Independent Jersey Care Inquiry (14)------The Emperor's New Clothes.

 

My last two blogs have been about the Minister of the Economic Development Department (EDD) seeking an increase in liquor licence fees but had intentionally failed to inform States Members that in 2007 the States had approved my proposition P117/2007, This had requested the Minister to review the fee structure and produce a more equable structure before seeking further increases in Licensing fees.

Given the scant report it was obviously intended that the proposition would be approved on the nod with no questions being asked as to why no increase had been sought since 2007. The proposition, P94 was lodged last month and soon after I published a Blog questioning its contents and more importantly what had been omitted.  I forwarded my Blog to the Minister and Members of the Council of Ministers asking that the proposition be withdrawn or at least that the full facts were made known to all States Members.

Regretfully my request was rejected so I circulated my Blog, Hansard Report and proposition to all States Members in good time to read before the debate. The debate was just not whether the unjustified request should be approved but whether States Members would act honourably and respect the 2007 decision.

The debate commenced at 445pm on Tuesday and over a dozen Members spoke before the 530pm adjournment. After Rapporteur Connetable Pallett had outlined his case for the increase he was followed by a well-informed speech by Deputy Judy Martin who found more holes in his speech than one would find in a colander.

Thereafter it was pretty much downhill all the way for the Ministers who pathetically tried to justify the increase on the grounds that it was 8 years since the last increase, it would only cost pubs £2 a week, the Minister was only “requested” to review the structure and he had assured Members that the review had /would be conducted and the findings were imminent. However when asked how imminent it was. It was like asking how long was a piece of string?  

Whilst the usual suspects played a vital role with their speeches in opposition, it was the middle ground Members who really won the day because their support which all too often is in favour of the Ministers was not to be.

Many Members did not favour reneging on a previous decision; some felt that by approving the proposition it would remove the incentive for the Minister to come up with an equable fee structure. It was also rightly claimed that the inequality had to be addressed and a structure that penalised small sports clubs at the expense of the large supermarkets was unsustainable. 

The debate resumed yesterday morning with a strong speech from Geoff Southern but the speech that finally put the nail in the Minister’s coffin was from Connetable Julliete Gallichan of St Mary who had been far from impressed by Senator Ozouf’s speech who repeatedly claimed that it was wrong to blame the Ministers for failing to conduct the review. If it was not the Ministers, than whom else was responsible for the 8 year failure? (It should be noted that Senator Ozouf had been Minister for EDD in 2007 and later Treasury Minister).

Mrs Gallichan like many of her fellow Connetables form the bedrock of the Minister’s support and she, like her colleagues who had spoken before her, was not persuaded by the excuses given for the failure to conduct the review or convinced that it would ever be conducted. She was also of the view that a promise made is a promise to be kept.

It became evident that the Ministers support had ebbed so far that they were to suffer the ignominy of a defeat. It was then that Connetable Pallett wisely sought consent to withdraw his proposition.

He rightly claimed that he found himself to be on a sticky wicket. However he had prepared the wicket which clearly was not susceptible to spin. He then threw in the towel to save his Ministers from further punishment.

It is not every day or indeed every year that the Council of Ministers is defeated. In my previous Blog I wrote “There is still some time to partly redeem themselves by withdrawing the proposition and insisting that the Economic Development Department conducts the much needed review before seeking an increase in fees." 

Although it was an eleventh hour withdrawal it did restore some credibility on Connetable Pallett and his fellow shell shocked Ministers. However the withdrawal was a defeat and a bad day for the Ministers whose creditability was stripped bare and left as naked as the Emperor in his new clothes.

Independent Jersey Care Inquiry (13)---- The Right, the Wrong and the Convenient Way?

In my previous Blog I wrote about witnesses appearing before the Committee of Inquiry (COI) with selective memories and how it extended to States Ministers. As an example I cited the lodging by the Economic Minister of a proposition seeking to increase licensing fees but had “forgotten” to remind Members of a States’ decision in 2007 which requested the Minister to conduct a review of the Licence fee structure and no increase could be sought until the Review's findings had been published. This Report is still awaited.

It is evident that the Minister and the Council of Ministers are now fully aware of the States’ decision but are intentionally/wilfully concealing it, albeit that since my intervention I have been informed that the Rapporteur will be revealing all before and during the States debate next Tuesday. One wonders whether there was ever any intention of informing Members if I had not raised the matter. With less than a week to go I understand that no information has yet been circulated.

As mentioned in my previous Blog the COI is taking evidence from witnesses who have experienced cover ups, unethical practices and the closing of ranks by Ministers when defending the indefensible. The Licence increase is further evidence that lessons have not been learnt, its business as usual and sadly is likely to continue even after the COI releases its Report. It is difficult overcoming a culture of deceit and sadly we do not have sufficient States Members who can see the difference between right and wrong, particularly if it’s for political advancement.  

Last week in a spirit of openness I circulated a copy of my Blog with P117/2007 and P94/2015 to all States Members to ensure they were aware of all the facts well before the debate. The information was also circulated to the ex officio Members like the Bailiff, Dean, Law Officers and the Lieutenant Governor who are all able to speak during the debate.  Given the moral aspect it will be interesting to see whether the Dean will break ranks and remind Members of the value of keeping promises and the need for an honest approach in their endeavours.

The media was also forwarded the information and it is hoped that they too will be seeking responses from Ministers. States Members and the public are entitled to know why the Review has still not been conducted, why the request is being made before its findings are known, why was the 2007 States decision was omitted from P94/2015 and why Ministers have continued to conceal the information?

I am not a spokesman for the Licensing Trade and no doubt the increase is likely to be passed on the customers but I felt that I could not stand by when there is clear evidence of foul play by the Ministers. There is still some time to partly redeem themselves by withdrawing the proposition and insisting that the Economic Development Department conducts the much needed review before seeking an increase in fees. 

The proposition is way down the Agenda and may not be debated until Wednesday, However I hope there will be sufficient Members who will condemn the way in which information has been withheld and will vote against the proposition which brings no credit on those who have lodged it.

I will keep Readers updated via the Comments section below.

To assist Readers P117/2007 can be read HERE

P94/2017 can be read HERE

My previous Blog can be read HERE

Independent Jersey Care Inquiry (12)---- Culture of Concealment Reigns On.

One of the interesting features emerging from the Committee of Inquiry (COI) Hearings is the variation in witnesses’ ability to recall events from the past. Some had a good memory, some a poor and on occasions it has been evident some had a selective memory.

Selective memory is often a convenient way of temporarily forgetting something which is expedient to forget. It was not that long ago that a senior Minister was unable to recall what he was reading on the plane. Even more recently he was unable to recall a conversation with the former Education Chief who claimed they had spoken about not reporting an allegation of abuse to the police.

In October the COI will be listening to some very interesting witnesses who will be commenting on the collusion between senior civil servants and Ministers and will be questioning the integrity of Ministers and the Council of Ministers in particular.

In the past month it has become evident that not only have other Ministers suffered from selective memory but the Council of Ministers is suffering from collective selective memory.

During my 18 years in the States I took a particular interest in the Licensing Law and successfully lodged a number of amendments which included approval for pubs to remain open all day on Sundays and for shops to sell alcohol after 1pm. Also at my instigation I conducted a review of the Island’s Licensing Law and among the recommendations was that anomalies in the fees charged for liquor licences should be addressed. Despite my offers to assist the Economic Development Department to conduct a review and to advance a new Licensing Law they were rejected.

In 2007 revenue received from license fees was around £272K per annum from over 600 premises and around £15 million received from Impôt Duties. To seek an increase in the fees requires States approval and until 2007 requests were made in September each year.

There are 7 categories of Licence and 7 scales of fees. However there is the nonsense of large supermarkets paying £114 for their licence which is the same as small corner shops, three times less than local football clubs who normally only open their bar on match days and four times less than the many small restaurants operating around the Island. There are a number of other anomalies which can be found in the link at the bottom of this blog.

In 2007 having again failed to persuade the Minister to agree to my request I lodged P117/2007 which sought States approval to request the Minister to review the structure of the current liquor licence fees with the view to introducing a more equitable licensing structure. Also and of equal importance was part 2 which requested the Minister to finalise the review within 12 months OR before any requests were made for further increases in Licensing fees.

The debate took place on 26^th September. The Minister, Senator Ozouf agreed that his assistant Minister Senator MacLean should act as rapporteur and on his behalf accepted my proposition and I quote part of his speech “First of all, I would just like to thank the Deputy of St. Martin for liaising with the Department in such a constructive manner over this issue. We clearly welcome his proposition. We support it, just so that Members are not in any doubt whatsoever, and we will be moving forward to ensure that an appropriate review is carried out, not only in the narrow constraints of this particular proposition but certainly in a more wide-ranging review.” The full Hansard Report can be read via the link below.

What has this got to do with selective memory you may ask?  Well since the 2007 debate no review has been conducted and no increase has been sought until a couple of weeks ago when the Minister for Economic Development lodged P94/2015 asking for a 17% hype in the license fees The reason given for the increase is because fees have not risen since 2007, they need to be rectified and brought up to date in line with inflation. How ever there is no mention as to why there has been no increase or of the 2007 States decision, why?

This brings me back to selective memory because it’s difficult to accept that not one current Minister or civil servant can remember the 2007 proposition or asked why there has been no annual request. Senator MacLean is now the Minister of Finance, has he forgotten the proposition? The same could be said of Senator Bailhache who as Bailiff would have given consent for my proposition to be lodged and presided during the debate which was unanimously approved via a Standing Vote. Have fellow Ministers like Gorst, Ozouf, Routier and Pryke also forgotten or asked why there has been no request for an increase for long? Have none of the newer Ministers asked questions or are they so bound to collective obedience. 

Before a proposition can be lodged it has to be approved by the Bailiff who by coincidence also heads the Licensing Bench. I am surprised that he has not insisted on a rescindment of the 2007 decision before approving P94/2015. It is common knowledge among the Licensing trade why fees have not been raised since the 2007 decision yet that fact seems to be unknown to Ministers, their civil servants and even the head of the Licensing Bench. I found this memory loss hard to accept so did a bit of research.

The Minister’s report in P94/2015 which can be read in full in the link below says “following consultation with key stakeholders it has been agreed that whilst the up-rating is long overdue, in order to reduce the financial burden on licensees, the increases will phased over 2 years.”  As the report makes no mention of the 2007 States decision I thought it was wise to check with some of the key stakeholders seeking information as to what the consultation entailed.

I have checked with key stakeholders who have confirmed that they met a minister and civil servant but only to be informed that the fees would be going up, but to ease the burden they would be raised in two rather than one year. They maintain that they raised the issue of the States decision in 2007 and why the increase was sought before the outcome of the review. However they were told that the increase was going ahead irrespective of the States decision."

I have no reason to question the stakeholder’s version of events because asking about the 2007 decision is probably the first question anyone including States Members would ask.

What is now evident is that Ministers and civil servants are aware of the 2007 decision but have chosen to omit that fact in the report. The States has had 8 years to conduct the review but has failed. Not only does it hide the truth but the anomalies still exist because the promised review has not been carried out.

The Council of Ministers is desperate to fill the black hole it created and via the Economic Minister is seeking an increase in Licence fees; however the manner in which it seeks the increase does little for its integrity or reputation. It is evident that by concealing the truth the Ministers and Civil Servants are being underhand and unprofessional. What ever reason it chooses to deny that fact it will do little to persuade the "thinking public" that the culture of concealment and collusion still exists in Jersey and should not go unnoticed by the Committee of Inquiry.

If the Council of Ministers can go to such lengths to conceal the truth for such minor matters like increasing Licence fees than it begs the question what has it been concealing in relation to abuse allegations, Operation Rectangle, the Graham Power suspension and many other related matters.

I shall be forwarding this blog to the relevant Ministers suggesting that P94/2015 be withdrawn and the States decision of 2007 be implemented before any rise in fees is requested.. 

The original Proposition P 117/2007 can be read by clicking HERE

The Minister's Proposition P94/2015 can be read by clicking HERE

The 2007 Hansard report can be read by clicking HERE and scroll well down until reaching Paragraph 11

Independent Jersey Care Inquiry (11)----Jersey Social Services " Out on a Limb"

It has been a good week for supporters of the Committee of Inquiry (COI) and after weeks of hearing evidence from those abused, the COI is continuing to question those people who held positions of responsibility when the abuse and neglect was taking place. As each witness is questioned it is becoming abundantly clear that not only were some staff incompetent but they used their positions to cover up their incompetence and in so doing covered up allegations of abuse.

Whilst it has been disturbing listening to evidence from the abused it was also disturbing listening to the answers given by Anton Skinner who rose through the ranks to become the acting Chief Executive of the Health and Community Services. This blog will comment on some of his evidence and Marnie Baudains comments about Stuart Syvret.

What I found disturbing about Anton Skinner’s evidence was that he knew the Jersey Care system was working in total isolation and years behind UK good practice. Mr Skinner admitted that Haut de la Garenne was “a total situation of crisis” yet it remained open for years after the publication of the Lambert/Wilkinson Report, why and who was responsible?

The Lambert/Wilkinson 1981 Report highlighted the lack of training and of Child Care Officers in Jersey feeling "out on a limb from colleagues in the UK and working in isolation." However Mr Skinner said that if anyone wanted to attend courses in the UK money was not a problem but from what he went on to say there seemed to be no encouragement given to those who should have been attending courses not only for their own professional enhancement but to share the knowledge gained with their colleagues.

Mr Skinner held senior positions for a number of years so why did he allow the “out on a limb and working in isolation” to continue? I don’t know whether the Panel understood the isolation issue. It was not just that our Children’s Service was working in isolation from the UK but it was more serious than that, because it was working in isolation in Jersey whereby unlike in the UK where there was an inter agency approach, this was not the case in Jersey.

Each Department was working in silos and there was no sharing of information or joint case conferences held when problems arose with children and/or within the family. The welfare of a child with problems should have been paramount but from my experience a child with problems seemed to be an inconvenience. 

If Mr Skinner could not see the need for training himself then it not surprising that he failed to see the need for training for the lower ranks. It is also apparent that there was no appraisal system in place which would have identified the personnel’s strengths and weaknesses. That absence allowed for the incompetent to remain in office and worse still some getting promoted beyond their levels of competence.

When asked how he kept abreast of the fast moving changes in child care outside Jersey Mr Skinner said he read Care related magazines. It could be said that when it came to leadership in our Care system it was a case of the blind leading the blind. It was not that those in authority planned to fail, but they simply failed to plan because they were either out of their depth or blinkered.

Social justice is a long way down the list of most of those who can do some something about it. Guilt by association is still very much a way of life and I was amused by the former Head at Le Rocquier School complaining about having to accept 'grossly disturbed children' from Haut de la Garenne at his school inferring that it lowered its image.

I attended St Martin’s School for all of my 9 years education and during that time I sat alongside boys from Haut de la Garenne. At no time did I ever hear my former Head Teacher Mr Anthony or any of my fellow pupils complain. I would say that the boys' presence enhanced my education and I have a greater understanding of the difficulties young people in care have to endure. 

It was interesting to see that Mr Skinner had amended his original statement; no doubt some amendments were required following evidence given by some of his former colleagues. I thought his written apology was too little and too late and was more of an apology for his shortcomings than for the harm caused by his incompetence. It was not surprising that one of the abused felt the apology was insincere and an insult.

I noted with amusement that an officer who smacked the bottoms of two mischievous boys had the book thrown at him yet a blind eye approach was adopted when dealing with real abusers.

It was also interesting hearing why the Maguires were not prosecuted. To claim it was in the victim's best interest not to prosecute adds salt to the wounds. The prosecution would have highlighted the shortcomings of a Service that was leaderless, incompetent and in parts uncaring and probably that had more to do with the decision not to prosecute.

It should be noted that the Children’s Service was under the remit of the Education Department until 1995 when it was transferred to the Health Department. It is now evident that concerns about the Maguire’s were made known to the Health Committee soon after the transfer. However it was not until May 1999 that the Committee of the day was misled when being told that the Maguires were leaving because of poor health.

I was a member of the Committee and present at that meeting but was denied the full facts. The decision to deceive my colleagues was not just Mr Skinner's so it begs the question as to who else was part of the deception.

Having been a Member of the Health Committee for around 5 years I found Mr Skinner to be very pleasant but felt was too laid back to hold senior positions. Counsel for the COI Patrick Sadd had certainly done his homework and did a fine job in exposing Mr Skinner’s shortcomings. It is evident that the Panel was struggling to accept some of Mr Skinner’s answers and selective memory and from time to time sought clarification. The transcript of Mr Skinner’s lengthy time answering Mr Sadd’s searching questions are well worth reading and can be found on the COI’s website by clicking HERE.

Marnie Baudains had worked in the UK where she began her career in various child care and supervisory roles before taking up similar employment in Jersey in 1985. She retired as Directorate Manager of Social Services in 2011. She said that Stuart Syvret’s criticisms of services and individuals were erroneous and his actions increased the risk to those who required protection from abuse. It was not the content but the manner in which Stuart had raised the issues.

Methinks that Ms Baudains should be reminded that people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Whilst she was may not have been party to the abuse, she worked for Jersey Social Services for over 25 years and her eyes would not have closed for all that time, therefore she must accept responsibility for some of the failings that are now coming to light.

It is apparent that Stuart does not have a degree in diplomacy and often his message is lost because of his direct style. However evidence now coming to light is proving that his criticism was not erroneous and there is still more evidence to come.

Jersey's Black Hole--We are all in it together????

“

We are all in this together” said the Chief Minister Gorst when explaining how Jersey is to get out of the fiscal “black hole” which is some £145m deep.  Or in simple terms every Jersey resident needs to pay £1,438 to get out of the hole- according to a draft financial plan presented to States Members.

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?

                    

Independent Jersey Care Inquiry (10)------The Crucial Missing Documents.

The temperature outside the Committee of Inquiry Building has certainly been rising and so too during the present Hearings. Those involved with responsibility for the welfare of young people in our Care Homes have been giving evidence. From the evidence given to date by some witnesses one is left to wonder whether they were actually working in Jersey. This is because some witnesses have claimed that the Homes were extremely well run and no one ever raised a hand or spoke a bad word against any of the young people

However some witnesses have had different experiences and certainly have not been blinkered or worn rose petal spectacles. Not only have they witnessed abuse but when raising concerns they fell on deaf years.

I recently attended a Hearing. I looked into the Press Room from where I am banned and noted the ample room available which says little for the COI Panel’s knee jerk reaction to ban some Bloggers like me.

I was surprised at the number of senior civil servants present who were no doubt attending to give moral support to the witness. However I wonder how many were there in their time and not at the taxpayer’s expense.

I also noted two senior civil servants sitting in privileged seats. I don't know why they were there but I understand that their attendance is regular. I am not only concerned that they are attending at taxpayer’s expense and not doing the job they are paid to do, but someone else is being paid to cover for their absence and possibly charged to the COI.

Given the seniority and of their positions in the Health and Chief Minister’s Department they would be intimidating to any current civil servant who dareS to break ranks and come forward with evidence of malpractice. I have raised my concerns with the COI but am still waiting a reply.

During the Hearing questions were asked about the disappearance around 2002 at La Chene of a number of crucial documents. Almost as expected even those in senior positions have not been able to come up with a suitable answer or even a possible reason for their disappearance.

Around 2002 serious concerns were being raised about overcrowding, abuse and the overall well being of the young people and staff at establishments like La Chene.

  

An independent inquiry was undertaken by Dr. Kathie Bull, who was seconded from the Office of Standards in Education (Ofsted) for this purpose.  In late 2002 she published her report entitled, “The Principles, Practices and Provision for Children and Young People with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties and Disorders in the Island of Jersey”.  It is commonly known as the “Kathy Bull Report.”

The Report was most revealing and some might say it pulled no punches.  However what is not commonly known is there was a first report which was definitely revealing and Dr Bull pulled no punches. Unfortunately it was unpalatable for many of the people identified in the Report so a watered down version was published. Having seen both reports it cannot be disputed that punches were pulled and the published Report although still revealing made for more comfortable reading. 

I was not aware that a number of crucial documents had disappeared but given the comments in the Bull Report it does not take a genius to work out why they went missing or identifying the small number of people who might have been involved with their removal. 

Jersey's Dean---Still More Questions--- BBC Radio Jersey Broadcast.

During Question Time at last Tuesday’s States sitting Deputy John Le Fondre asked Chief Minister Senator Gorst if he was able to update Members as to when the Steel Report would be released? The Chief Minister could not give a date but stated that he was greatly disappointed that the matter had not been brought to a swift conclusion.

Followers of my Dean Blogs will know that 2 years ago Dame Heather Steel was commissioned by Bishop Dakin to review the Dean’s handling of a complaint made by a young lady against a Church Warden in 2008.

Radio Jersey has maintained an interest in the matter and yesterday along with Bruce Willing I was invited to join Matthew Price to discuss the impasse between the Bishop of Winchester and Jersey’s Dean and the delay in the release of the Steel and Gladwin Reports.

Bruce Willing is a member of a small group of people which includes Senator Philip Bailhache who have been vociferously critical of Bishop Dakin’s handling of the “Dean Affair” and have been unstinting in their support for the Dean. I don’t have a problem with their stance but they seem oblivious of some of the Dean’s shortcomings and of  the resultant wedge that has now been securely lodged between Winchester and Jersey thus ending our 500 year old link.

Two years ago I published this BLOG which is well worth reading because it contains a letter from a Dean supporter and a set of questions posed by Bruce Willing. It also contains a quote from the Dean when apologising for mistakes made in his handling of the complaint in which he states “If Christians can’t put things like this behind them and move on then we are all in a mess.” 

Given the impasse it is evident that some Christians have not put things behind them or moved on. Not only do they want the Bishop’s blood but also his head. It is also now evident that following Bruce Willing’s concerns regarding the initial Terms of Reference (TOR) they were amended. This possibly accounts for why the Korris recommendation that the arrest and deportation of HG from Jersey be investigated was omitted from the final TOR.

It should also be recalled that Korris was heavily criticised for not interviewing the complainant, however neither has Steel yet the same criticism is not being levelled at her. After my 3 hour meeting with Dame Heather Steel in October 2013 I wrote to Bishop Dakin informing him of my concerns regarding Dame Heather’s partiality and later published a blog on the matter which can be read by clicking.HERE

Now that it is evident that the TOR were amended and the author's partiality questionable its not surprising that some people are keen for the Steel Report to be published. 

The broadcast may be heard by clicking HERE  Readers will note that there are disagreements between Bruce Willing and me. I don't have a problem with what I said but I disagree with some of Bruce's comments which I am pretty sure would also be refuted by Bishop Dakin who was certainly at the sharp end of Bruce's tongue 

It is interesting that the issue of the Dean's "exoneration" was again raised. In my book the fact that disciplinary action is not being taken does not mean that one is exonerated. What is evident is that mistakes have been made on both sides and no good will come by the publication of a Report which is already discredited and will do more harm than good.

I believe the public and the Church would be better served if both parties acted as Christians, put things behind them and moved on so everyone gets out of the mess that they have created.

If readers have difficulty in opening the links to my two blogs above should be able to access them by clicking HERE    and      HERE

I am grateful to Radio Jersey for providing the link to yesterday's broadcast which can also be accessed by clicking HERE