“
But not to worry we are all in
this together says Chief Minister Gorst, but hang on, how did we get in the hole
in the first place and what role did Joe Public play in getting into it? We elect States Members to ensure good governance so we don't get into holes. It would seem that Senator Gorst or should I say Senator Ozouf got us into the hole and expects us to get out of it.
It reminded me of the lecturer
who was being disturbed by a student’s snoring. He asked the
student next to him to wake him up. The student replied; “With respect Sir, you
sent him to sleep so you wake him.”
Wouldn't it be great if we could
tell Chief Minister Gorst to get out the hole he created but life is not that
simple. In fact along with other Ministers he does not accept that we are in
hole but the money is needed to maintain the life style we have grown used to
and for some to continue, some must make sacrifices.
The sacrificial lambs are the
sick, aged and vulnerable who will lose their Christmas bonus and will have to
pay for their TV licences. If you have the misfortune to be ill not only will
you continue to pay the £40 plus fee to see your doctor but you can be pretty sure that you
are going to be charged for any medicine prescribed. If you are in hospital you will be given less on your plate at meal times. It is also ironic that an Island that flush with money now intends is to establish a toilet tax. It could be said that we are really going down the pan.
The Government owned Jersey
Telecoms is joining in the kicking and the subsidy that allowed pensioners to
get cheaper phone calls and line rentals are next in line for the chop. I
should add that the above proposed cuts require States approval but with its
inbuilt majority the Council of Ministers should have no difficulty in
achieving its goal.
It has been mentioned that apart
from taking from the sick, aged and vulnerable there must be belt tightening,
greater efficiency, accountability and monitoring of expenditure. Sadly we have heard that message all too often in the past and to bring it out again is just adding salt to the wounds.
However with that in mind
perhaps Senator Gorst will explain why four months after the States approved
the extra funding for the Committee of Inquiry, neither he nor the COI
have complied with paragraph (c) (iii) of the proposition which required
the Inquiry and the States to publish jointly on their websites details of
their expenditure on a monthly basis. We are already aware of money wasted on lawyers fees and duplication yet there seems to be no haste to rectify the problem.
Chief Minister Gorst and his Ministers must set examples and
practice what they preach. There is still too much fat on too many bones and
still too many sacred cows. “If we are all in this together” and pensioners are
to be subjected to a belt tightening exercise it will be interesting to see
what belt tightening individual States Members will be exercising?
A one way ticket to Bucharest might be a start.
ReplyDeleteI would put all 49 on the ticket
DeleteNot sure that 49 tickets are required, there are a few but sadly just too few members in the Chamber who are prepared to question what is going on. We don't just suddenly find ourselves in the current mess, it is evident that the figures have been manicured and presented on an united front.
DeleteI don't think the cost of this COI has helped the financial situation.
ReplyDeleteIf it does hit £50 Million and after all the negativity we read online is that money well spent?
I agree that the cost of the COI has not helped our financial, however it is a necessary evil. That is why it is essential that every penny spent is justified and approval is given before it is spent.
DeleteI like to think that the additional funding will be suffice.
The CoI a "necessary evil"?
DeleteMaybe, but those who are not paedophiles or psychopathic misfits would agree that the decades of abuse and cover up were an UNNECESSARY EVIL.
A good deal of this unnecessary evil occurred under the nose of the character who quoted that £50 Million in a states debate.
A character who not long ago drained £8 Million from the Criminal Confiscation Fund on a totally unnecessary vanity project.
The COI is slowly but surely exposing what occurred in the past which was evil in two forms. One the abuse and two the cover up.
DeleteI think you will find that £3m was removed from the Compensation Fund, but that's 3m too much. Only Senator Bailhache and co could have got away with it.
A good example of expenditure which needs "justifying" is the involvement of two very senior civil servants in the CoI, Richard Jouault and Tony Le Sueur, as highlighted in your previous blog.
DeleteWhy are these senior and highly paid civil servants apparently permanently seated in the CoI rather than attending only when necessary?
And why are civil servants who should probably be appearing before the Inquiry instead being allowed to "assist" it?
The more cynical (or perhaps less gullible) readers may suspect that the inexplicable positioning of these civil servants is intended to intimidate witnesses and particularly to inhibit whistleblowers from within their departments and the civil service as a whole.
A cynical observer might suspect that there is no attempt being made to control costs (unless this relates to the complainant's/survivor's side of the fence e.g. http://ricosorda.blogspot.com/2014/10/jersey-child-abuse-inquiry-serious.html)
Wasn't one of the first actions of this "Committee" was to present an ultimatum demanding higher payment as soon as they started work? The phrase that springs to mind is "he who pays the piper calls the tune" and huge amounts of money has been flushed on legal advice, largely only on one side with teh Ex Health Minister and critical witness and Whistleblower being famously refused.
An astute observer might suspect that the (one sided) costs are uncontrolled and even increased at every opportunity. This may be intentional to minimise the effectiveness of the Inquiry while maximising it's costs in order to wear down the resolve of the jersey taxpayer and the good states members.
It is playing out like an episode of 'Yes Minister' .....except that no one is laughing.
Inevitably even a poorly run or compromised CoI would not be able to avoid "exposing what occurred in the past" .....or at least some .....or a small part of it.
The CoI could be even more valuable in exposing what is still occurring now. And to the more astute observer ...perhaps by its actions and inactions, it is!
Why this inexplicable perception that paedophilia and cover up only happens in the past?
The world is changing and the reputations of those involved will be left in tatters.
Deputy Higgins had lodged an Oral Question which in many ways addressed some of your concerns. Unfortunately he was too unwell to attend Tuesday's sitting so the question was not asked.
DeleteIn previous blogs I have expressed my concerns about the lack of monitoring and as mentioned in this blog the Inquiry and the Chief Minister are supposed to publish monthly expenditure, but 4 months on both have failed to do so.
This is why you are such a loss in the states Mr.Hill pointing out what others are happy to see fly under the radar. Steve Luce is no replacement for you because there is no way you would bully an old lady so much over a planning decision so credit to deputy Carolyn Labey for winning her proposition yesterday.
ReplyDeleteYou are right to suggest that I would not have taken the matter to court and well done to Deputy Labey for taking the matter to the States. Deputy Luce does not have to abide with the States decision but would be disrespectful if he ignored the States request.
DeleteI elect that all Ministers and Assistant Ministers work without pay until such time as they learn how to manage our economy. Backbenchers to remain in pay as they don't seem to have much of a say anyway.
ReplyDeleteHi Mo,
DeleteGood suggestion but if you were in the States do you think you would find a Seconder?
You are missed in the states bob and if it wasn't for the blogs we would have no idea what is really going on in there because the state media can't be believed.
ReplyDeleteJon ammonia pants.
Well said Mr. Ammonia Pants I couldn't agree more. Will you consider running again Bob?
DeleteMaureen The Organ.
Bob, my dream political party would be you, Stuart Syvret, Trevor Pitman, Ted Vibert and Sam Mezec.
DeletePaper-Click-Mick.
I disagree with Paper-Click-Mick. My dream political party would be Ted Heath, Cyril Smith, Lord Janner, and Leon Brittan.
DeleteJon Ammonia Pants.
Re comment at 19-56 some strong characters in that group. I still think that Ted Vibert's demolition speech about Frank Walker;s involvement in the Trinity infill Planning application was one of the finest I heard during my 18 years in States. It was that convincing that some of Frank's supporter's felt they could not support Frank and rather than support Ted, they abstained.
DeleteI0% Corporation tax helped to dig this hole for us. So that the big businesses (not smaller local ones) can get away with 0% we all have to pay our tax and theirs. It's morally and ethically wrong to expect us to do it. Added to that we can't keep doing it. It will hurt the most vulnerable and finish up by bankrupting the Island.
ReplyDeleteIn 2010 Richard Murphy wrote a Plan B for Jersey. It was ignored. Please see www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2010/07/04/plan-b-for-jersey
Sadly there were no takers for Plan B, but Richard was pretty spot on with his predictions.
Deletedear Bob all the talk in the world will not change the utter crap we have in the states right now a part from one at best my be two if you try they all need shooting i am a jersey man and i,m sorry to say when my mother starts to say they were better off under the germans than some thing has gone wrong they can only push so far something has to give.??
ReplyDeleteThere does appear to be a reluctance from many of the House to question or dissent if it means going against the flow.
DeleteScrap ISE companies here. Biggest scroungers of jersey society
ReplyDeleteWelcome to caring Jersey where those in pain have over a 7 month wait for a MRI scan, unless you have the money to jump the queue and a vulnerable man is found in his flat 6 months after his death.
ReplyDeleteIs this is serious blog or just a satirical one?
ReplyDeleteJon Ammonia Pants.
Paper-Click-Mick.
Maureen The Organ.
@06:45 Yes this is a deadly serious blog but quality humour is still appreciated.
DeleteA far more important question: Is Jersey a serious functioning jurisdiction .....or a sophomoric toytown?
Repeat after me.
Lessons have been learnt......
lessons have been learnt......
lessons have been learnt......
..........
Bob suggests you could consider using an anagram, but I'm not sure the names you quote are anagrams so much as humorous personifications?
Jersey, a modern democracy and trustworthy finance centre
Deleteor a world class joke?
Let the muppets decide !
http://ricosorda.blogspot.com/2015/07/how-26-jersey-muppets-politicians_7.html
I note that you have not published your name, you could have published it in the form of an anagram as the 3 above have done.
ReplyDeleteBob, another good blog but your 'black hole' graphic is too small to see properly and we can't read the caption
ReplyDeleteDoes it perhaps depict 'middle jersey' at the bottom of the hole, and our 'betters' continuing to dump on us?
A situation which is bound to continue until the Jersey electorate wise up or we get a functioning democratic system not 'supervised' by the Bailhaches and their ilk.
I was looking for a black hole or bottomless pit and the image used was the best I could find and like you could not read the caption. However your suggestion about our "betters" continuing dump on up is about right.
DeleteAs a former senior civil servant I can recall from my early days on the Corporate Management Board that the Treasurer of the States would often say that Senior Politicians were "in denial" regarding the state of the Islands finances and that a serious budget deficit was building up and that nobody wanted to address the hard questions.
ReplyDeleteThe second is that it is surely true that the COI is a contributory factor in the current situation. But this situation arises from a similar problem to the first. The COI is in existence for a number of reasons one of which is that the government did not recognise, grasp and resolve child abuse issues when they could and should have done so. They are now playing a very expensive game of catch-up in consequence of them being "in denial" on this issue in earlier times when a more competent administration would have grasped the issue and done what was needed instead of attempting to kick the issue into the long grass.
The Jersey "Manyana Culture" is finally coming home to roost. Those who caused the problem are mostly retired. Those who have to attempt to sort out the mess so far appear to be out of their depth.
The "Jersey Way" of ignoring uncomfortable problems in the hope that they will go away is finally presenting its bill. The cost is high and Jersey is on its own. It is not Greece. It is not a member of the Euro. Nobody feels obliged to bail it out. The next phases will be interesting indeed.
Always worth a read
Deletehttp://freespeechoffshore.nl/stuartsyvretblog/jerseys-public-finances-2004-2014-and-philip-ozouf/
Hit the nail on the head Bob yet again.
ReplyDeleteThere is a problem at the top of Jersey's civil service gravy train.
Stopping the pensioner Xmas bonus, saves around £1.5 million we are told.
The man that lead the Civil service and publicly lied saying he was not the second man, took out an injunction against the Evening Post over the Graham Power affair, after illigally suspending him.
Mr Ogley, without a third party taking minutes of what would have been an incredibly important and heavy weight meeting, decided to take the minutes himself, and then presented them typed a few days later. Ex Police Chief G. Power refused to sign them. The Police chief was told resign or be suspended without any warning or representation. Completely out of order.
Rather than paying Mr Bill Ogley around £537,000 to retire and more than £150,000 a year pension, any decent respectable government would have suspended him subject to investigation.
No wonder the black hole is getting bigger by the month, his right hand man was promoted and why not, he knows all the tricks and is no doubt familier with the Jersey Way.
Jersey has adopted the ostrich approach for so long that it has become a culture. Yes the next phases will be interesting.
ReplyDeleteFor many out there it may come as a bit of a shock but I know first hand that 'final salary pension' in the public service worked this way. First you maximized your take home pay during your last year at work, this meant massive overtime, work during your holiday time, but best of all keep going to courses to 'upgrade' your qualifications knowing your pay is based on your grade. This was a joke because most of the extra knowledge would never, ever be used, but it got the upper grade. The most tragic thing is that everyone knew what was going on, from management on down and we mugs get to pay the bill. O.A.P's get shafted again. So here is a free be to our Ringbinder / Film promoter, how about you cut 10% from the incomes of all those Public Servants on over £100,000 a year (that includes the Bailiff and all the other law officers) that will save a good few million. I am quite sure they will all understand that "we are all in this together" and let's face it I now it would be tough but I'm sure they could scrape by on what's left.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteYes workers in all of the public sector pay taxes from their wage packet. It is still completely insane for an piddly little island to have a public sector wage bill ( which includes employers social sec and pension contributions ) of £365,000,000 per annum.
Yes £365 million. The reason being greed, poor Government. Before any one goes on about the latest states borrowing ( hospital to cost £1.3 billion after borrowing and interest ) just remember they have over £720 million in the strategic reserve.
Why not use that rather than the states borrowing their your own money ? Is it because the civil servants, judiciary and top of the public sector tree, want to make sure their wages are safe for a good few years yet.
What a mess Jersey is becoming with an ever wider gap between the public sector mafia and the private sector who like green fly keep the ants in work and fed soon to be abused even more with further increases.
Yep the Economics Department are making big savings according to an article in the Jersey Evening Post. The loss of six senior managers are going to save the department a considerable amount of money.
ReplyDeleteThey are being transferred to the Chief Ministers Department.
You could not make this stuff up !!
Bob.
ReplyDeleteTed Heath might be the Headline but he is not THE STORY.