From Sean Kelly.
WITH reference to the last week in the States in which we witnessed a vote of no confidence against the Council of Ministers and a vote of censure against the Chief Minister, I have to now ask whether it is time for some politicians to step down?
I listened to every speech live and in particular I noticed that neither Senator Stuart Syvret nor members of the Jersey Democratic Alliance had anything good to say about the Island. You have to ask what their purpose is within the States now, because they basically have no power anyway?
Senator Syvret has done nothing but act like a bad-tempered child since he was sacked, and why does he find it necessary to meddle with the police investigation into historic child abuse all the time? The Senator needs to accept that his sacking was a decision by the majority of all States Members and it is also about time he started to acknowledge that he was responsible for child care for many years.
Deputy Geoff Southern of the Jersey Democratic Alliance simply cannot see anything good about living in Jersey and his further vote of censure motion against the Chief Minister can only be described as a farce. His speech was nothing but a moan about how the poor in Jersey are being shafted. But it is easy to list problems without providing any solutions, which he only ever seems to do, as not once did Deputy Southern give any solutions during the debate.
Also, in an Island where we have almost full employment, is now the time to really be complacent while we watch the UK being hammered by recession anyway?
Deputy Southern never shows any admiration for the finance industry, or the 13,000 people that work within it. The finance industry supplies over half our tax revenue and while they keep on demanding more money for the less well-off and the people employed by the unions, perhaps it is about time he and his party recognized where this money actually comes from in the first place, and the people that work for it, instead of insulting them all the time?
The people who voted against the council have nothing glorious to show for their own time in office and with elections coming up shortly, I think the electorate should take note that they can tell you all the problems to get your attention and perhaps even your vote, but when it comes to finding a solution for you, they really haven’t got a clue.
Holmhurst,
Queen’s Avenue,
St Helier.
Article posted on 9th July, 2008 - 2.59pm
14 Article Comments
Spot on! What is the point of listing out problems without any solutions? Geoff Southern should retire from Politics we are weary of him now.
They do this all the time, list out all the worries and problems, get your vote so they can get their £40,000 a year for 3 years and then deliver nothing.
The JDA should disband, there is no room for party politics in Jersey it has already been proven as a failure.
It is imperative and necessary for us to keep the finance industry going at all costs. We give a world wide well regulated service. The JDA never support this, they always avoid the issue of the finance industry and Sean is right in saying that it pays their wages. Maybe it is because none of their members understand it?
What is Mr Kelly really calling for? A one party state and the elimination of all opposition?
Is the Mugabe model of government one Jersey will adopt of it goes for independence?
What a plonker !!! the finance industry provides over half our tax revenue because tourism, farming and agriculture have all been screwed up by the States-you’re time is yet to come!
I think it is time for Geoff Southern to step down. He failed in the last Senatorial elections and this till receiot GST thing is just a joke. One minute he say they dont want GST and next minute he is demanding the showing of GST on till receipts without even asking traders. He has to go.
i hope the island wakes up and gets rid of syvret, southern and pitman at the next elections.
all governments and politicians will make mistakes. no government does what the electorate wants all of the time. in Jersey its worse not because of the system we have but because we cannot expect first class leadership for a £40k salary - most people with the necessary skills will earn twice as much in the finance indsutry.
in any event, there is nothing worse than the likes of syvret, southern and pitman - individuals that feed off mistakes or bad luck with nothing to offer themselves. there is no skill in this whatsover (we are all excellent complainers). these people are a waste of time and money.
the finance industry should be nurtured as much as possible and states decisions made in favour of supporting it. the southerns of this island need to realize that without it, the “ordinary workers” (as Mr Corbel often puts it!?) would be struggling to find work at all.
It is the finance industry that has ruined Jersey.
Ask yourself why you work in it?
Why don’t you go and do something you really want to do? After all no child sits at school and say “I want to be a Trust&Co administrator when I grow up”
I know the reason why we do it - money.
Finance has come in and pushed the price of evrything sky high by distorting the labour market. Now we have to work in it just to get enough money to put a roof over our heads and pay the huge cost of living.
That’s why Jersey has priced itself out of the tourism industry. No hotelier can recruit against the opposition of the banks.
One day finance will move on. I don’t know when. Nobody does but move on it most definitely will and it wont shed a tear for Jersey.
We have sold ourself to the banks and already we are starting to pay the price.
Like it or lump it the finance industry is our only lifeline, so yes you are right it could pack up and leave, but what can we do about it? I would rather us keep things as they are instead of getting the likes of Southern and Pitman destroying the economy. Southern wasted £500,000.00 in stopping the JT sale and if you read the report it was all about the staff. Now JT is losing value by the month so if they do ever sell it, it will be a pittance of its worth before his meddling. So yes I agree, Southern and his JDA + related groups need to go.
Well if you want to talk about wasting money there a few other states members who have wasted a hell of a lot more than £500k. Its about time people stopped getting up on their high horses - quit moaning about the state of things and do something about. Majority of the people who comment on these pages probably don’t even vote so what does that say!
Finance should go they are helping rich people avoid paying tax. This affects all the world. Why should the majority suffer so that the few can live in luxury by sponging off of the rest.
Finance should go? And what do we do afterwards all work in the fields? The vote of no confidence in the Bailiff yesterday in another reason for the JDA to go. They are useless in the States. They do not represent to majority and they are wasting everybodies time now.
We certainly do need the finance industry, however we definitely do not need our Council of Ministers who make major decisions solely for the benefit of finance and are steadily crippling the small Jersey businesses. Now they are moving on to ruining the dairy industry by allowing the importation of semen and milk. Speak to the ordinary person in the street and they all are very unhappy with this government. On the other hand, will they vote in the next elections? Only if they can be certain that their votes will make a difference. With the Council of Ministers forcing the rest of the States Members to follow their lead, there is little hope of this.
syvret southern and pitman and the jda are fighting for the average low earners on the island, we are the people who are hurt the most by gst and the decline of the tourist industry, we are the people shunned by mr walker and his council of ministers who seem only to be interested in keeping the rich richer and their own business interests in profit.