Lucky Escapes

There is the extraordinary story of how two teenage girls survived a car crash in St. Peter's Valley. The link is here.

However what is more extraordinary is that the passenger in the car had also written her car off two weeks earlier.

Whilst no one wants to see anyone injured and I am pleased they were not the question should be asked as to how these people are not charged with driving without due care and attention.

What if a car had been coming along the other way at a sensible speed. It is all to easy to see what the outcome could be.

They are lucky to be alive - but at least they appreciate that.

Backtracking

With the news that the current Planning Minister will not be approving or otherwise the Esplanade Quarter (Waterfront) development there appears to be a little backtracking from the States on this development. Which can be no bad thing.

Better not to go ahead with it now until we know where the local economy is going.

Further signs of backtracking from the Treasury Minister who is now saying "that the decision over whether to appoint Harcourt as the developer of the Esplanade Quarter site will be put to the States for a final decision only after an exhaustive investigation and scrutiny process to ensure the contract is right for Jersey".

See this link

Taxing Times

So with the majority of the world headed for fiscal loosening on the lower and middle classes in order to lessen the effects of recession (near depression) on the wider world what does Jersey do?

Does it fiddle whilst the economy burns? There is still talk, albeit a slight backtracking now, on the Esplanade Quarter (Waterfront) development, a £350m project. Of course financial services companies which are shedding jobs by the truckload worldwide will of course want to occupy a Jersey project.

Then we have 20 means 20 so that corporate structures, can, unfairly, pay no tax. An attraction of no tax can not in itself be an attraction for a business to set up here or indeed to continue in business if its business model dictates that it must retrench in order to survive.

If the world model is reflected here as it probably will be then what happens to our taxation policy which was based on an expanding working population if that working population does not expand. Likelihood is if the economic downturn continues then there will be some selling up and a contraction in workforce. So it follows that certain projects should be mothballed.

Foolish

To try to gain political capital out of the current economic crisis is foolish in the extreme. It is playing with the lifestyles of millions of Britons from rich to poor; And this is what George Osborne, the seemingly ineffectual Tory shadow chancellor, has done by even suggesting a run on the pound. What he is putting at risk is every person in Briton. The Government has not yet committed to borrowing extra and therefore the situation does not arise - yet. However talking up a run on sterling is irresponsible. There have already been enough troubles in the market to cause the ordinary man in the street trouble.

Let us hope that talk of a run on sterling remains just that. We can all ill afford a rise in interest rates of the scale needed to protect sterling.

George Osborne has already shown that he is not up to the job. Resign.

On the Road to ...... ?

Given that Jersey celebrates liberation - Jersey celebrates its liberation from Nazism or Fascism which is, in simple terms, the policy of nationalism, collectivism, national expansion, and state control of the economy. Also fundamental to was that no-one would disagree with the leadership.

Although National expansion is probably difficult for Jersey and fortunately Jersey has no army other items seem familiar now it does seem with the suspension of the Police chief and the apparent interest of politicians in local blogs that Jersey is on the road to a bad place.

What a disgraceful state of affairs.

Answer these Questions?

Why is it deemed appropriate to suspend the local Chief Officer Graham Power for doing his job.

Why is it not deemed appropriate to suspend civil servants under investigation in the child abuse inquiry.

Will the local media give prominence to the Howard League Report to be published on Friday?

Not that the local media will ask this. Maybe the National media can ask these question.

Now Listen Here - There is a Recession

I spoke yesterday about the arrant nonsense talked by our States members.

Particularly to the fore tonight are the Treasury Minister who states that there is no recession in Jersey. As someone who does a Jersey based (not international finance based job) and who has been threatened with redundancy in the past week (albeit with the employer following incorrect procedures) following 29 years of continuous employment I would beg to differ with him and also beg to differ with the J category import Dougie Peedle (or whatever his name is). It is comforting for us locals to know that an import is secure in his States job.

If it is not technically a recession because we have not had two quarters contraction or negative growth it is any ones world an actual recesssion. That is why we the public do not need new tax raises and tax cutting is essentail.

Equally adept at speaking arrant nonsense is the Economic Development minister who states it is still quite easy to get a mortgage. No it is not, Senator. And if you are looking at housing sales why not ask your assistant minister who is in that business.

There is no question that if they spoke to any local business they would know that Jersey is in a recessionary environment where profits are falling dramatically and jobs are being lost.

But then our local politicians do not actually care do they - all they can do is peddle nonsense and hope that we thicko public believe them without question. Anyway if redundancy did come to pass the only choice as a Jersey born person would be for me to sell up and leave the Island. Thanks local politicians - you are f***ing stars.