Work To Death

News has leaked out carelessly that Ministers are meeting in secret to discuss the raising of the retirement age.

Where was this mentioned in any recent manifesto of the recently elected intake to the States. Did the Social Security Minister, who of course does not have an island wide mandate, inform the Parish of St. Clement of his views. (Equally the new TTS minister has no mandate but is keen to hit the Island on a brink of recession/depression with madcap ideas about increasing taxation).

Social Security is a strange scheme, those that benefited were really those who were there at its outset. Really it seems to be no more than a ponzi scheme, with today's contributors paying for todays beneficiaries whilst being forced into compulsorily contributions on the basis that it pays for a pension and your healthcare when in fact you pay for Doctors appointments and if you get old and get sick the State takes all but about £7,000 of your lifetime assets. Wonderful.

Bend them and Hedge It

Apparently hedge fund managers have been called to account by MPs in the UK over short selling.

I don't see what the argument of the hedge fund managers that shorting stocks highlights deficiency in that particular company.

Hedge funds do not make any thing. They serve no function other than as destroyers of companies whether they are good or bad companies.

Some say that short selling should be banned and investment should be on fundamentals.

However it would appear that hedge funds are doing nothing illegal, just bending rules a little perhaps, and hedging.

Unfair Play

Reading the JEP today I was struck how their "fair play" column is really unfair play. They have conducted a survey saying that consumers could save as much as £2,000 on lawyers fees. Simple maths would seem to suggest from their figures that this is not correct unless it is being done for nothing. No where is there a £2,000 differential.

From a cursory glance of the telephone directory they have not called all lawyers - why? They do not appear to have given any one the opportunity to respond.

They are conducting daily surveys so it will be interesting to monitor their progress and what value for money tips they come up with.

Here's one - don't buy the JEP - that's a couple of hundred quid a year.

Stop the Incinerator

Fortunately a couple of the new States members are putting a rescission motion in respect of the new incinerator to be built at La Collette.

Apart from the cost the worst aspect of this is the Jersey government are building an outdated polluting monster in the gateway to St. Helier. They have not told the public of the potential health risks from the airborne pollution threat in the prevailing winds which could affect some 55,000 of the population, more than half of Jersey's residents. Even then in the summer the wind turns easterly, south-easterly and north easterly. So for those months the western parishes and St. Aubin's Bay will get their fair share of toxic fall out.

Rather than voting "en bloc" the States members should perhaps look to their conscience. The question of the incinerator should have been the referendum question rather than a spurious question on time change.

What the States have voted for without proper research in to the fallout of toxins is to potentially poison its future.

If it does go ahead maybe the Ramsar designation will be withdrawn.

But I can do no better than to put a link to the Marine Biology Section of the Societe Jersiaise permanently on this site so that anyone can look at it. Also make sure you download the save our shoreline report under the article "La Collette Pollution Issue".

Banks and Anticipation

It is probably fair to blame the Banks, in part, for the recession and possible depression now affecting the global environment.

Surely questions should be asked as to what the profits were that were reported by the Banks. Surely these were illusory. And what of the bonuses paid on the supposed profits and the honours bestowed upon the mighty bankers.

And you can almost see how delusional the Banks were. Read the 2007 AGM statement from RBS and you get the evidence. Go to the RBS media centre.

An extract reads "We are delivering strong organic growth without overstretching our balance sheet or our risk envelope. Credit metrics have remained stable and the return on equity has increased to 19 per cent."

"The Group has performed well in 2006, so let me now say a few words about the Group's prospects for growth in the future."

"Our view of the economic backdrop is positive and we anticipate continued growth in the world economy, and that provides a favourable environment for our businesses."

How wrong can you be.

Darkest Before Dawn

Now that the recession is official it is interesting to note that media outlets such as the BBC continue with their relentless pursuit of misery with their specially designed downturn logo. In the Telegraph as soon as the recession is confirmed they have now go on to talking about it being a depression.

The key factor to any economy is credit. Another key factor is surely confidence and all the talking down must be having an effect on people.

People have not been greedy. They were offered credit on any number of things and on a reasonable assumption of their future earnings felt they could pay for things. Not everyone couldn't afford things.

On the other hand many people had their pensions stolen and effectively rendered worthless by their employers. So looking 10 or 20 years hence they started to buy property so that once paid down they would have an income in retirement. Lots of people are struggling.

But for all the gloom it is always darkest before dawn and ultimately there has to be recovery and hope.

More of the Same

The new house of States of Jersey, have shown themselves to be much the same as the old house. Following their own self interest.

As soon as they are elected they are happy to sit back on their £43K or so income plus expenses.

So no compensation as yet for the Woolworth workers. No adequate redundancy protection for Islanders. A vague idea to pump £140 million of our money into the economy. But who to? Debates in secret about the suspension of the police chief. No comment about the amounts of money given to airlines only for them to pull out within two years. No deposit protection scheme just some reliance on the "too big to fail" UK banks who are now all but nationalised by the UK Government. Do they think that the UK Government will be happy owning offshore entities created in part so that the Exchequer does not receive all its tax take and are in the location where so many off balance sheet vehicles were created so as to effectively hide the true position of the Banks.

And we have a new transport minister. Clearly more of the same here as well. He wants to introduce taxes on parking spaces just at a time where all governments are reducing taxes or not imposing new ones.

How will this new bunch of talents deal with a real onslaught on the finance industry and the next wave of redundancies and the recession. Not very well I venture - it appears from the spin of Economic Development and the rest of them that they don't really have a clue - I suppose they could draft in some experts to point out the obvious.

Original Thoughts

Strange how in the Home Life section of the JEP in the mortgage section written by the mortgage shop plus there is a call for the reintroduction of the States Loan to assist first time buyers.

Not that this blog hasn't been calling for that for some time - 31 October 2008 in fact. No doubt the JEP will claim a first.

And the Chief Minister has said a recession is on its way. Some six months late but they are getting there.

Don't suppose however the States will let us know how much they paid BMI to run and pull out of the BMI route.

Rescue What?

So the news on the JEP this evening is that our government through the finance ministers is to pump millions in to the local economy.

Why? What rescue is needed. Or is to be under the guise that development is needed and will perhaps be used to keep the waterfront funded if it is to be targeted investment.

Are the funds going to be targeted at redundant workers such as the ex Woolworth's employees. Are they to be targeted at future workers and Island residents.

Let's have some details as to why the message has been sent out that a rescue is needed rather than a soundbite through the JEP.

Bailout Time Again

With a new Bank bailout and record losses for Royal Bank of Scotland what now of the offshore finance industry.

Are the same platitudes to be wheeled out by our politicians and finance professionals whilst the UK taxpayer supports institutions. The offshore industry does not sit well particularly when the RBS is now all but 30% owned by the UK government.

The fact that there has also been another bail out also highlights the fact that Jersey has no deposit protection scheme for islanders and for its foreign depositors.

Ridiculous Advert

The Banks using the media on this weekend of another bail out to encourage you to use their services is interesting.

Most particularly the ridiculous advert by NatWest (owned by the RBS in turn now owned by the UK Government) and their money sense advisers telling customers how to manage and budget their money.

Pity their managers didn't take their own advice.

On the one hand - On the other hand

To say on the one hand that Jersey cannot administer its own justice and needs the UK to do it and then on the other hand say that Jersey needs work permits notwithstanding the risks of upsetting the UK defies logical thinking.

Jersey does not need work permits, it already has a housing law, and frankly if there are no jobs being created, then people will not come here, or if they do, looking for say, building work, there won't be any to be had.

What the States should perhaps be doing is reviewing the contract with Connex. The drivers and the union should have been ashamed of themselves, when in the middle of a recession, they strike, when the majority of private sector workers in white collar and blue collar areas in the Island are in fear for their futures in an Island that offers no redundancy law. We hear daily stories of UK firms such as KPMG introducing short time working and major London Law firms such as Clifford Chance asking the partners of that firm to put in £40m.

Times are very bad and Jersey is ill-equipped to deal with the fall out. It is not the time to be doing this. A better situation would be looking after the workers who have already been made redundant by ensuring that there is proper redundancy legislation and doing his best to promote that, rather than further antagonising the UK and the EU who will already be looking at the offshore industry as a direct result of the global financial crisis.

In fact, it may be fair bet, that we can expect moves on that front within a few weeks perhaps of the inauguration of President Elect Obama - one of the sponsors of the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act.

If work permits were to be introduced to Jersey it could effectively be seen as being Jersey's very own "Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act" and may cause Jersey considerable harm.

This weekend there is more talk about the Banks and particularly either the creation of a "toxic" bank or an insurance scheme concerning ring fenced assets.

At the moment the Banks share prices are suffering again - no coincidence perhaps that the ban on short selling has expired. Nevertheless this whole situation was created by the Banks themselves in reckless lending practices and in the fact that they packaged up debt and this was sold on, securitized etc. In a way it sounds like it was a "ponzi" scheme of its own, only a little more complicated. It seems strange that the Banks even think that they can negotiate their position with the government.

It is a wholly unfortunate situation.

But what of Jersey, still no depositor protection scheme, and there is certainly no guarantee that the UK Government will support Jersey depositors.

National Health Service - Abusive Comment

Shortly after writing the above I received this abusive post (spelling mistakes retained)

PS Relating to
Spongers, single people having children et al. We live in a Socialist country where we as tax payers accept responsibility for those not as well off as ourselves.

May I add - Jersey is a so called wealthy state, yet your government is more than happy to have its residents, elderly, young, working etc living in squalor in cold damp housing - not being able to afford to heat their homes. Your Island has no freedom of information, a corupt government, a Bailiff who Shafts your Island Internationally, his brother the AG who thinks he has god like powers and choose who is charged for crimes they have committed and who is not. You have 70+ abused people who have made statements to the police and they have been ignored.

On an Island which the majority of politicians are so far to the right where the only people that matter are the people with money you have the audacity to Knock Gordon Brown. Get a life

This blog is not entirely about Jersey, because strangely enough Jersey is not the centre of the universe as some may think, and if people care to read the posts you will note they take in many issues (yesterday concerning Sri Lanka for instance) and they will know that this blog is fully supportive of the abandoning of Housing qualifications and has stated that accommodation should be upgraded. Furthermore I have stated points about free speech. In my post on the NHS I am referring to someone who has never lived in Jersey, who is disabled through no fault of their own. It is a UK situation to which I refer. What they have done is lived and worked and paid taxes in the UK and purchased their home in the UK. At the end of the day or in the autumn of life having done what the government asked of them yet they then have to pay for their care at up to £500 per month whilst their spouse is left to live at their own home surviving with all bills, food, etc at £90 per week. Therefore two weeks income have been spent on transporting him back 200 miles - and yes they still pay tax. So yes there is injustice in the NHS.

National Health Service - A Disgrace

The National Health Service in the UK rightly comes in for criticism.

Witness this story, a disabled person from Nursing Home has to go for a CT Scan some 200 miles from where he is staying. It involves a routine Hospital Transport Ambulance service; Has the scan but as there is no return transport until the Friday the NHS Trust are happy to let him occupy an acute bed from the Monday until the Friday.

Rather than that his family pays a huge taxi fare to get him back to his nursing home.

His test for an electric wheelchair is failed because he can push himself two or three feet on a linoleum floor and therefore does not qualify as being not being disabled enough notwithstanding he cannot speak because of brain surgery but has control of his arms and can operate a computer to communicate.

No doubt all the spongers and scroungers and young single parents who choose have children as a profession to get free state handouts will under the New Labour government get whatever they want. Strangely enough this patient is in Gordon Brown's Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath constituency.

Still with the recession, come the next election, Labour is probably going the way the Liberals went in the 1930's, never to recover. So there is a green shoot to look forward to.

Free Speech

Although I do not particularly like the spectacular assertions and conspiracy theories sometimes espoused on other blogs I feel it appropriate and important to produce a link to an editorial in the Sunday Leader of Sri Lanka written by the late Lasantha Wickrematunge and a blog article by Peter Foster about Sri Lanka, currently undergoing its own turmoil.

Enough said therefore that there is room for a local press but also for local blogs and of course for free speech. Therefore local journalists working in any form of the local media, and reading these articles should be aware, perhaps, unwittingly of becoming the mouthpiece of government and losing sight of individual and press freedom rather than questioning matters that require questions to be asked such as, perhaps, in the Haut de la Garenne investigation, rather than mere acceptance of the official line and turning a blind eye to any other side of the argument. Rather than do this why are they not publishing those with a contrarian view rather than trying to deride at any opportunity.

Another Law to Erode Individual Freedom and Rights

Now Jersey has a new law in force called the Water Resources (Jersey) Law, introduced, under, no doubt, a cloak of environmental protectionism to protect our Island resources.

What it does is force each owner of a borehole, well, catchment or impounding area to register under the law. Domestic users must register although there is currently no cost. I am sure we can guess what will be coming next. Having to pay for water on your land which you have had to pay to extract because Jersey Water cannot bring a supply to your property or will only bring a supply to your property provided that you pay the cost for the pipe, which appears extortionate.

As ever with most new legislation failure to comply is a fine or the over the top penalty of up to 2 years imprisonment.

Interestingly there is an article in a recent JEP about the political leanings of a few politicians. Given this latest law I would say it is more from New Labour type policies than anything right wing - more state control over the rights of the private individual.

I wonder who was responsible for instigating this particular piece of legislation from the outset.

Recession in Jersey

Given the woeful news given almost gleefully on the BBC news about the UK being in the deepest recession since the 1930's what exactly are the authorities in Jersey doing.

We hear of redundancies or closures on a fairly regular basis. Is the social security minister going to urgently put in place measures for redundancy payments to be made to workers? What questions are being asked by the States Members?

We have the Chief of Jersey Finance saying talk of redundancies is premature. Not for those at risk of redundancy or already redundant. Perhaps he should take a look at the finance industry.

Electricity Price Increase

As for competition we have the JEC and their price hike and the hardship it is going to cause to the local community. But, of course, we have no alternative supplier, the competition authority can do nothing with no competition, and the JEC can act as they like. They say that the shareholders are demanding an increased dividend and that is part of the reason for the hike. As the States of Jersey, namely us the taxpayer own the majority stake, the States members and the new ones in particular should force the price down. Any minority shareholder knows the score when they buy into the company. If the majority shareholder forces the issue it could say no dividend at all. Alternatively it could be beneficial for the States to acquire the minority stake and take a lower dividend.

Housing Quallies Row - Get Real

Sometimes you really can't be bothered. It is no wonder people don't bother voting when you see behaviour from States members so that one member argues with his immediate boss such as the current Housing quallies row.

The move to reduce to 11 years was delayed last year. Housing have not stopped allowing J category employees moving in. Therefore it is only natural justice that the reduction of qualification period is at the very least reduced to 10 years.

The quality of accommodation for non qualified people is not up to standard. Reducing the qualification period to 10 years would make no difference to the market because at the moment people can't get mortgages.

As a locally born person I have qualifications to live here. Equally I am able to buy in the UK and most of Europe and to live there. Therefore I think it is fair that qualifications are ultimately abolished and that proper standards of non-qualified accommodation are introduced.

With the USA and UK governments about to embark on other methods of alleviating the deep recession - whcih could involve buying Housing stock, stocks, debt etc, printing money, quantitative easing. In the UK this could also involve government backed mortgage guarantees and the creation of a "toxic" bank for the transfer of bad debts. Jersey has little or none of these mechanisms available to it, surely now is not the time for an elected representative to be saying the government shouldn't interfere in the market. There are no qualification rules as such in the UK and their market is stifled - ours will not be very much different. A total abolition of qualifications would have an effect on the market, although how noticeable in the current market would be debatable.

Already building materials and construction companies are going to the wall or making severe cutbacks. This affects real peoples lives - people with rents to pay and some no doubt with mortgages. It is all very well having a moral standpoint from the comfort of your tax paid elected seat in the States, even if the majority of the Island didn't have the chance to vote for you.

Road to Tax Injustice?

News that Guernsey is thinking of reducing income tax for wealthy residents to a maximum of £100,000 is interesting if a little unfair on those that remain paying a higher percentage of their earned income.

Guernsey wants to attract wealthy immigrants, the reason being, rightly or wrongly, on the presumption that they will invest in the local economy and create local jobs. Otherwise why would you do it?

That said if they do cap the tax how will such a cap face up to a challenge, if one is made, by other tax payers. Let's face it if you earn £2,000,000 a year and pay £100,000 you are only paying 5% tax. Therefore, why shouldn't everyone else pay 5%. It will be tax injustice on the ordinary citizen - saying £250,000 cap is uncompetitive just doesn't cut it. They are earning the money so they should pay the tax.

So one question is, will Jersey do it as well, or, as usual, find a world class scheme to go one better?

Starting the Printing Press

A news story today is that the Chancellor is considering "printing money" or quantitative easing of the economy.

This is a last resort tactic now that the interest rate strategy has all but run its course.

The risk of pumping money into the economy is inflation in the medium to long term.

The Treasury have however denied reports that it is considering printing more money although clearly this has not been ruled out. However the rising profile of the story as a headline on GMTV and in the Daily Mail indicates that the idea is getting more prominence and is in all events likely to happen.

Of course in the rapidly tightening Jersey economy where our esteemed ministers have no control over economic policy they do have control over fiscal policy. So just at a time when spending is needed most of us have received a higher ITIS rate from the Income Tax department and GST is just over 6 months old and ready to be unleashed onto the tourist industry.

Blogging Locally Speaking

In tonight's JEP the comment article rightly chastises the anonymous abuse of a person seeking election in the Parish of St. Martin.

Not surprisingly at the end of the comment - you can view it here the JEP editorial refers to locally generated blogs and websites specialising in a toxic blend of untruths, half-truths, innuendo and cowardly attempts at character assassination. Yet the JEP does not have the courage to name the blogs to which it refers. We can obviously guess by some of the blogs we read, but they are not a vast majority.

As referred to on Tony's Musings today there was also reference to local blogs on BBC Jersey.

This site certainly doesn't see itself as the despicable enemies of free speech and certainly everything is reasonably tempered with reason.

The fact is that the established media of the past 100 years or less, i.e. the printed journals and TV and Radio, have to adapt and accept that there is a media organisation, Google, that provides an outlet for free speech. There are local blogs all over the world, some just diaries, some concerned about happenings in their local communities.

One of the problems for the JEP and other printed media, is that as the population ages, those of us in our 30's, 40's and 50's are heading to old age and will be computer literate. Therefore the market for a printed press will diminish. We can look for properties online, we can look for jobs online, we can read local articles online. Where that leaves the future of local press is another matter. Is there really a necessity for Estate Agents to put properties in the JEP on a daily basis now that people can easily access their website.

As an article in the Telegraph discusses the future of media in 2009 (and beyond) is far from certain.

Even though I am still in the habit of buying the JEP each day (except Saturday) it is not an essential purchase and is probably a waste of 45p.

A Redundant View from Guernsey

Sometimes I thought Jersey politicians were not too good but that goodness Jersey does not have Guernsey's Deputy Francis Quinn who stated to the BBC in a comment about redundancy "How may times have companies taken people on and trained them, at great expense to the company, then the person quite rightly goes somewhere else to better themselves?

"There's never any comeback to the employer when someone walks out of their job so, I am sorry, but it's a two-edged sword. Who pays the bill?"

Well, what about the stress employers put upon employees. The unreasonable interfering of HR departments in personal lives of employees. Employees choose to be employed. If their position is to be made redundant then they deserve to be compensated and the law should provide for that. Hopefully Guernsey will not re-elect this politician at its next election. It is not unreasonable for employees who have been loyal to Woolworths for 30 years to expect redundancy pay. In staying for over thirty years they have shown considerable loyalty when in fact by freedom of movement in employment they could equally have bettered themselves.

Such statements don't bode well for Landsbanki investors either if this comment is indicative of this politicians attitude and politicians generally in Guernsey.

Maybe some clarification or apology is in order to all Channel Island Woolworth employees and all loyal employees from this politician.

New Developments Housing Policy Change

Interestingly the Housing minister on the 2 December 2008 introduced a policy change under a ministerial decision in respect of who could occupy new housing developments (MD-H-2008-0115).

Previously all new housing developments had to be occupied by locals A-H and after 2 years each unit would attract a J category.

Suddenly, and with very little publicity, a ministerial decision has been taken, to the effect that now 50% of new housing estates are reserved for A-H (local) but the remainder will be free for 1-1 A-K categories. This means the developer no longer has to swap an existing J category property for a local property. From reading the ministerial decision this also appears to apply to flatted dwellings whereas previously it did not - but from the wording this is difficult to tell.

You can read this decision at Occupancy Conditions for New Dwellings. (MD-H-2008-0115)

Such a policy change may well encourage some activity in the Housing market but what it does not do is keep new housing estates for locally qualified persons for two years.

This decision is of course separate to any decision to reduce qualifications to 10 years.

Really, the States should just bite the bullet, and abandon Housing qualifications. That way substandard non qualified accommodation could become a thing of the past. Equally they could legislate to ensure that all accommodation for non qualified works is of a minimum decent standard.

One wonders what our former elected representatives were thinking about when they passed the Water Resources

From the States website it states that law came into force to help protect this precious resource.

If you get your water from a borehole or well, or if you take large amounts of water from a stream or reservoir this will need to be either registered or licensed. Water supplies provided by Jersey Water and water taken from tanks that are filled using rain water or by tanker, do not need to be either licensed or registered.

If you use a well or borehole to obtain water for domestic use and/or modest amounts for other uses, you will need to register this by 30 April 2009. The occasional use a borehole or well for domestic use (for example garden watering or filling a swimming pool) needs to be registered even if you also have a household supply provided by Jersey Water. There is no charge for registering or using a registered borehole or well.

This is all very well but how did the States find this to be human rights compliant. In Jersey, under common law, land owners own everything underneath and above, essentially from "heaven to hell".

Exactly why was this law needed. It is just more bureaucracy to create more public sector jobs.

Contrary to that which is stated on other websites which refer to our government as being an "oligarchy" and right wing, whilst it promotes the finance industry, in many other respects it is very new Labour. The constant expansion of the civil service. It is time that the civil service shrunk rather than expanded.

Beautiful Frosty Day

What a beautiful crisp frosty day. On the meadow near where we live you could see the geese as well as ducks, a couple of mallards, and I am sure I have spotted some pheasants which are now becoming common place in Jersey.

Although the pond seemed to have been frozen early morning the other day I am sure I spotted some wading bird, black and white, not quite sure what it is. Any way i will see if I can get a photo of it and then maybe I will post it here.

Anyway by way of small complaint, many thanks to the neighbours in the large house nearby for giving us an hour or more of motorised lawnmower or leaf blower or whatever. And thanks to the neighbours who have the fields for yesterday's motorcycle scrambling for two hours. It's such a shame that the rest of us in society would need planning permission to change the use of our land.

Nevertheless still a beautiful day and it seems that there will be a sharp frost tomorrow morning. So watch out.

Jersey Airport Arrivals - Unacceptable Wait for Bags

In its arrivals hall Jersey Airport has as a free giveaway (at taxpayers expense) a self important self congratulatory colour newspaper,

Rather than wasting money on this perhaps Jersey Airport could arrange for the baggage handlers to deliver the baggage from the aeroplanes within a few minutes rather than more than half an hour after the flight has arrived.

Busier airports manage this with no problem.

Maybe Flybe and Easyjet could complain about it. Neither can achieve their turnaround times if the speed of the baggage handlers is anything to go by.

Half an hour to wait for baggage at a small provincial airport is a shambles. It does nothing for Jersey tourism nor for the locals. But, it is a public run business, so who cares about customers.

Wishful Thinking

From this year is it not time that people locally and in the wider parts of Great Britain said enough is enough with the way society is going.

That we don't want to take as the norm drunks roaming our streets day and night, drunk or feral gangs and abusers roaming our streets so that the streets are not safe at night or indeed in the day.

Why do we as a society the world over have to tolerate such behaviour and why do we not speak out?

Is it not time that the police actually patrolled the streets more regularly and looked for criminals and prevented incidents from happening.

Is it not time that the public were allowed to chastise misbehaviour in a reasoned manner without fear of prosecution themselves.

Is it not time that hospitals went back to caring for the sick rather than being run by accountants and managers seeking to achieve targets and is not time that the government recognised that we have already paid for the services of the hospital in our taxes and social security and stopped trying to charge us for the same thing. That is not to say that the care in hospitals is not very good, but it is time to cut down the cost of management.

On law and order for instance, for example, drunk drivers, rather than hitting the drunk driver with an 18 month ban and a fine - just put it simply - if you are convicted as a drunk driver and you are caught and prosecutors - you will be banned for life - there will be no redemption. I am sure that would act as a sobering thought.

Allow discipline back into the family without the interfering state. Dismantle the edifice that the State has built around social issues.

In Planning, dismantle the regulations that have built a whole regulatory industry. Fair enough to have sensible building control but don't be so inflexible as to dictate who can and cannot put up a garden shed or fence in their newly built house. Who is paying for the house? It is not the state.

In Agriculture do not allow yet more nurseries, garden centres and derelict greenhouses to be turned over to housing. Rather provide tax benefits for growing local produce for the local market so that perhaps Jersey can become more self sufficient in its vegetable and fruit produce rather than relying on imports.

Health

If you have to attend at the A & E Department you may notice particularly at the weekends that are a fair few drunken people and those who are being dished out with their methadone.

These are people who have control over the substances they take. Would it not be better that rather than drunks and drug abusers being allowed to go to A & E there should be a separate section within the hospital so that the public do not have to mix with them and waiting times can be reduced. Do not put as much money into the section required to deal with the drunks and drug abusers.

With the UK government reportedly considering making people pay for old age, the government making people pay twice effectively because that is what social security was for, is it not time that the silent majority of citizens began to look at why we are not addressing societal issues in a more coherent common sense manner rather than pandering to the whims of do-gooders and minorities.

Cynicism

For Nationwide mortgage holders not much cheer this week as the managers of Nationwide seek not to follow the base rate with their tracker rate mortgages. Here is the link.
This is less than a month after it said it would not do this.


Do you suppose they will seek to place a cap if, and when, interest rates rise. I doubt it.

I suppose one of the reasons that they wish not to reduce the rates is perhaps that they see rates being low for a long time. But in the long term hopefully it will see customers leave the Nationwide. After all the Public are all having to take the rough with the smooth.

Similarly accountant administrators have been advised of a loophole in local employment law and chosen cynically at the last minute to tell the former employees in Jersey and Guernsey that there is no redundancy payment to be made.

There is also the nasty practice perpetuated by administrators of a business being sold back to original stakeholders immediately after entering administration in a pre-packaged deal so that the original creditors of the original business, suppliers and landlords for example, have no recourse to their money. Of course if this puts these businesses in trouble it is more business for the accountant.

Perhaps we the public should all remember how the financial crisis began and some of the causes - with schemes devised by Banks and their advisers. The packaging of £trillions of debt secured on thin air and sold on.