Have we [Jersey] collectively become too cynical untrusting and battle hardened to consider even opening our minds to explore potentially good ideas?

What has been interesting in the past few weeks is reading and listening to islanders’ comments and opinions as to the ‘idea’ of a tunnel between Guernsey, Jersey and France.  

I have no statistics to hand on whether Islanders on the whole support this or not.  We do not even know if France will support the idea. However, what is pretty obvious is the recurring theme from many of Jersey’s “commentators”.  It goes along the lines of “this will never happen because the government cannot organise or agree on anything” (or words to that effect, but maybe not quite so polite). 

It is not unreasonable to say that the States of Jersey track record to date has not always been “A plus” and as such it is equally fair for islanders to adopt such a view as set out in the preceding paragraph.   Have we collectively become too cynical, untrusting and battle hardened to consider even opening our minds to explore potentially good ideas?

A friend of mine made the point that Islanders have had over the years experienced far too many examples of the States of Jersey failing to make decisions, wasting hard earned tax payer’s money and failing to make any substantive medium to long term plans for the future of our island. 

As he said: How can anyone have confidence that any project proposed will actually succeed.  Just pause and consider how long the hospital has taken to sort out, how long Fort Regent has sat at the top of Mont Bingham sadly ignored and the former St Saviours hospital further decaying every year it is boarded up. How much lost opportunity. 

“Many islanders criticise our elected representatives and sometimes such criticism is deserved, but on the whole, I would hope that each and every one stands for office with all good intentions, to do what each of them considers is right for our island, whatever political persuasion they may have.”

Is it perhaps the political system itself that is failing us?  One hopes the new cohort of Ministers (or as Gyles Brandreth defines the collective noun, the “confusion of politicians”) will do better than their previous colleagues.

My friend, who was by this point in full flow and fine voice, continued to argue, as if standing at Hyde Park corner (albeit he was actually sitting) that we cannot just rely on the finance industry to support the apparent insatiable desire to spend and spend tax payer’s money. 

Whether we like it or not empires come and go.  It is fine for us to be proud of the finance industry and reap its benefits but we as an island cannot and should not be complacent that it will provide for us for ever and a day.  

His fear was that Jersey politicians are not only complacent but that many do not have the vision or the collective power to actually progress substantive ideas. His main concern was the lack of any forward medium to long term policy planning. 

He backed up his comments with the following example.

“We have politicians making the point that we are effectively experiencing a Jersey brain drain, where talent is leaving the island. Likewise, politicians protest that we’re not able to attract any talent into the island to fulfil vital jobs, that Jersey is starting to lose its vitality and has already lost its entrepreneurial spirit.  We have other politicians calling for a raise in the amount of money Jersey provides students in university grants, claiming quite rightly that there are a number of islanders who cannot afford to attend university in the United Kingdom (or elsewhere) unless government funding is increased”.  

He went on to say: “We are effectively paying for students to leave the island and move elsewhere for their studies. Many of those do not return after they have completed their course.  While this is appropriate for some, many students would no doubt welcome the opportunity to be able to study in Jersey. There are potential students who have to date been deprived of the opportunity of higher or further education because they or their parents cannot afford to leave the island to study and or we as an island don’t have the courses or facility to provide for them. So, they lose out and Jersey loses out”.

Highlands and various organisations within the campus are apparently calling out for investment, not only to modernise, build and or replace buildings but also to develop new courses to offer students, courses that could eventually benefit Jersey’s economy as a whole. As far as he was aware, calls for such investment have up to date largely fallen on political deaf ears. 

My friend continued: “Why aren’t politicians seeing what is glaringly obvious, invest in Jersey educational facilities at a further and higher level and provide students the choice to remain here to continue their studies.  In this way we may not lose as many of our talented islanders to the United Kingdom or elsewhere. In this way we have a chance to rebuild Jersey’s vitality and entrepreneurial spirit.  In this way we can develop a homegrown workforce of talented educated people, young and not so young who may want to retrain. Is this not the smart way to go”?

It could be argued that our elected leaders have a great deal of work to do to restore the confidence back into Jersey’s political system and to combat the general cynicism expressed, my friend would certainly argue this. 

Perhaps ‘Project Develop Highlands’ is one such project that Deputy Lyndon, his minister for Education and Lifelong Learning, Deputy Ward and his minister for Economic development, Deputy Kirsten Morel should focus some of their attention on. If they could work together to develop ‘Project Develop Highlands’ it may just amongst many other positives make the Jersey electorate slightly less cynical.   

As my friend put it, (he likes to think he is a philosopher) introducing well-planned medium and long-term policies today are like planting acorns.  We will only see the mature tree many years in the future but it will be a fine tree.

Lyndon Farnham Kirsten Morel Robert Ward Andy Jehan FCILT, FIoD, FCMI Bailiwick Express Jersey Chamber of Commerce IoD Jersey