The Cayman Islands isn’t giving up in its fight to woo reinsurance business from Bermuda.An editorial in the Caymanian Compass today fired back at Premier Paula Cox for her response to Cayman Premier McKeeva Bush’s broadside at Bermuda last week.“The Cayman Islands needs to take note of what is happening in Bermuda and what has occurred there over the last several years; a point this newspaper has raised many times within the past few years,” the editorial said.“Rules that make it impossible for most foreign-born residents to purchase property, immigration regulations that might generously be described as extremely strict, and a prevailing attitude that the IB community owes Bermuda something for the privilege of operating there. As Premier Bush is fond of saying, Cayman is no longer the only girl at the ball, but we’re still a beautiful option for would-be suitors.“The same might not be said of present-day Bermuda. Take heed, Cayman Islands, of the situation now facing our neighbours to the northeast. Our country truly is at a ‘crossroad’. Will we choose the same path that Bermuda has chosen, already knowing where it has led?”The editorial said it applaud Premier Bush for his recent public efforts to win the Bermudian reinsurance industry to the Cayman Islands “even if the premier’s office may have little to do in the end with whether these companies come to our shores”.“It never hurts to let the international community know the Cayman Islands is open for business and that we maintain significant advantages over competitors in many areas,” the editorial said.“What has been particularly telling is the response of Bermuda Premier Paula Cox to criticisms within her own country; that it has not been as welcoming or business-friendly as perhaps it should have been. This has, in turn, led to some companies shoving off, the critics say.“Premier Cox, rather than taking constructive criticism in stride and seeking to implement competitive solutions, has instead blasted those making such statements. She claims they have shown a ‘lack of patriotism’ and have sided ‘with the leader of a competitor jurisdiction’. “Shadow Finance Minister Bob Richards had said last week that Cayman Premier Bush had a valid point in his assessment of Bermuda’s competitiveness.“Everybody including Cayman Island is scratching for business,” he had said.“The criticism that the Cayman Island has labelled Bermuda with I think has some justification. It’s just the way it is. They see us for what it is and that’s the reason why we are losing business.”