Guernsey

Guernsey - Rachel's Story

2011-12-17T10:40:00.000-08:00

Guernsey - Rachel's Story has been released this week in the USA and includes both Rachel's Shoe and its sequel The Causeway in a single 434 page volume.

The UK version will be out in 2012 and a Kindle version will soon be available both sides of the Atlantic.The sequel follows so seamlessly, this seemed like a logical move, I hope you agree!

I'd like to also take this opportunity to thank my readers for their support, especially those who have been written such kind reviews on Amazon and elsewhere.

Happy Christmas to you all and a peaceful New Year!
Pete

Guernsey the Movie!

2011-12-11T08:49:00.001-08:00

Just 'Guernsey'

The long awaited movie of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is to be titled simply Guernsey, according to the latest on island reports.

It is now hoped that much of it will be located on the island and Fox has picked Kenneth Branagh to be the director.

Filming is scheduled for the Spring of 2012 and rumours still abound that Kate Winslet will take the leading role of Juliet Ashton.

This is big news for an island that is frequently confused with it's big sister 'Jersey'. Most locals have at sometime announced we are from Guernsey, only to get the reply, "Oh yes, we know Jersey!" But this time it will be different and if the movie is the world wide blockbuster Fox hopes for, the tides may just change and our cousins across the water may start to empathise with the plight of 'Guerns'.

"I come from Jersey."

"Oh yes, we all know about Guernsey from the movie and we're going there on holiday, perhaps we'll see you there!"

If you wish to read more about Guernsey during the occupation, read Rachel's Shoe, and the sequel The Causeway. That latter is set in my namesake island of Lihou, off the western coast of Guernsey and continues the story into the 1970s.

Lihou Island

2010-11-26T16:16:00.000-08:00

The Causeway is the name of my latest book set once again in the Channel Islands, quite a lot on my namesake Lihou!

I won't spoil the story, other than to say there is quite a twist that I hope will surprise and delight you and there is more about the other islands in addition to Guernsey and Herm.

It's now available from Amazon in the UK and USA as a paperback or Kindle eBook, links can be found here www.acclaimedbooks.com/best along with 8 other titles from Acclaimed Books.

I hope you enjoy it!

...our dear Channel Islands ..

2010-02-07T02:57:00.000-08:00

When Winston Churchill famously announced on May 8th 1945 (a day early) that "..our dear Channel Islands are also to be freed today." He could not have foreseen how tenuous the relationship between the islands and the UK would become.

A staunch European, Churchill would no doubt have been saddened to learn that on the 65th anniversary of the liberation, his dear islands would be battling to maintain their economic independence. Battling the UK and battling Europe.

Channel Islanders are a resourceful bunch but isolated by around seventy miles of sea from England, there are few strings to their economic bows. Post war Guernsey depended largely on a tomato growing industry that was devastated when the Dutch Government subsidized fuel for their growers.

The tourist industry has always provided some income but with competition from mass destinations like Spain and bucket air fairs, this has never been sufficient to support the population.

The only other industry with any scale to land, produce jobs and invest over the past thirty odd years has been Finance. The islands have nurtured and developed this and the various sub-sectors as well as the supporting legal and administrative businesses. With the possible exception of eGaming, this has been one of the few industries capable of locating offshore due to the geographical isolation.

So what does 'offshore' offer to entice them?

The answer is simple, yet grossly misunderstood. The islands offer an efficient, tax free environment with excellent regulation and superb telecommunications. All the islanders can do is to make their tiny land masses attractive by removing the obstacles to companies locating in them.

If they could attract a more diverse range of industries, they would. But islands are very unlikely to attract a volume of manufacturing or 'transformation' businesses because the logistics are both costly and unpredictable.

Why then is the UK and Europe 'hell bent' on destroying the only economic life line available?

Low or no tax jurisdictions are considered the pariahs of the offshore world because they do attract those businesses that can operate there, thus denying the onshore world those tax revenues. So a variety of accusations are levelled at them, most typically that they are routes for money laundering and a range of equally vicarious activities. Of course they aren't, any more than the City of London or other financial centres, but this helps to justify a range of sanctions.

The question the 'onshore' world needs to answer if it is to bombard the Channel Islands with economic artillery to match that of the German bunkers still punctuating the cliffs sixty five years after the liberation is this; "take away the finance industry and what are you going to put in its place?"

Having failed to live up to the commitment to defend the islands, cast adrift island students from UK universities, ended the reciprocal health agreement and been 'absent without leave' when needed to support the only local industry that feeds and sustains islanders, the UK must wake up to it's obligations. The words 'Crown Dependency' spell it out and if the Crown no longer wishes to be dependable, perhaps a financial compensation needs to be put forward?

Islanders have defended their position robustly but if the UK or Europe succeed in destroying the local Channel Island economies, they will be culpable for the plight of tens of thousands on the doorstep of Europe.

Peter Lihou
Author of the Guernsey Occupation Novel; Rachel's Shoe
www.rachelsshoe.com

In a Complete 'Tiz' about Guernsey Rubbish!

2010-02-05T08:14:00.000-08:00

In the old days they just shoved it all over the battlements!

But Guernsey now has some serious decisions to make about the treatment of it's waste.

A bunch of politicians thought they had it sorted but when scrutinized it appears they were about to overspend the public's money by a huge amount on an incinerator that was far too big for our needs. More practical solutions have now been proposed causing just a little 'egg on some faces'. C'est la vie!

Islands around the world struggle with challenges like this as they seldom enjoy the economies of scale found on the mainland. It is also very difficult to know when to invest in emerging technologies. We all agree that environmental concerns are important but the pace of change is so rapid and advances around the world so difficult to track, how do you know when to adopt a new solution?

It's not easy so perhaps we should cut the decision makers a little slack!

Guernsey grinds to a halt!

2010-01-06T05:47:00.000-08:00

Us 'Guerns' aren't really used to cold weather so the drop in temperature this week has caused havoc.

Guernsey Local Radio and TV this morning reported that the State schools wouldn't open but most of the private schools would. Perhaps they assume more of those parents will have 4 wheel drives! Anyway, at least one of them has now also decided to close at 12:30pm.

The problem hasn't been snow, just a light dusting can be seen at present (see opposite), but black ice.

Cars have been slipping all over the place which causes a danger not only to the drivers, but also any pedestrians braving the lanes which often have no pavement.

Having lived half of my life in the UK where my daily commute was around 150 miles, I'm pretty used to these conditions in the winter but I sympathise with those who aren't and frankly no amount of experience or using a 4x4 can stop a downhill slide on black ice. So I'm hoping I don't meet any driving home (downhill) in my Mini!

With most evenings now working on the sequel to Rachel's Shoe, I hope I don't get delayed.

Looking out the window right now, it looks fine and the sun is shining but we're told it will worsen again and we may even get a full helping of snow tonight.

I can't help feeling a bit of a wimp when considering what goes on elsewhere. The Script Writer for Rachel's Shoe, Ron Blicq, lives in Canada where the daytime temperature has been -24 dropping to -35 at night.

Brrrrrrr.............!

http://guernseybook.com/

Conference on our Norman Heritage

2009-11-06T06:37:00.000-08:00

The Bailiwick of Guernsey became part of Normandy in the year 933 and many remnants of Norman Law, as well a the local version of French 'Guernesaise' survive to this day. In common with many other locals, my own surname is one such legacy with roots in even earlier times.

This week saw a conference 'Rencontre de Droit Normand' arranged by our Royal Court to discuss, amongst other things, the 750th anniversary of the Treaty of Paris when King Henry III of England renounced control of Normandy to the French, but not the Channel Islands.

The Bailiffs of Jersey and Guernsey as well as lawyers and academics from France, the UK and the islands will discuss the impact of the Treaty since the middle ages and it's significance for the islands today.

Given the current constitution discussions, it is rather poignant that this anniversary should fall at this particular time.

UDI for Guernsey?

2009-10-31T07:12:00.000-07:00

Having decided to scrap Corporation tax just over a year ago, the States of Guernsey along with Jersey and the Isle of Mann, have come under fire from the European and UK Governments. They don't like the fact that offshore jurisdictions operate more efficiently and manage their economies with low taxation, so they are pressurising them to increase taxes.

This has sparked a debate about the nature of the constitutional relationship with the UK which now provides no reciprocal health care for islanders, treats our university students as foreigners but without the privileges, and abandoned the islands on the only occasion they were called on for defence. Islanders seem to want to retain a relationship with the Crown but some are now keen to say 'thanks but no thanks' to the UK Government on a relationship that no longer works for both, perhaps either party. This may fall short of a full and Unilateral Declaration of Independence of the kind seen in Zimbabwe a few decades ago, but cracks have a habit of widening and unless fixed, who knows if this one will sever the historical bonds.

Another local hot topic I feel motivated to write about is that of our local Postal Company - Guernsey Post. The business is wholly owned by the States of Guernsey but run as a private company. It's efficient and competitive which (given the size of our local community) is impressive. Granted this is helped by the lack of VAT in Guernsey which allows local businesses to fulfil goods to the UK and Europe under a 'de minimus' agreement - basically they don't have to charge customers if the goods are valued under £18. So Guernsey Post gets worthwhile revenue from its fulfilment operations. Nevertheless, our postal service is excellent. This of course, is not what regulators want to hear so they are hell bent on driving further efficiencies and introducing competition. Yet another example of Thatcherism gone mad - we've all seen the consequences of this with Royal Mail (currently on strike) in the UK. The fact is that domestic deliveries are hard to make profitable so when you get a business that is somehow managing to achieve this, it's plain bonkers to drive them under.