Now is the time for the island to make itself heard

NOW more than ever, Guernsey needs to be a recognised player on the international stage which gets its voice heard.

And it is a tough climate to operate in.

The Brexit vote, as recognised in Policy & Resources' report, will impact on the island's trading relationships, but it is a mere sideshow compared with what is at stake for the UK and its economy.

In all the negotiations that go on between the UK and Europe, Guernsey will clearly not want to be disadvantaged.

That is why it was so keen to get recognition from David Cameron in the House of Commons at the end of June that the Crown Dependencies' interests would form part of the negotiations.

Now, of course, Cameron is off in the political wilderness.

New political relationships need to be built up with the key players in Theresa May's government.

It is obviously a very different world to when the UK's membership of the EEC was being dealt with and with it issues such as free trade in goods for the islands.

Policy & Resources president Gavin St Pier is now tweeting away welcoming appointments that could be key going forward, although at times the tone seemed a little off – no one likes resorting to text speak at the best of times, but when welcoming a new prime minister?

You wonder just what new Brexit minister David Davis, or Liz Truss, who has taken over as Secretary of State for Justice, think when they see these tweets, or, indeed, whether they see them at all.

The island's 'man in Westminster', Lord Faulks, the Minister of State for Justice who had responsibility for the Crown Dependencies, quit in protest at the appointment of Truss, questioning whether she would stand up for the rule of law and the judiciary at a time of cost cutting.

Lord Faulks had been involved in the evolving relationship with Westminster since his appointment in 2013.

So Guernsey faces establishing a host of new political connections just when it needs the UK to be clear about its responsibilities. This takes time – and time is not necessarily there in bountiful supply at the moment.

Reassurance should be taken about the work done in the past to make sure Guernsey's position is understood in Westminster, though. It is a sign of the more modern way of operating that the island will be looking to deal much more directly with the key players in Davis' new Brexit team, among others, rather than going through the old slow channels that used to operate – picking up the phone rather than dispatching a pigeon through Government House to land on the MoJ's doorstep (I jest, but only slightly).

In this high stakes game Guernsey is also investigating other opportunities to establish new relationships with similar 'microstates' which have common interests.

It is further recognition that to have a voice sometimes means standing together with others.

In Jersey, the Brexit vote prompted further talk of independence, something that was one of those hot academic talking points maybe five or so years ago, as was the concept of a Channel Islands confederation.

Somewhat ironically, one of the by-products of the UK re-negotiating its relationship with Europe has put the brakes on Guernsey's work to become more independent from the UK in lawmaking and signing off international treaties as the staff at both ends are busy engaged elsewhere.

It might be somewhat devilish to suggest this is a prime time to make a move while the UK is distracted, but actually this is the very political environment in which more powers would be advantageous.

Guernsey will not want to see its lawmaking abilities or ability to sign off on international agreements stymied at a time when everyone is looking at creating new relationships with different countries.

It will want to be able to move nimbly and quickly if it is to take advantage of the situation at the same time as projecting that image of stability that it will rely on.

Friday will be an interesting test in terms of Brexit and what could unfold for the islands.

The British-Irish Council, at times quite a staid affair, will hold an emergency meeting on the topic.

This really is a chance to be at the heart of things alongside Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, the other Crown Dependencies and the UK.

Politics domestically seems to have entered something of a hiatus – certainly the States agenda is tissue-thin and the next meeting is not until the beginning of September.

Deputies will be quick to tell you they are working furiously behind the scenes, of course.

But the international agenda is red hot – and all this before the UK officially triggers the two-year countdown to a formal exit from Europe.