaction between the two communities.”
More vitally perhaps, Mr Morris has been setting out to Falklands’ businesses the coming opportunities on St Helena. A number of Falklands businesses have already invested in St Helena, “so now with the airport we want to see what other areas can be targeted.”
He said in sectors such as: fishing, aviation services, shipping and retail, typically Falklands businesses, “have more cash and capacity than Saint businesses and in terms of investment I and the island would rather have more of that coming from the Falklands, where there is a connection than from elsewhere.”
Mr Morris is also looking at the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) and the St Helena Government working more closely together: “I’ve already experienced that since I’ve been there, and because I know people in FIG I can pick up the phone to them and that’s been extremely useful for both sides.”
He also believes with regard to strategic issues such as politics, there might be ways the Falklands and St Helena can benefit from, “more joined up thinking.”
Mr Morris and the population of St Helena are working within a very tight time-frame. When the British Government made the decision to fund an airport it was unexpected, as the issue had been raised and then dropped by HMG for many years.
“People were unprepared for it happening so fast,” said Mr Morris. The four year build contract is one year in already and so far is, “on target and on budget.”
Mr Morris is, “optimistic that the island will be ready enough. In the first year we put together a plan of how we are going to address this issue.”
The next step was to put in place the components to deliver that plan, “as well as doing some proper work. Now we are pretty much engaged on the proper work.”
Those components include: inward investment (getting hotel businesses to come and build on island, where currently there are only 18 rooms available); increasing the capability and capacity of Saint businesses on the island, “in order to take advantage of this situation,” and, “linked to that, but also separate, is the ‘up-skilling’ of Saints.”
Next week a hospitality training school will be launched in St Helena so that Saints, “will not just be employed in businesses, but running things themselves.”
Providing finance for businesses and international promotion are two further components, however, Mr Morris is also responsible for shipping, the airport project and fisheries development.
Changes are already happening he explained. As a result of the airport project he has agreed a new ten year deal with Cable & Wireless which has meant cheaper rates and significant improvements.
The island has also gone from three TV channels to 15 and mobile phones will ‘happen’ next year.
Mr Morris made it clear that he was not in the Falklands in order to target Saints to return home to work, although part of the organisation he is running is, “definitely targeting that with some success, but when wages in Stanley are four to five times higher than they are in St Helena, people will only move to be in a better situation.”
He added: “So we have no expectation of Saints from Stanley moving back to the island, but from the UK and South Africa definitely; that’s where we are having quite a bit of success.”
Over recent years, with wages low and few opportunities for the younger generation, the population of St Helena has reduced from around 6,000 to approximately 4,000.
Mr Morris said, “I’m there to help the island change and it needs that change in my view as wages are too low. Half the people of working age are off-island as there aren’t the jobs on the island and 20 per cent of kids at school don’t have at least one parent on the island.”
Summing up, Mr Morris commented that although the Falklands and St Helena were very different in many ways, there was also a parallel: “The airport is going to be St Helena’s 1982 and it will change the economy and be a catalyst.”
He said the parallel had given him a lot of encouragement: “Rapid change in a small community is a lot easier to do than rapid change in a bigger place,” and the Falklands, he said, provided a perfect example of this. (PN)
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Hmmmm :-)
I still have hope, however, that they won't do that and sensibility will prevail.
What a Chilean politician says when standing at a press conference with Christina's hand up his nether regions and what the Chilean government actually does are two different things. We understand this and so do they.
The truth is that the Chileans have declined to cut our air link, have refused to close their ports to our boats and are keen to promote cultural and economic links with the islands.
There is not a chance of this happening but thanks all the same. It's something we keep an eye on constantly. Picture a big shower mixer tap. You can let a bit of hot in, a bit of cold in, a bit of both or just shut it off. Well our immigration control works like that and we have our hand firmly on the tap handle.
That's the biggest pile of garbage you've posted on here since yesterday. Name me one single country that doesn't set it's immigration policy to suit its own interests.
A new low on these boards. A comment so disastrously ridiculous it would take quite something to beat it.
What does it matter if there are Chilean descendants on the Falklands? Its thier country too and they will express thier wishes without fear or favour as in a true democracy
As for dove over dover, mebbe its seagull over Dover like the ones that crap right in your eye as his vision seems to be be badly asquint
The poor sod is clutching at straws on this one. So bitter, so jealous, so wrong about most things. He's absolutely sure about this one though.
Poor old Pepe the new president of Mercosur. He should drink less caipainha at lunch and stop his slurs on the marital fidelity of the wives of the opposition politicians. With that one he hit a new low and most Uruguayans of all parties are disgusted with his remarks
Oh dear. I don't know what you're on but show me where I said anything about maintaining racial parity. Your problem (one of your problems) is that you keep trying to find what you think is behind our posts rather than just reading them.
You mental midget. Oops, now I'm discriminating on the grounds of intelligence.
24 Doveoverdover
You need to chill. You have identified yourself as a gullible eejit; you're being played like a violin and you can't even see it.
Anyway, it's all lies. We do let Chileans in; we just make them take a lie detector test to make sure they really do hate the Argentines. Then we make sure they can sing both verses of the national anthem and answer a series of questions about Falkland Islands culture. There is even a Facebook page called 'Falkland Islands Citizenship test', set up so that they can practice. Have a look for it if you don't believe me.
Bravo !!
Encore !!
Nice performance, Dame Dover.
Just a bit of a “walk-on”, really, but children would find you quite terrifying!
Come back tomorrow evening too, please. Very entertaining :-D
What? At every oppurtunity, at every forum in the last two years, Chile has wholeheartedly supported Argentinas claim on the Falkland Islands. Now they are either doing that because they are afraid of Argentina or they are two faced or they genuinely believe the Falkland Islands belong to Argentina. One thing is for sure, they are no friends to the UK or the Falkland Islanders and if I lived there I would be well and truly on my guard of them.
You are misunderstanding the situation. There is no love lost between the Chileans and the Argentines; in fact there is a very old and very deep enmity that goes way beyond all that public 'South American brotherhood' nonsense they do in public. There is no way that the Chileans would do us over to oblige Argentina. Not unless they were backed into a corner over something that really mattered, which is always possible. They aren't going to stand up to Argentina in a public forum, because the Argentines have the means to make things difficult for them.
But when it counts they make it quite clear that they aren't going to be pushed around. They were asked by Argentina to cut our flight and they said no. They were asked to stop our ships calling there and they said no.
Surely you don't believe what politician say??
Showing your true colors eh Joe?
Not wonder that“fig”thing loves Andrew Rosindell friendship.
20 redpoll
Was Patricia's trip funded by that“fig” like Gustavo?
1) They think they will be better off under an incompetent corrupt regime that has a mentally ill head of state.
2) They hate the guts of the Falkland Islanders they have chosen to travel hundreds of miles to live and work with.
If I was Argentina I wouldn't count on too many votes from the Chileans.
Unless of course it is all nonsense as you say and JB is actually a sneering windbag prone to public bouts of delusional blustering underpinned by highly suspect ethnic purity beliefs. I'd take your word for it since you obviously know him personally.
Based on doveoverdovers premise, there should be no immigration controls, as that amounts to preemptive ethnic cleansing.
So, an “invasion force” should be allowed to walk-in and take a territory as soon as that “invasion force” is larger than the existing population.
Saddam Hussein needn't have invaded Kuwait after all...he could have just walked 4 million Iraqis over the border.
What was Hitler doing invading Belgium when he could have just waltzed 12 million Germans in.
No wonder Tibet and Taiwan should be nervous of China or probably Vietnam, North Korea and Laos should be worried.
India can just waltz a few million into Kashmir etc etc
Immigration controls around the world are designed to protect national security. the Falklands are no different.
That's democracy with chinese characteristics.
You've completely lost it this time, señor.
ANY country has the right to say who will & who willnot emigrate/settle in their country without some pc do-gooding poltroon calling them “racist”.
What do you think the Falklands should do?
Throw open their doors, let 4000 malvinista Argentines in so that they can (out)vote to join Argentina?
You are deluded if thats what you think & you can scream “racist” as much as you like. Who cares what you think?
Dec 12th, 2012 - 12:20 pm
Actually it isn't a bad idea to let in 4000 rabid malvinistas, we certainly would be better off without them, and you guys could repatriate them fairly quickly for not complying with Falklands law. After all there is no way a malvinista will live within any law!!!!!!
You've inferred something Joe Bloggs has neither stated nor implied.
St Helenians are the second largest immigrant community. You do know the racial background of St Helenians, don't you?
Er, yes, I am we'll aware that there are Chileans living in the Falkland Islands. Just show me one, just one demonstration of open and public support the Chilean government have shown to the Falkland Islanders and their community in the last two years. Just one!!!
The immigration limits in the Falkland Islands are based not on race/ethnic grouping, but on availability of jobs and sustainability.
What would be the point in allowing unlimited immigration if the immigrants did not have jobs waiting for them.
Why thank you but don't worry about Dove. He's sore with us Bennies for living the high life at his expense down here in the South Atlantic. He's particularly sore with me because I was amongst the first to detect a rather bad dead rodent smell coming off his posts.
“ It's something we keep an eye on constantly. Picture a big shower mixer tap. You can let a bit of hot in, a bit of cold in, a bit of both or just shut it off. Well our immigration control works like that and we have our hand firmly on the tap handle.”
On the other hand by an equally authoritative poster we are told:
“It's illegal to discriminate against anyone on account of where they come from. If you meet the immigration criteria, you're in. Most recent immigrants seem to have come from Chile as far as I can tell.”
You can decide for yourself who to believe. I've made my choice.
Then the “equally authoritative poster” went on to say: You need to chill. You have identified yourself as a gullible eejit; you're being played like a violin and you can't even see it.
Anyway, it's all lies. We do let Chileans in; we just make them take a lie detector test to make sure they really do hate the Argentines. Then we make sure they can sing both verses of the national anthem and answer a series of questions about Falkland Islands culture. There is even a Facebook page called 'Falkland Islands Citizenship test', set up so that they can practice. Have a look for it if you don't believe me.
Like I said Dove. I made no reference to ethnic parity or whatever else you are claiming. You need to read with your eyes not your bitterness.
I stand corrected.
@45 “Anyway, it's all lies.” That's you she's writing about.
I hope she didn't have problems with Joe's shower mixer tap handle.
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