janis

See, StCirq -- is IS claiming to be an expert . . . . . .

StCirq

OK, janis, I concede..........

Robespierre

Nothing I have said suggests any such thing. I probably know more than most, and less than many. That makes me neither an expert nor a tyro.

I am entitled to my opinion, and if you think it is underinformed, that is your right. What is being argued here is largely a question of taste, anyway.

guanacaste

you're entitled to your opinion but you're comments about the occupation are based on ignorance and offensive.
oh and BTW according to Forbes magazine 85% of Fortune 500 companies have 'substantial' assets and operations in 'backwater' Jersey.
so when China calls in its debt and bankrupts USA maybe you'll be glad of our 'backwater' , your president and his father and all his neo nazi pals certainly will, they ALL have their money with us, looks like they know something you don't.
however, you re right to point out that the islands tourism industry has an unsavory 'cash in' mentality.
an example is the Jersey War Tunnels where hundreds- not 'a few' - of Poles, Russians and other slave laborers were worked to death, the walls in one of the rooms still had dried blood stains on when i was a kid.
but now it's been 'Disneyfied' with a cafe selling 'souvenirs' next door.
i don't know who u were talking to on the island- methinks the locals were having fun with a 'dumb yank'- but there is NO marble in jersey.
Jersey granite however is the hardest granite on earth and therefore popular i buildings. quarrying was never a 'major' industry.
before tourism it was agriculture and way back it was knitwear, that's where the term 'Jersey' for a pullover/jumper/sweater comes from.
for the last 30 years finance is b far the biggest earner with about USD500 billion in the local banks.

if you are generally interested in the islands history, then look thru this jersey history blog:

http://jersey.blogs.com/jersey_uk/home/index.html

PalenqueBob

Robespierre was writing a journal type entry and i found it quite intriguing - you may be right to point out fallacies but i think your attack is way over the top. You can disagree and point out without being an attack dog. I find your comments offensive though i no doubt give your views credence.

A bit of civility and not attributing some terrible motive to what was, it seems, written in error - but i don't think he made it up on purpose as you seem - give him a break and congratualate him a bit by taking time to talk about these backwaters whose economic prowess does indeed seem to be the dubiously moral product, to me at least, of skirting the legal banking laws of the Western World.

guanacaste

my 'attack' was mild, if he had told older jersey people who suffered thru the war that they were getting 'mileage out of a 'few deaths' i know wat the response would be.
your opinion on 'skirting the legal banking world' is bizzare.
if that's the case why do all the major international bnks have a huge prescence there and the rest are queing up to get it.it seems you and robespierre have ome 'envy' issues regarding the sucess f Jersy!

Robespierre

It would not surprise me to find that 85% of Forbes companies have assets in the Islands. But they aren't doing the population any good. To me, an industry is an activity that supports the economic base of an area. You could probably list the beneficiaries of Jersey banking in a few minutes. Listing those who benefit from tourism would take weeks. In terms of cash flows through the islands, a few dozen banks pay rent and salaries, compared to thousands of shops, restaurants, and hotels.

A careful reading of my report will reveal that I mentioned "the blood sacrifice of the thousands of slave laborers who built the fortifications and infrastructure for the Germans." Not "a few."

For the significance of quarrying in Jersey, I think I'll take the word of this geologist/historian: http://www.rosiehardman.com/taxev.htm when he says, "Although the island has produced very little ore the quarrying industry has always been important." Our guide made a big deal of it, too. Along with the sweaters and cows.

The blog you cited is one of the worst-organized from a historical perspective I've seen so far.

PalenqueBob

<that's the case why do all the major international bnks have a huge prescence there and the rest are queing up to get it>

would you kindly answer this question you pose yourself - why are all the leading banks lining up to enter Jernsey? They must have a motive - what benefits do they get and why?

with all due respect to your ideas about the war, which i don't claim to know diddly about that...it's just that your attack seemed so full of vitriol - but i don't know


<it seems you and robespierre have ome 'envy' issues regarding the sucess for Jersy!>

not a'tall - i wrote the other piece about them to highlight them for touristic reasons as i thoroughly enjoyed my all too brief visit there - not long enough to get a fix on what happened during the war...etc. I have no dog in this fight. I just like folks to present arguments without such vitriol, that's all. I'm not saying you're wrong as i just don't know anything about it.

Are you from Jersey and if not how do you know such first-hand knowledge of how locals feel.

Again, i respect your arguments, it was just the presentation that caused me pause for concern. Sincerely. pbq

guanacaste

"Are you from Jersey and if not how do you know such first-hand knowledge of how locals feel."

jersey born & jersey bred
strong in the arm but thick in the head

Elizabeth2

What are good places to stay in Jersey, Channel Islands. Husband and I for two nights, Mid-April.

guanacaste

The best hotel in St Helier is undoubtably Club Hotel and Spa with a Michelin star restaurant:

http://www.aboutjersey.net/go/jersey_hotels.html

Robespierre

If the best hotel in town is above your pay grade, try the Pomme d'Or. We liked the room, and the English breakfast was to die for.

http://www.seymourhotels.com/jersey/pomme