From Brian Coutanche
CONVICTION politics and misleading soundbites were much in evidence in two recent pieces broadcast on Radio Jersey.

In the first, aired on 22 July, Deputy Jacqui Huet responded following an all-too-brief interview with Michael Woods (whose novel, Warm Heart, provides a fascinating glimpse into the corruption afflicting large swathes of Africa).

In both pieces the Deputy was at pains to point out that aid given by other countries is tied to the purchase of goods from the donor country. However, Deputy Huet knows that only a small part of aid is tied, and, even discounting this entirely, Jersey compares unfavourably.

In the 22 July interview the Deputy went on to urge listeners to remember that ‘Jersey is an unusual place because of the amount of money that comes in … not always belonging to the Jerseyman’. Yet only last year she commissioned a working party, chaired by Colin Powell, that considered this very point. She is well aware that the working party concluded that GNI is not an inappropriate yardstick for setting Jersey’s aid target.

Deputy Huet spelt out her position in a second interview, broadcast on 28 July. In a frank response to probing by Roger Bara, she expressed her conviction that the UN aid target was ‘unrealistic for any country except a very highly taxed country’.

The Deputy must be aware that the Chief Minister announced last month that between 2004 and 2006 Jersey’s tax revenues decreased from 19.1% to 18.7% of GNI.

The OECD average is around 36% (of GDP). The lowest member is Switzerland (29%). If Jersey had reached the 0.7% GNI aid target, its taxation would have been around 19.2% of GNI. Thus, when Deputy Huet told listeners that the UN target was only attainable in countries with taxation levels reaching 50% of GNI, she will have known this to be nonsense.

Her convictions deserve respect – she expresses views held by part, perhaps even a majority, of the electorate and the Council of Ministers. But a good number of those who share her convictions might think that it does Jersey no credit to disparage the (greater) efforts of neighbouring countries. Cavalier attempts to manipulate popular opinion undermine confidence in the political process.

Deputy Huet characterised her dilemma (echoing Eleanor Roosevelt) as being ‘damned if you do and damned if you don’t’. It is a sad indictment of our community if those who do want Jersey to play a proportionate part in reaching the millennium goals risk being damned politically at forthcoming elections. But since we don’t step up to the mark, it is not politicians but the families of the 6,000 children who died this year on the altar of lower taxes who have been damned.
Egret House,
Mount Bingham,
St Helier.