Haley's star rises over India - and UK and USA?

Surely USA's UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has galvanised both India and USA with her tour last week.

Paypal launching an extra 600 jobs into Chennai and Bangalore. While Krupp’s (TrumpDavos15)merger with Indian Tata steel rolling ahead smoothly.

And with UK as a founding partner of the Commonwealth with India a resurgent emphasis on India trade important beyond tea and biscuits. Or chai.

The importance of India in the world hardly surprising as already on some measures it has the largest population ahead of China. And is forecast to be the world’s largest economy in the next decade.

A golden opportunity that UK in particular would be foolish to idly fritter away. Whether with Commonwealth support not just in India but also neighbouring Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Over 200 years of trade from colonial times - and before and after - with the outstanding success story of India’s railways, or Indian support in World War One and two.

And of course the Indian subcontinent diasporas that make UK their home whether the corner shops detailed by BBC World presenter Babita Shama, or Indian curry restaurants as prevalent as the great British Pub - Chicken Tikka Masala often cited as the UK’s favourite food. After Great British Fish and Chips form the East Kent coast of course.

Or the doctors and nurses that form the backbone of the NHS, the world’s largest employer. My doctor here in Ramsgate from Nepal, in the flesh rather than telemedicine, given the strong links with Kent's Ghurkas.

As an aside I’ve never understood why the NHS doesn't make more of its BAME links: more Zimbabwe nurses in the NHS than Zimbabwe for example. Or the contribution of Filipino nurses and a Ghana mother and daughter nurse and doctor winning the first NHS BAME Windrush awards last month.

Certainly visa reform and training courses more relevant than mere medicare plunder from the Commonwealth host nations.

And with Brand USA tourism making sterling efforts on expanding its India and China tourism, surely the opportunity is there for UK to assist with the Commonwealth as I've detailed previously:

http://lovekentloveramsgate.blogspot.com/2018/05/trump-on-north-korea-and-uk.html


Ken Juster, USA Ambassador to India gamely pretending to understand the rules of cricket (nobody understands them, Ken) is surely laying the groundwork for expanded USA sports in India much as in UK. Next year seeing Ambo Woody in London - described by the BBC as the John Wayne of USA diplomacy no doubt with Brooks Brothers stetson and Levis 3 piece suit - cheerleading the baseball and basketball league and reinvigorated NFL games, even the Harlem Globetrotters stopping by as the United Korea basketball teams launch.

Ice hockey would clinch the set for a slamdunk. UK's dynamic tourism and Sports Minister Tracey Crouch MP based in Kent, near UK Business Minister Greg Clark, already calling for Olympic swimming pools in every UK county and I’ve urged a skating rink in East Kent.

Quietly capable Damian Collins MP of East Kent, the UK Chair of the Culture and Tourism Parliament Committee now back from Washington and the Facebook and Russia election inquiries, and reviewing UK sports with FIFA and the World Cup.

On India Tourism though the opportunity must surely be for UK and USA support and expertise (both nations with over 35M inbound tourists, and the world's leading tourism destinations in London and New York.

The tourism marketing basics of an Incredible India Year should really be an India Decade - much as the UN Decade of Road Safety has been safely steered through the UN - to maximise growth and prosperity across the Indian subcontinent.

Not just the essential and usual fare of promoting the Taj Mahal or Goa - but Hidden India as with Hyderabad and UK consul Andrew Fleming's efforts.

For surely the wider opportunity is coordinating tourism across all India's cities and regions. And with UN Habitat in Fukuoka developing the UNSDG30 goals on slum improvements. Especially the Trump Davos 15 Friends opportunity with Finland's Nokia and Smart Cities as already demonstrated in Chattanooga and Nashville.
Finland with a looming EU ban on the fur trade - its exports second only to China - no doubt keen to replace that shortfall of jobs with hi-tech high-paid and high-skilled work.

Those extra tourists would want hispeed wifi and trains for their smartphones too. Possibly a Starbucks and McDonalds too or three. Richard Branson's experimental Hyperloop already being trialled in Pune.

And Jurgen Maier the dynamic Siemens (TrumpDavos15 again) UK CEO no doubt keen to expand the new East Yorkshire HS3 rail factory.

While Anheuser-Busch would want to be to the fore with Cobra beer (Lord Bilimoria product for the Indian beer and curry markets) and Kingfisher beer on an expanded Indian foods market. Much as Veetee rice depot here in Kent or my local Ramsgate's Walmart-Asda expanding its curry ranges with cloves and cinnamon and chillies – Cambodia and Isaan cardamom pepper soon?- and low fat variants.

Walmart surely ideal for expanding Keralan coconuts as well as Carolina peanuts with Georgia peach Sonny Perdue at USDA. Yale University highlighting the science behind the healthy eating boom of nuts yet, as with California raisins, the low volume a barrier to lower prices for UK consumers. And surely Virginia cranberries rather than rice a strategic food growth programme for USA.

Both India and Thailand as the world's largest rice surpluses and exporters surely crucial too for UN FAO SUN programmes in Laos and Cambodia, and Africa.

There's a wider debate on UN reforms to focus on India, Africa and Rest of the World. Certainly increasing the brave Indian and Bangladesh peacekeeping efforts already on the ground in Kivu in DRC Congo. Former UN-SG Kofi Annan wisely citing that the 20k UN troops in DRC Congo are too large to be invisible but too small to be effective – few would argue with an increased troop presence for DRC stability on the continuum from peace enforcement to peacekeeping to peace and prosperity.

While Goa the only beach resort I've seen along with Margate Beach (the Kent Blue Flag beach not the Myrtle Beach Tower) with oil tankers berthed offshore rather in port. POTUS Trump tweeting on such shenanigans for rigging the oil price as well as Torrey Canyon shipwreck pollution.

And, according to a friend, Viagra prices up 19% despite POTUS Trump vowing to wage war on the drugs prices, as well as MS13 drugs gangs, that handicap American medicare. And increased output of the little blue pill from East Kent’s Pfizer Discovery Park the largest USA inward investment in Europe at one point. And surely again with Janssen et al – Xatalan glaucoma eyedrops prices up but not export sailings from Dover port to all points south of Western Sahara.

The Walmart supermarket shelves groaning under the weight of the ever-expanding ranges of Indian tea, and biscuits and naan bread, whether flavoured or not. And a tourism niche of tea plantation homestay and FairTrade labour reforms too.

While I've heard very positive reports of Pondicherry on the eastern seaboard as a hidden gem of India with its French colonial heritage. The New Orleans of India if you will.

And certainly massive potential with an ageing society - Richard Gere and East Kent 007 Judi Dench not the only American and British greyhairs at the Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for cruise ships as that Indian infrastructure is readied. East Kent's Saga Holidays one of the world’s largest cruise operators with their ships essentially floating cities for the Indian Ocean.

In my Surin Village School charity role the potential is there for delivering on the 65M children not in school in mainly India and Africa. The proven template of a $30k school for 1m schools at just $6Bn a year over 5 years delivering the UNSDG30 well before 2030. UK and US aid each with $20BN aid budgets each year even without the potential for Microsoft computers in schools and Nike or Adidas (TDF15 again) sports shoes on schoolkids feet.

American Princess Markle already delivering on an Indian tampon charity and now British Medical Association of doctors calling for free tampons. That a crucial factor in India hygiene factors with public and school toilets as the water and sewage infrastructure develops.

Eventually Myanmar with Commonwealth membership a distinct possibility. That making greater rail connectivity with India through Bangladesh to India and ASEAN a reality. Thailand’s dynamic Ambassador to India Sam xxx delivering on the tourism and sports goals for that economy. Probably already copies of Nikki's India visit dresses and scarves are on the racks in the Mini-Mumbai of Pratunam market in Bangkok.

And if those new Ford and Jaguar Landrover factories in India (the latter warning of its £80BN UK investment after any Brexit) might build the cars themselves with ABB Robotics and drive themselves with SAP software (both TrumpDavos15 Friends) then they'll still need the STEM graduates to start them up. Indian visas a key issue for PM Modi already with UK - and surely for every UK and USA university given those nations dominance of The Times World University League.

And Brand USA must be keen to encourage the backpacker market for India and Peace Corps. Maybe UK will eventually get with that programme too for Gap Summers and Gap Years.

I've fond memories of trekking through the Thar desert near Punjab - the Pakistani nuclear tests an annoyance - and Rajasthan from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur. The latter indicative of the depth of Anglo-Indian culture with polo, and tiffin again. And with my Sincerity Advertising hat on, a vast country that tourism has only just begun to make its mark upon, and the rather weak state of the Indian advertising industry.

While Ms Haley's eastern seaboard with cross-party support from Senators Graham and Virginia Commonwealth Kaine and McAuliffe must surely focus Brand USA and Visit Britain and Visit Kent (and East Kent) efforts through rather underused airports such as Atlanta.

Especially with the current debate around London Heathrow airport landing slots for airlines and runway expansion. Birmingham airport perhaps a template with Memphis Aerotropolis with DHL or Doncaster Airport plans for a strategic reshaping of air and freight passengers from USA to UK and onto EU.

With Charleston Boeing citing 700 Dreamliner jets output, those and more will be needed for the extra tourists. Even work with Sheffield’s Boeing and HS3 engine parts. While Airbus – the Pepsi to Boeing’s Coke – in Filton, Bristol and Broughton, North Wales and Toulouse would need to pick up the slack too.

Especially with a wider peace across not just DRC Congo and Sahel and Sudan requiring aviation reform on the banned from EU airlines and absurdity of better air links with Africa form the colonial powers of old than between nations. Or a 20 year old British Airways Jumbo jet limping over to India.

Kent's backdrop for Bollywood movies on location may well be a format for the Virginia and Carolinas Film Offices and EKFOS too. And the UK Consuls in Los Angeles and San Diego and Carolinas. the ad death of Peter Firmin of Canterbury’s Small Films this week the creator of Bagpuss, the most popular children’s TV show ever in UK, as well as The Clangers and Ivor the Engine, leaves a black hole in Kent and UK film industries.

UK Ambo Vicki Treadell, the Miss Moneypenny of Malaysia. wisely pointing out the timezone potential of various digital industries from USA to UK to ASEAN in a 24/7 globalised economy. Why shouldn’t the next Pixar blockbuster movie be filmed in LA, with digital effects processed around the clock in Charleston, Chennai, Chiswick and Chantaburi? Or other C-list towns.

While Sikhism region front and centre in UK at the moment with debates on a Sikh war memorial and the groundbreaking first Sikh soldier Trooping the Colour last month outside Buckingham Palace in turban rather than bearskin. And strong Sikh community links with Kent Police and Archbishop of Canterbury and the various temples with London Open and Kent Welcoming after the disastrous blip of UKIP and Brexit silliness.

Surely ripe for crunchy trade policies with India and UK and USA ahead of next week's Trump visit.

Time fro Change
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