The Montserrat Reporter

BORIS Johnson will have to fight for his political life if the Tories suffer disastrous local elections this week.

By JONATHAN WALKER – SUNDAY EXPRESS DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR, DAVID WILLIAMSON – SUNDAY EXPRESS DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR 05:01, Sun, May 1, 2022 | UPDATED: 12:22, Sun, May 1, 2022

Conservative foes of the Prime Minister want to see a leadership election with a new Prime Minister in place in time for the autumn party conference. Tories fear they will lose control of a raft of councils in London and that councillors across the country will be ousted from their seats. A poor result would likely lead to letters being sent to the 1922 Committee in an attempt to unseat him as leader, it was warned.

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Mr Johnson’s opponents in the party want him to face a confidence vote before recess starts on July 21 so a leadership election can be held and a new PM installed in time for the autumn party conference.

A bullish Mr Johnson defended the Tories’ record in local government and fired a new salvo in the so-called culture wars, saying: “The choice on May 5 is clear. Labour and Lib Dems who fritter away your council tax on deciding which statues to tear down or Conservatives, delivering value for money and delivering on your local priorities.”

Conservative hopes of avoiding disastrous results may well hinge on whether Mr Johnson can persuade Tory-leaning voters not to make a protest vote or sit the election out.

A Conservative MP warned: “It’s voter apathy that’s going to be the killer this time, it really is.”

Mr Johnson put the focus on street-level issues, saying: “The elections next Thursday matter. People are voting for councillors and councils who decide how often bins are collected, how many potholes are repaired and how much council tax is paid.”

He claimed “Conservative councils on average fix four times as many pestilent potholes as Labour councils” and said they “recycle more of your rubbish than Labour too”.

Conservative party chairman Oliver Dowden boasted that Tory councils charge the “lowest council tax in the country” and blasted rival parties, saying: “Woke lefties running Labour and Lib Dem councils obsess about changing street names while leaving councils like Labour-run Croydon bankrupt.”

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “When Sunday Express readers go to the polls this week I hope they will elect hard working local Conservatives who have a proven record of managing money well, delivering high quality local services, and who support good local jobs.”

The raft of local elections taking place on Thursday are held against the backdrop of the cost of living crisis, with both the Conservatives and Labour rocked by allegations of breaking Covid restrictions.

Labour last week admitted that Angela Rayner, the party’s deputy leader, was at an event where Sir Keir Starmer was filmed drinking a beer.

Conservative MP Richard Holden has asked Durham Police to reconsider its assessment that no offence was committed during the April 30 event last year.

Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson yesterday said Mr Holden should “know better than to waste police time on this nonsense”. Mr Holden accused Labour of hypocrisy for suggesting investigating concerns about Covid breaches is a waste of police time “when it’s all we’ve heard from them for months”.

Former Conservative chief whip Mark Harper, who called for Mr Johnson to step down after he received a fixed penalty notice for attending a birthday celebration in No 10, expects the council elections may be a “mixed bag” and “inconclusive” but said: “Before the summer recess, all my Conservative colleagues should have enough information to make a decision on who they want to lead us into the next general election.

“Do we stick with an uncertain course led by someone who is making good and decent Conservatives across the country defend the indefensible? Or do we get a new team in place to lead a revitalised Government, focused on Conservative priorities who will treat the electorate with respect?

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“We have a large majority, it’s time we started to use it properly to deal with the country’s challenges using Conservative principles.”

Another leading Conservative critic of Mr. Johnson said the “general view” now was that Mr. Johnson should face a confidence vote if councils are lost. They said a leadership contest over the summer with a new PM in place in time for the autumn conference was the “logical timetable”.

A Conservative MP warned that the Tories could face “annihilation” in London, the Home Counties and “Lib Dem-facing seats”.

However, they were wary of staging an election for a new leader, saying: “I think a leadership contest is by its nature at least a three-month contest. It’s going to be a massive distraction from some fairly big issues at the moment.

“I’m not sure the public will thank us at the end of it, when probably at least half of voters will be no happier with a new Prime Minister than they are with the old one.”

A further concern is that a raft of cabinet ministers would throw their hats into the ring and look “more focused on a leadership contest than on Ukraine, rebuilding the NHS or whatever else they are supposed to be doing”.

Another Conservative MP who represents a seat in the so-called “red wall” of former Labour constituencies acknowledged how the party mood could turn against the PM after a bad night.

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They said: “[When] MPs start having their own membership, activists, councillors, or maybe recently former councillors after next Thursday, on at them, I’m not sure how quickly the mood might turn. [I] think the emotional impact for people who have been working really hard to make gains or hold seats in some of these tougher areas and get trounced, that’s going to be very hard to swallow for some people.”

Conservative insiders are braced for attempts by Mr Johnson’s internal critics to oust him in the wake of bad results but are in no doubt that he will fight to stay.

A source said: “The PM is not going anywhere. He will fight on.”

However, a party insider did nothing to play down the scale of the challenge facing the Conservatives.

They said: “We are expecting it to be a tough night for us. We are 12 years into government…

“London is looking very tough for us. Places like Barnet and Wandsworth and Westminster are looking very, very difficult for us to hold.”

High profile victories in London will boost the spirits of Labour supporters but the party will look for signs that under Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership it is winning back voters it lost in 2019. Failure to score major successes outside London could trigger renewed criticism about his strategy.

The Tory insider said: “We do expect [Labour] to do well in London and probably take some councils off us but the test will be how’s he doing in areas of the Midlands and the North that they lost in 2019.”

They said: “[When] MPs start having their own membership, activists, councillors, or maybe recently former councillors after next Thursday, on at them, I’m not sure how quickly the mood might turn. [I] think the emotional impact for people who have been working really hard to make gains or hold seats in some of these tougher areas and get trounced, that’s going to be very hard to swallow for some people.”

Conservative insiders are braced for attempts by Mr Johnson’s internal critics to oust him in the wake of bad results but are in no doubt that he will fight to stay.

A source said: “The PM is not going anywhere. He will fight on.”

However, a party insider did nothing to play down the scale of the challenge facing the Conservatives.

They said: “We are expecting it to be a tough night for us. We are 12 years into government…

“London is looking very tough for us. Places like Barnet and Wandsworth and Westminster are looking very, very difficult for us to hold.”

High profile victories in London will boost the spirits of Labour supporters but the party will look for signs that under Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership it is winning back voters it lost in 2019. Failure to score major successes outside London could trigger renewed criticism about his strategy.

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The Tory insider said: “We do expect [Labour] to do well in London and probably take some councils off us but the test will be how’s he doing in areas of the Midlands and the North that they lost in 2019.”

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Comment by Guy Opperman, Minister for Pensions

One month ago the Sunday Express helped us launch our campaign to boost the number of people getting Pension Credit. Thanks to its support we’ve seen an increase in the numbers visiting our online Pension Credit calculator.

But we’re not stopping tere. Pension Credit can be worth over £3,300 a year for those over State Pension age and on a low income. It also opens up access to other support.

Over the coming months we’ll be going all out to raise awareness of Pension Credit and showing how easy it is to claim. And we want Sunday Express readers to keep helping us too.

We are calling on everyone with retired family and friends to encourage them to check if they qualify and help them make a claim if they do.

With rising costs, it’s never been more important to make sure that people are receiving all the support they can get.

Boris JohnsonLabour PartyConservative Party Sir Keir Starmer

By Sarah Dean and Ivana Kottasová, CNN

April 10, 2022

(CNN)The UK is to send 120 armored vehicles and new anti-ship missile systems to Ukraine, Downing Street announced Saturday after Prime Minister Boris Johnson paid an in-person visit to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Johnson and Austria’s Chancellor Karl Nehammer made separate visits to Zelensky on Saturday, the latest in a string of leaders to travel to the country during the ongoing Russian invasion. A photograph tweeted by Ukraine’s Embassy to the UK showed Johnson seated opposite Zelensky at a table in a pink and green stuccoed room. The post was captioned with the word “Surprise” and a winking face emoji.

The Press Service of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine said on its official Twitter account that the two leaders had held talks in Kyiv, posting several photographs of the pair’s previously unannounced meeting. Johnson posted on Twitter that his visit to Kyiv was “a show of our unwavering support for the people of Ukraine” and announced a new package of financial and military aid.

“Ukraine has defied the odds and pushed back Russian forces from the gates of Kyiv, achieving the greatest feat of arms of the 21st century,” the UK PM said in a statement.

He praised Zelensky’s “resolute leadership” and the “invincible heroism and courage of the Ukrainian people,” adding that the UK “stands unwaveringly with them in this ongoing fight … we are in it for the long run.

“Later in his nightly address posted on social media, Zelensky thanked the UK and Johnson.

“Boris was among those who didn’t doubt for a minute whether to support Ukraine. The leadership of Great Britain in providing our country help in defense, and also leadership in the sanctions policy, will always be in history.

“Ukraine will always be grateful for this to Boris and Britain,” Zelensky said.

During the press conference, Johnson said the UK will continue to intensify sanctions against Russia. Johnson also said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions have dealt a “crushing blow” to his reputation and the Russian government.

“We will influence Russia’s ability to use its energy resources,” he added.

“The war determines the vision of Ukraine’s future, so our partners and I will supply Ukraine with equipment, technology, and intelligence so that Ukraine never faces the horrors of invasion and blackmail.

” Following the meeting, Downing Street said the UK government would provide armored vehicles and anti-ship missile systems, “in addition to the £100 million worth of high-grade military equipment” announced on Friday.

Zelensky and Nehammer’s meeting was separate to the one with Johnson and happened earlier on Saturday, according to Zelensky’s official Telegram channel.

While several other leaders have visited Ukraine in recent weeks, the trip by Nehammer is significant given his country’s neutral status, which is enshrined in its constitution.

Austria is not part of NATO and does not supply weapons to Ukraine. It has, however, provided Ukraine with humanitarian aid and helmets and protection vests for civilian use, according to a statement from the Austrian Chancellery.

Nehammer said Saturday that while his country is militarily neutral, “We understand we have to help where injustice and war crimes take place.

“According to his office, Nehammer was set to meet with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, before returning to Austria on Saturday evening.

Nehammer was also due to visit the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, which endured five weeks of near-constant firefights; after Russian forces withdrew from the town, the bodies of at least 20 civilians were found lying in one street, some with their hands tied.

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Nehammer said Bucha was “a place of war crimes.”

“We have to make those war crimes known to the UN, and international justice must begin investigating and fight these crimes,” he said during a news conference with Zelensky.

The twin visits by Johnson and Nehammer came a day after top European Union officials made a trip to Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Josep Borrell, the bloc’s top diplomat, visited Kyiv and Bucha on Friday, alongside Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger.

During the visit, von der Leyen ceremoniously handed Zelensky an EU questionnaire to complete — a symbolic, but important step towards Ukraine’s membership of the bloc. Tweeting about the move, von der Leyen said: “We will accelerate this process as much as we can, while ensuring that all conditions are respected.”

The prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia visited Kyiv last month, at a time when it was still regularly targeted by Russian strikes. Like Johnson’s visit on Saturday, that trip was kept secret until the three leaders were in the country, traveling on a train from eastern Ukraine.

CNN’s Sarah Dean reported from Przemysl, Poland and Ivana Kottasova wrote in London. CNN’s James Frater, Radina Gigova, Alex Hardie, Tara John, Max Foster, Mariya Knight and Maija Ehlinger contributed reporting.

Nurses demonstrate their hurt from lack of being heard or responses to their needs and concerns…
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When it gets to this, know there is much to learn… and others in the wings – the state of Montserrat affairs…

The following release headed as follows really does little more than remove the requirement to apply for ‘permission’ to enter Montserrat. “It’s still so easy to be a COVID-19 criminal…”

THE GOVERNMENT OF MONTSERRAT RELAXES SOME COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS

No restrictions on the number of persons allowed to gather, Border Reopens, No quarantine period for Fully-Vaccinated Persons among other changes

Thursday, March 31, 2022 – The Government of Montserrat has made some significant relaxation adjustments to the COVID-19 suppression regulations since the implementation of these measures in 2020.

As of today Thursday, March 31, 2022, at 5:00 a.m. the Public Health (COVID-19 Suppression) (No.3) Order, (S.R.O 19 of 2022) took effect bringing an end to restrictions on the number of persons allowed to gather in a public place and removing the ‘Allowed to Enter Category’ which previously stipulated who is permitted to enter Montserrat, among other changes.  

Persons traveling to Montserrat are no longer required to fill out an online declaration form for permission to enter.  The pre-travel online declaration form is only required to be completed and submitted by non-resident technicians who are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated.

As it relates to an individuals’ COVID-19 status, the new regulations maintain the requirements for persons entering Montserrat to present a negative COVID-19 test result.  The negative test result document must include all the information previously stipulated regarding the laboratory details; full name, address, and date of birth of the person tested; the date the test was conducted and it must now also include the date the sample was taken. 

The pre-entry requirements are as follows:

• A person who intends to enter Montserrat shall take a COVID-19 test no earlier than three days prior to entry into Montserrat.

(2)  The following persons are exempted from this requirement:

(a)  a child under five years of age;

(b)  a person entering Montserrat in circumstances related to a medical evacuation; and

(c)  a person who has been granted permission by the Minister to enter Montserrat for the purpose of aiding with preparations for a disaster or after a disaster,

The owner of a vessel or aircraft must ensure that persons traveling are in possession of a copy of a negative PCR COVID-19 test or a negative RNA COVID-19 test or else the owner will be committing an offence.

Persons arriving on Montserrat are required to answer all questions asked by the Medical or Health Officer and may be required to undertake health checks and screenings.  Individuals who are fully vaccinated must provide the Medical or Health officer with proof of their vaccination status. If this evidence is not provided, then the individual will be regarded and treated as not being fully vaccinated.

A fully vaccinated person is required to be tested for COVID-19 on entry into Montserrat.  If the result indicates that the person is not infected with COVID-19 then the individual is not required to self-quarantine or isolate. However, if the test result is indeterminate (unknown/inconclusive) then the fully vaccinated person must go directly home, place of occupancy, designated quarantine facility, or place of isolation and shall remain there to await the results of further COVID-19 tests.

If further testing reveals that the fully vaccinated person is infected then he or she is required to self-quarantine or isolate until:

(a) he/she is not infected with COVID-19; or

(b)  he/she leaves Montserrat.

The regulations for a fully-vaccinated person will also apply to a fully-vaccinated non-resident technician.

Persons not fully vaccinated – entry into Montserrat

Individuals who are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated upon arrival after undergoing the necessary COVID-19 screenings are required to go directly to his/her home or place of occupancy, designated quarantine facility, or place of isolation and self-quarantine for 10 days.

Between eight and ten days after entering Montserrat the individual will be tested for COVID-19 to determine if he/she is negative and can therefore be released from quarantine on day 10.

If the individual is required to leave Montserrat before the 10 days have elapsed, then he/she will be allowed to do so.

Not fully vaccinated – Non-resident technician

The previously established COVID-19 testing requirements for a non-resident technician who is not fully vaccinated to be tested within 24 hours of entry into Montserrat remain in place.

Prior to entering Montserrat, the unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated non-resident technician is required to apply to the Minister of Health for approval to enter Montserrat before submitting the online declaration. To apply for approval, an unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated non-resident technician should send an email outlining details of intended travel to Montserrat to mehcsmail@gov.ms.

The non-resident technician who is not fully vaccinated is not required to self-quarantine but must be guided by the following:

1. only be in a public place for the purpose of traveling to and from the place where he is undertaking work as a non-resident technician;
2. wear a mask at all times while at the place where he is undertaking work as a non-resident technician;
3. practice social distancing while at the place where he is undertaking work as a non-resident technician; and
4. remain at his place of occupancy at all times except when traveling to and from the place where he is undertaking work as a non-resident technician.

All persons entering Montserrat are required to pay the requisite fees for the COVID-19 test(s), where applicable.   Additionally, antigen tests have been added to the list of COVID-19 tests accepted for entry into Montserrat; the other two are RNA and PCR. However, antibody tests are not accepted.

Persons who enter Montserrat under the current order will not be allowed to switch to the new order S.R.O 19 of 2022.

Protocols for Children  

The new SRO also makes amendments to regulations pertaining to children.  Under the new order, if a child under the age of 18 enters Montserrat, the child will be treated like the adult who accompanied the child when entering the island.  Additionally, a child two years and under is not required to take a COVID-19 test.

Protocols-Bus drivers and taxi operators

As it relates to bus drivers and taxi operators, the new order stipulates that the owner or driver of a bus or taxi shall place or cause to be placed a hand hygiene station in a conspicuous (visible) place at the entrance of the bus or taxi.  The owner or driver must also mandate that passengers use the hand hygiene station before entering the bus or taxi; ensure regular refilling of containers or regular refilling and maintenance of the equipment at the hand hygiene station and ensure that a passenger wears a face covering in a bus or taxi.

Under the new SRO, face-coverings are still mandatory in public places, hand hygiene stations are still mandatory at the entrance of public and private buildings; restrictions on visitations to a patient in the hospital, a residential care facility, and a detainee in prison remain in place, except with permission or prior approval from the Heads of these institutions.

Previously established protocols for the operation of business establishments such as bars, restaurants, religious establishments, hair salons, spas, and other similar businesses, gyms, and sports clubs are no longer in place.

S.R.O 19 of 2022 will expire on Wednesday, August 31, 2022, at 5:00 a.m.

S.R.O 19 of 2022 is available on the Government website, under the Attorney General’s page. The S.R.O. can be accessed at the following direct link:  

Public Health (COVID-19 Suppression) (No.3) Order (www.gov.ms)

Additionally, please note the date of effect for S.R.O 19 of 2022 was amended in S.R.O 22 of 2022.  A link to the amendment order is provided below:

Public Health (Covid-19 Suppression) (No. 3) (Amendment) Order (www.gov.ms)

By William Fleeson 25th March, 2022

The British overseas territory of Montserrat is joining the trend of island states pushing to attract remote workers to come and stay awhile.

Compared with the rest of the world, the Covid-19 pandemic has given Montserrat a pass. A British overseas territory, the volcanic eastern Caribbean island has suffered negligible rates of Covid, with fewer than 200 infections and just two deaths among its population of 5,000 people, known as Montserratians.

Montserrat’s government now wants to turn its containment success into a tourist draw through a year-long digital nomad visa. After a lockdown in 2021, its tourism-dependent economy is joining the trend of island states pushing to attract remote workers to come and stay a while as Covid persists elsewhere.

Launched in April 2021, the programme, called the Montserrat Remote Worker Stamp, offers a “best of both worlds” approach that balances nature and connectivity, said Rosetta West-Gerald, Montserrat’s new director of tourism.

Longer-term, she said, the island hopes the scheme will foster extended relationships – and a deeper economic impact.

“Beyond 2022, it is our hope that some of the remote workers will fall in love with the island and be converted into homeowners or residential visitors,” West-Gerald said.

Why should I go now?

As Covid rates begin to wane globally, the island’s appeal has only grown. At its launch last year, the visa set itself apart by requiring a minimum stay of two months, rather than a maximum duration found in similar schemes. Then in early 2022, the two-month minimum was scrapped. Digital nomads can stay for a year or a week, as they prefer.

That flexibility perhaps stems from a need to boost visits by all possible means. “[During the pandemic] the closure of the island drastically affected the economy,” said Clover Lea, who runs the Gingerbread Hill bed and breakfast in the village of St Peter’s. Her reservations fell by 80%.

Others are more sceptical of the digital nomad scheme so far. “I don’t know if the remote worker thing has really had much of an effect,” said Margaret Wilson, proprietor of Olveston House, a hotel. Yet she recognises the island’s appeal, even if the scheme remains a work in progress.

“Why visit Montserrat now? Don’t ask me, I’m biased,” Wilson said. “To me, it’s paradise.” 

Apart from pandemic-related changes, Montserrat’s appeal is rooted in history, which may be disappearing as hyper-development and overtourism transform other Caribbean islands. Its best-known qualities include its famous friendliness, an outsized musical tradition and pride in its Irish heritage.

In the 17th and 18th Centuries, thousands of Irish Catholics sought opportunity beyond persecution in Britain and colonial America, betting their futures on Montserrat’s export-focused – and slave-based – economy. Today’s Montserratians express pride in their combined Irish and African family trees. Montserrat is the only location outside Ireland to make St Patrick’s Day a national holiday. The festival, which also marks the anniversary of a 1768 slave rebellion, has become a key touchpoint of Montserratian culture and identity.

At the festival’s heart are culinary standouts like goat water (actually a stew), Montserrat’s national dish. It’s a reflection of the island’s combined African and Irish ancestries: a riff on Irish goat stew with a mix of old-world African spices like Scotch bonnet chilli powder – topped with a decidedly new-world shot of rum. Since the recipe calls for hours of simmering, goat water is usually prepared only for special occasions.

In 1995, blasts from the Soufrière Hills volcano covered Montserrat’s southern half in ash and soot (Credit: MichaelUtech/Getty Images)

The island is in many ways still recovering from a more recent historical shock. Jolted by a series of volcanic eruptions that began in 1995, the blasts from the Soufrière Hills volcano covered the island’s southern half in ash and soot. Thousands of islanders fled to safety, many relocating to the UK. Today, the island’s population is half what it was pre-eruption.

This is the Caribbean like it used to be

But the same reality – the island’s sparse population – makes Montserrat a rare crowds-free Caribbean locale.

“This is the Caribbean like it used to be,” Lea said.

Travel with no trace 

For so small an island, Montserrat’s menu for sustainable tourism runs long. In Centre Hills, a forest reserve unscathed by the volcanic blasts, visitors can hike up to achieve cinematic views of the island and surrounding ocean. In February, the British government announced plans for a £35m “climate-resilient” port at Little Bay, on the island’s north-west side.

For families with children, the Montserrat National Trust in October launched the EcoPlay Park, an outdoor space and learning centre within the island’s botanical garden. The site includes playgrounds and an “orchid wall” describing the endemic Monserrat orchid. EcoPlay “expresses who we are and where we live”, according to Yasmin Shariff, an architect involved in the project.

The Oriole Walkway trail is Montserrat’s most popular hike (Credit: Hemis/Alamy)

Kids of all ages might get enthusiastic about Montserrat’s diverse animal life. The Oriole Walkway trail, named after the yellow-breasted national bird, is Montserrat’s most popular hike. Animal watchers can scout for other exotic fauna: the galliwasp, a species of lizard; and the “mountain chicken” – actually a frog, whose name suggests its size (among the world’s largest) and its past use as a food source by Montserrat’s mountain populations.

In the near future, the island will be rolling out a tourist-focused environmental programme that will showcase its highland ecosystems, birdwatching and volcano viewing. The programme will allow visitors to learn about Montserrat’s full breadth of natural diversity, West-Gerald said. 

Know before you go

As many pandemic precautions remain in place, the inter-island ferry service for Monserrat, nearby Antigua and Barbuda and other islands is suspended. Travellers can fly via Antigua before an onward 15-minute hop to Montserrat. Private charters can be arranged at FlyMontserrat.com.

Fully vaccinated visitors, while allowed to visit the island, are required to quarantine for five days, with a mandatory test required before being allowed to cease isolation. (Montserrat previously required a quarantine of 10 days.)

Many accommodations are offering reduced rates and added services to assist quarantining guests. Gingerbread Hill has begun to do shopping, grocery pick-up and other errands for their guests. Olveston House – once owned by Beatles record producer George Martin – offers similar services.

— 

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• By Shivonne
• March 17, 2022

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST CONSULTING SERVICES

Selection Method: Individual Consultant-Simplified Competitive Process

Country: St. Lucia
Sector: IFD/CTI-Competitiveness, Technology and Innovation Division
Funding – TC #: ATN/CO-17772-RG
Project #: RG-T3519
TC name: Experiential Learning of Cluster Development Best Practices in Small and Vulnerable Countries

Click here to review TC document

Description of Services:

Consultancy to Develop a Three (3)- Year Operational Plan and Deliver Training in Governance and Cooperative Management for the St. Lucia Honey- Bee City Cluster

The overall objective of this consultancy is toward the development a three-year strategic plan for the operations of beekeeper groups of the Bee City Honey Cluster through training and institutional strengthening of the established co-operative and other Apiary and Beekeeper groups.

Through its Regional Cluster Capacity Building Program for Business Support Organisations (BSOs), CCPF is providing support to cluster initiatives that can help Caribbean firms grow, generate employment and export to new markets. In consultation with private firms and supporting institutions, Export Saint Lucia – the BSO in Saint Lucia – has prepared and is implementing a comprehensive Cluster Development Plan (CDP) for the honey sector. The CDP outlines a common vision for and agreed priorities to support the growth of the sector.

Currently the majority (90%) of Saint Lucia’s honey is purchased domestically, by supermarkets, hotels and health shops. The main purpose of the CDP is to improve the quality of Saint Lucian honey and position it competitively in overseas niche markets for health-conscious consumers. The plan therefore focuses on achieving the following objectives:

• Product Development: The creation of a profile for high-quality Saint Lucian Honey, that is distinctive and competitive in the target market, and that can be used to augment the existing national standard to be adopted by producers;
• Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building: For cluster stakeholders to produce a competitive honey product in accordance with best practices;

Domestic and International Market Development: To successfully penetrate the identified niche market and reach the target customers, which would entail the development of a domestic and international marketing plan. The CDP is the basis of implementation for the cluster project and will provide the Consultants hired with details and guidance on specific activities.

The Compete Caribbean Partnership Facility (CCPF) is executing the above-mentioned operation. For this operation, the IDB intends to contract consulting services described in this Request for Expressions of Interest.
Expressions of interest must be delivered to Ms. Liana Welch at lianaw@iadb.org by: April 6, 2022, 5:00 P.M. (Atlantic Standard Time).

The consulting services (“the Services”) include the development of a 3-year strategic operational and sustainability plan for a group defined by the Project Steering Committee which will be a fair representation or sample of the beekeeper population. This also includes the preparation of training materials; and training of the defined group in Governance and Co-operative Management.

Key Activities:
I. Develop a more in-depth understanding of the business environment by liaising with Cluster Manager, the Project Steering Committee and Compete Caribbean; studying background documents (Cluster Development Plan, Market Research, Marketing and Branding Plan), executing necessary stakeholder consultations; and liaising with other key stakeholders.
II. Conduct stakeholder validation workshops and engage with cluster members and stakeholders to gain a comprehensive understanding of the CDP and the consultancy, and then develop a detailed workplan describing activities to be completed, timeline, outputs, people responsible, etc.
III. Prepare a comprehensive, results-focused 3- year strategic plan inclusive of a roadmap for growth of key players in the industry and the best practices for the strategy of firms in cluster. The plan should include critical components like HR/labour, Marketing, Sales, Business and production Processes/Operations and Export Planning. Effective tools like KPIs and milestones chart should be defined, and an implementation plan should be included. The strategic plan should take into consideration the findings from the Marketing Research and Penetration Plans completed for the Cluster.
IV. The three (3) year strategic plan will be presented through a Power Point presentation and detailed PDF document.
V. Revise the strategy based on changes agreed to by the cluster manager, the project steering committee, and Compete Caribbean.
VI. Identify and recruit representatives from the main beekeeper groups for the capacity building component.
VII. Develop training materials on Governance and Cooperative Management and design and execute two (2) capacity building workshops on this area. The consulting firm will coordinate the activities related to virtual/hybrid training including assessing the training requirements for the bee keeping groups, developing the curriculum and evaluating the training. The consulting firm will liaise with Compete Caribbean, the Cluster Manager and the Project Steering Committee to develop the training programmes that are consistent with the bee keeping training needs assessment.
VIII. Collect and analyse data and update the report to include data on the results achieved in accordance with Compete Caribbeans M&E requirements.
IX. Prepare a Final Report summarizing the scope of work implemented; evaluation of results achieved; lessons learned; and recommendations for development, which may be needed to support achievement of the planned results of the cluster.

Eligible persons will be selected in accordance with the procedures set out in the Inter-American Development Bank: Policies for the Selection and Contracting of Consultants Financed by the IDB (GN-2350-9).

CCPF now invites eligible persons to indicate their interest in providing the services described above in the draft summary of the intended Terms of Reference for the assignment. Interested persons must provide information establishing that they are qualified to perform the Services (description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, etc.).

Interested persons may obtain further information during office hours, 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM, (Atlantic Standard Time) by sending an email to:

Compete Caribbean Partnership Facility
‘Hythe’
Welches
Maxwell Main Road
Christ Church
BB17068
Attn: Liana Welch
Tel: +1 246-627-8548
E-mail: lianaw@iadb.org
Web site: https://www.competecaribbean.org/

ATN/CO-17772-RG

Vaccination passport app shares personal data of users with Amazon and Royal Mail – Daily Record

There is missing (that we have not shared yet) leading up to this situation; but this is not just happening by chance, all by design; maybe just conveniently accepted by authoritarian controllers and power hungrys…, wait for the challenges! Where are the believers in God? Has money (and the NOW) replaced salvation for His people that is through grace and His Spirit?

Civil liberty campaigners and opposition politicians have reacted furiously to the Sunday Mail revelations.

The Scottish Government ’s controversial vaccination passport shares the personal data of users with a host of private firms, the Sunday Mail can reveal.

Proof of inoculation is now required by law to get into football grounds or nightclubs north of the border, despite plans for a scheme having been scrapped in England.

We have learned the NHS mobile phone app which presents the personal medical information in the form of a QR Code shares data with companies including Amazon, Microsoft, ServiceNow, Royal Mail and an AI facial recognition firm.

Civil liberty campaigners and opposition politicians have reacted furiously to our revelations.

Sam Grant, head of policy and campaigns at Liberty, said: “Vaccine passports create a two-tier society and already many people in Scotland have been coerced into getting a vaccine passport in order to attend events and access certain parts of society.

“It’s extremely concerning that, in doing so, data has been shared with third parties without people having the option to opt-out or without even being made aware that this is happening.

“This only furthers the wide concerns people already have around vaccine passports. (see: https://www.themontserratreporter.com/vaccine-passports-travel-to-montserrat-and-pressuring-the-unvaxxed/ )

“We all want to keep each other safe and Liberty has always supported reasonable and proportionate measures to combat Covid but vaccine passports are not a solution.”

Privacy information on the vaccination passport app reveals personal data of users will be shared with NetCompany, Service Now, Jumio, iProov, Albasoft, Amazon Web Services, CFH Docmail, Microsoft Azure, Gov.uk Notify Service, and Royal Mail. It is claimed that not all of the firms can “access” the data, even though it is “shared”.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “Scottish Liberal Democrats have repeatedly warned the Government that data protection is virtually non-existent – a simple screenshot was enough to bypass whatever ‘security measures’ the system had in place.

“The launch was a shambles and the IT system struggled to cope.

“Everyone has the right to medical privacy, nobody should ever have to provide part of their medical history to a bouncer or a series of private companies. That is just simply absurd.”

Scottish Conservatives’ Murdo Fraser said: “There have been serious data privacy concerns with the SNP’s vaccine passport app since the word go.

“The news that users’ personal data will be shared with so many private companies is extremely worrying.

“This will only serve to further erode public trust in the SNP’s shambolic vaccine passport scheme.”

A comment on the above story:
EDed_macd24 OCTOBER 2021: The plan all along; track and trace, trace and manipulate. Vitamin C is far superior to their weak vaccine, and totally proven by science too.

BREXIT BRITAIN and Boris Johnson have been dealt a crushing blow after a bombshell poll revealed more than half of UK adults would vote to rejoin the European Union if another referendum was to take place.

By PAUL WITHERS17:09, Fri, Nov 12, 2021 | UPDATED: 17:09, Fri, Nov 12, 20211.2k

Angela Merkel says she will ‘miss Emmanuel Macron’

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The UK voted by a margin of 52 percent to 48 percent to split from the bloc during the historic referendum in June 2016. Both sides signed an11th hour post-Brexit trade deal at the end of last year that put an end to the UK’s 47-year membership of the European Union – with the Prime Minister insisting Brexit Britain will flourish as a sovereign nation. But a significant poll from Savanta ComRes suggests the tide is quickly changing, with huge doubts now creeping into the minds of those that voted to leave the continental bloc.

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The survey of 2,231 UK adults from November 5-7 shows if another referendum was to take place, 53 percent of UK adults would vote to rejoin the EU.

This is up four points from when the polling firm asked the same question in June, when just under half (49 percent) said they would vote for the UK to once again become an EU member.

Significantly, just under half (47 percent) maintain they would not vote for the UK to rejoin the EU – down four points from the last survey five months ago.

Perhaps most notably is the result among those who voted Leave during the 2016 referendum 2016 – one in ten (10 percent) would now vote to rejoin, with a fifth (20 percent) of Conservative Party voters also voting to rejoin.SponsoredForge of Empires – Free Online GameIf You Are Above 30, You Need this Strategy Game. No Install.by Taboola

From those who decided not to vote in the referendum more than five years ago, more than eight in ten (82 percent) said they would now vote to rejoin the EU.

Four in 10 (40 percent) of UK adults would support a referendum on whether to re-join the EU within the next five years, while just a third (34 percent) were against this idea.

Fifteen percent of Leave voters would support a referendum within this time frame, with 14 percent of Remainers saying they would oppose one.

Only eleven percent of Remainers and a fifth (20 percent) of Labour voters would vote to stay out of the EU in a referendum.

READ MORE: Brexit POLL: Should Frost just trigger Article 16 now? VOTE

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The proportion who would now vote to re-join the EU in a referendum rises to more than three quarters (77 percent) of those aged 18-34 and eight in 10 (80 percent) of 2019 Labour Party supporters.

Support for holding such a referendum in the near future rises to nearly half (49 percent) of those in this younger age group and almost two-thirds (63 percent) of Labour voters.

A fifth (21 percent) of Conservative voters also say they would support this.

Chris Hopkins, Political Research Director at Savanta ComRes, said the sharp rise in UK adults now wanting to join the EU shows a number of issues linked to Brexit over recent months are now starting to take their toll.

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Brexit news: The poll is a major blow to Brexit Britain (Image: GETTY)

Brexit news: Boris Johnson has insisted the UK will flourish outside the EU (Image: GETTY)

He warned the high level of support among younger voters to rejoin the EU, as well as the high percentage who would now back a referendum, “indicates that the Brexit story isn’t going away any time soon”.

Mr. Hopkins said: “Five years on from the Brexit referendum, this polling suggests a country that is equally divided, but with the momentum shifting towards a majority who would now vote to re-join the EU.

“Indeed, a four point rise since June of those who say they would vote to become a member again is striking.

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“This indicates that issues such as disrupted supply chains and spats with fellow European leaders overfishing and vaccines may have cut through, although the results are still on a knife-edge.

Mr. Hopkins added: “While many feel like the issue is best put to bed, the high levels of support for re-joining amongst younger voters, as well as the significant proportion who would back having such a referendum in the first place, indicates that the Brexit story isn’t going away any time soon.

“And, if it were to happen, all eyes will be on those who did not vote in 2016 and younger voters who may have not had the opportunity to, who are both overwhelmingly in favour of the UK becoming a member again.”

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FYI-Update: Travelling from the UK and USA to Montserrat via St. Maarten FOR THE 2021 SEASON.
ALTERNATIVE ROUTE

October 25th, 2021,
A Private charter is being arranged which can accommodate a maximum of 14 passengers and luggage. WINAIR will be utilizing the Twin Otter aircraft, The first charter is scheduled for December 4th, departing St. Maarten at 7.40 am, arriving John A Osborne Airport at 8.30 am. Weekly, charters are being planned for.

1. Persons must first get permission to enter Montserrat and St. Maarten. Obtain permission at www.gov.ms/travel website, and, for St. Maarten website http://stmaartenehas.com/travel. Travelers are encouraged to get this permission at the latest November 15th. Contact Mr. Desmond Meade at 1-954-805-5663 (WhatsApp, Telegram) for further information. All passengers MUST arrive at St. Maarten the day before the charter on December 3rd.
2. Arrangements are being made for the overnight Hotel to accommodate all charter passengers on St. Maarten. Passengers are responsible for charges for taxis, meals, and hotels.
3. PASSENGERS MAX LUGGAGE ALLOWANCE IS 35lbs CHECKED LUGGAGE, and 10lbs HAND LUGGAGE.

Disclaimer: Although this route does facilitate the travel of persons who have not been able to vaccinate for medical reasons or for deeply religious reasons, this information is certainly not intended to discourage persons from vaccination. Most health services at this time encourage vaccination against covid 19. Persons are encouraged to discuss vaccination with their healthcare provider.