Good evening ladies and gentlemen and thank you for the kind invitation to address your meeting. I am reminded that a speech to Sandy's Rotary seems to guarantee a headline… or three. Of course they don't allow me the privilege of writing headlines, but I seem to have no trouble making them. Let's see how we do tonight; I aim not to disappoint.

It seems as though the ancient Chinese saying "May you live in interesting times" has been made manifest on the world scene. Economies rocked to their very core, market confidence at unprecedented lows; seemingly unassailable Wall Street titans reduced to bankruptcy and bailout. Add the specter of climate change and wars in distant lands, and those of us with some oratorical skill might well consider televangelism and the sale of 'satisfaction guaranteed holy water'. Indeed we live in interesting times.

These global trends are not limited to CNN, BBC, The Globe and Mail or the Mid Ocean News.

We see some evidence of their impact right here in Bermuda. Already financial planning both commercial and personal has taken on a different dimension and keen attention is paid to balance sheets from Front Street to Dockyard.

Accompanying this loud symphony of concern and flagging fortunes is a melody of hope. That melody has as its composer; a man clearly chosen for this time, a man whose plate is fuller than most, a man who, by his success alone, has inspired millions. The hope of which I speak is exemplified in the message of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama.

Strip away the euphoria of his victory, silence for a moment the adulation of the crowds and analyze the core message.

The message and the early work of this President must be looked at by the leaders of every nation, no matter how small because the basic means by which the Obama of now and not the Obama of the campaign operates is the true example to the rest of the world.

The Obama philosophy I aim to commend to governing Bermuda is that of global partnering. Like the President of the United States, I too believe that now is not the time for insular, restricted policy making. As small as Bermuda is we have a global reach, global impact and are in need of global help sometimes. We cannot retreat into our collective shells to simply ride this out and not play our part on the global stage. Those who, in the name of supposed cost savings, petty politics or just because there's nothing else to say, would criticize our global outreach, are ignorant of the realities of this present age.

Ask any 75 or 80 year old grandmother how it is that you have to claim your winnings at Warwick Workmen's Club on Friday or Saturday night….BINGO! and loud must be the shout or that caller will surely pass you by. You can't win if your plan is to go unnoticed.

The commitment of my Government in these challenging times is to ensure that Bermuda's voice is heard wherever and whenever it needs to be. One thing I can tell you, show me a Bermuda who won't stand up and be noticed and I'll show you a Cayman, BVI, Anguilla, Switzerland, Isle of Man and Jersey who will. Our competitors fully appreciate that in both tourism and financial services, in all sorts of areas, one's voice must be heard and one's presence felt.

The interesting thing is: they learned some of this from us. The Jet Blue/Bermuda story is perhaps the best example. Not to put too fine a point on it, every chance I got I was in the face of the key decision-makers for that airline. Wherever they were and I could be there… I went.

I remember fighting nightmarish delays and a thunderstorm to get to the offices of JetBlue. They told me that day we should perhaps postpone and cede defeat to Mother Nature. I told them I was in the car - en route - and I never cede defeat easily.

It took a while to get to that meeting, but the JetBlue executives waited long past bankers' hours. When I got there they told me they don't like to cede defeat either. So we met.

Not long after that stormy day there was a bright partnership brokered that brought JetBlue to Bermuda and appreciably changed the way all air carriers serve our country for business and leisure travelers. If you have watched the news lately you will know the fruit of that labour 2 ½ years ago is still paying dividends for the country today.

The lesson in this case was simple: Bermuda must never be allowed to drift off the radar screen. In this situation, as in many others, it was my job to ensure our country's voice is heard. The results speak for themselves.

When we came into government, the threat of the OECD was real. The first trip the then Premier made was to Davos, Switzerland. I remember so well the criticism of that trip and of every trip we've ever taken since.

Ladies and gentlemen, you cannot make an impression on the world stage if you are confined to saying your lines on the stage of Ruth Seaton James.

So what have we done and what do we continue to do? Many of you will know that we have recently opened an office in London. This centrally-located space is well appointed and in keeping with the image of Bermuda. A presence for Bermuda in London is long overdue. We now have the ability to directly interface with key-decision makers in the UK and to participate in any number of important activities in which our sister Territories have had a head start for some years. It is our hope that the international business sector will join with us in providing an industry representative to be similarly located there.

In November of last year, I was invited to attend the Alarys Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This group is the South American version of RIMS. My attendance at their event signaled that Bermuda was open for business to the healthy, burgeoning Latin America market. What's the saying about all one's eggs in the same basket?

The outreach to Latin America has begun to blossom. You will know that more than a few companies with roots in Bermuda are now spreading seeds in the countries of South and Latin America. They will form new roots and realize true international expansion.

I was also pleased to return from Buenos Aires with something tangible to share with the people of Bermuda. I sat for a private dinner with the leaders of Alarys and before the waiters brought the coffee I knew the organization's conference held in Argentina last year would be in Bermuda this year. I imagine it would have been difficult to secure the same commitment through a blackberry. Bermuda is a small place, but so too is the world.

How about this one? In spite of the passing media coverage of the signing of an MOU with the province of Nova Scotia, Canada, this too is a strategic partnership which will yield access, tourism, and economic enhancement for Bermuda. It meant I needed to be on a plane to Canada and the Premier of Nova Scotia had to come here, but now we have a cross-border agreement with broad potential for constituents in both places.

No sooner than I put down the signing pen, a Bermudian with a restaurant in Halifax e-mails to say the news of the MOU is spreading with excitement among his diners and they have big ideas. "Oh and by the way," he said. "Bermuda fishcakes are the number one selling appetizer on the menu!"

This government is busy cementing international ties and nurturing new friendships. I spent a considerable number of years outside of Bermuda and my contemporaries from those days are men and women of influence and high office in their own countries. I would think it sheer lunacy for me not to use those contacts for the good of the Bermudian people.

And so when you hear that somehow I am paying large donations so that black Bermudian students can attend the University of the West Indies at rates reflective of our Caribbean Heritage, I'm afraid that it's not as elaborate as that. Believe it or not, the University's Vice Chancellor was my chemistry classmate at Howard 40 years ago and when I said "Nigel, what about Bermuda…." He said "Alright….let's talk man".

When those who oppose President Obama think it's safe to attack him, you will hear criticism of his outreach to the Muslim world. They will call him everything but the Christian he is. But they will ignore the fact that it must make sense for a man raised in Indonesia, of Kenyan parentage and with Hussein as a middle name to bridge the divide between the west and Islam. And for him not to do so would be to deprive his beloved people of his unique talents and abilities.

The leadership of this Government will not be swayed by the petty and the silo mentality whose political ends are served by feeding a media's craving for negativity at any cost. We will steadfastly advance Bermuda's cause from Washington to London, from New York to Buenos Aires.

I would like to share one more example that I think might illustrate to you that we are on the right track.

It's no secret that I have disagreed with the British once of twice. There is no shortage of headlines on that one! But if news is indeed the coverage of unusual happenings then what I am about to tell you must qualify as breaking news!

The FCO and I are in lockstep on Bermuda's need to engage internationally. We totally agree,

When we opened the London Office the Overseas Territories Director at the FCO said this: "An instinctive reaction to recession is a retreat by others into defensive shells, caution and even a hankering for protectionism. I know that at this time Bermuda will want to articulate to her UK audience the considerable value which the Island adds to the world's financial system in its chosen specialized areas of finance, and to promote tourism and to speak up on the strength of the regulatory framework."

I couldn't agree more.

At this time, perhaps more than any other in Bermuda's 400-year history, we must be the opposite of insular, the antithesis of protectionist.

We are living in interesting times and with sound, prudent yet bold leadership. I am confident that Bermuda will endure and she will do it well.

Thank you.