Call to finance voters
Wednesday 10th December 2008, 3:00PM GMT.
OUTGOING Chief Minister Frank Walker called on the finance industry to get out and vote for the politicians who support it in a ‘farewell speech’ to the Institute of Directors yesterday.
Mr Walker – who is still technically the Chief Minister until the ministerial appointments are made tomorrow – told the audience of 150 members of the local IoD branch that if Jersey was not careful it ‘would get the government that it deserves’.
He told the audience at the Grand Hotel that his three years leading the Council of Ministers had been an unforgettable experience. But he said it had been marked by highs and lows – and railed against the growing trend of criticism and vilification in Island life, before going on the attack and dishing out some criticism of his own to his former Health Minister, Stuart Syvret, and the Jersey Democratic Alliance.
‘It has been, to say the least, an interesting three years,’ said the former Senator. ‘At times it has been fantastic, and at times it has been just awful. At all times I have been comforted in the knowledge that there are 92,000 people that know they can do the job better than I can. And I can confirm at this point that my speech has not been written by Jeremy Maçon’s mother.
The biggest problem here is frankly the people who cannot be bothered to turn out to vote. Some of the turnouts in the recent Deputies’ elections were a disgrace – down to 25% in some districts. Where was everybody? Thousands of people in finance did not turn out to vote, and we have worked so hard to protect them. If Jersey is not careful it will get the government it deserves. I hope that the Island will indeed wake up before it is too late.’
• Picture: Frank Walker talks to Derek Maltwood and Ken Syvret at the IoD lunch. Picture by Richard Wainwright (00605587)
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A parting shot across the bows Frank! Like it or not, Finance is important but there are plenty of people in Jersey who don’t rely on the Finance Industry to make a living. We need a States Chamber that don’t forget those people and dont think that the Finance Industry is everything. PS I work in Finance. PPS
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Jersey, the captured state. Finance voting for its own candidates so we end up with one industry, one politics, one choice. It is already a fact that it is almost impossible to live in Jersey unless you are either independently wealthy, inherit property or work in the finance industry. Our reliance on this one industry is spiralling out of control. We need economic diversity for a balanced, sustainable future. Not this monomaniacal approach. Jersey as a discreet entity has no future if Frank’s dreams come true. The ‘Hong Kong Option’ is no future at all. Luckily, most people that I know in finance don’t come from Jersey and don’t care at all about local politics so they don’t vote. Luckily. I dread the day they do as it will be the day that Jersey finally dies – it’s still just about limping along at the moment but we need more choices for our young people (other than wage slavery) if it is to really have a future at all.
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Frank you need to get into the real world of work. Finance Workers are working from stupid o’clock in the morning to stupid o’clock at night.
I work in the Finance Industry and have yet to see evidence of the hard work that States Members have done to protect the Finance Industry. All I see which comes across my desk is closing business largely due to increase of fees because of the regulations now imposed upon us and the ever increasing basic cost of living e.g. rents, maintenance, utilities and salaries. Clients can now get the same service for a third of the cost from other jurisdictions.
Perhaps it was yet another excuse to have jollies on tax payers money!! Yet again!!
Perhaps on-line voting would engage more voters especially for those who are hard at work to keep their jobs and trying to salvage as much as possible within the Finance Industry.
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So, the true picture becomes clearer. Walker is concerned that an apathetic finance industry will let the “lefties” in by not getting out to vote.
We can’t have that! They might even press for social justice and, worst of all, begin to question why we continue to make a living on the back of an ethically bankrupt world financial system which inflicts misery and poverty on millions worldwide.
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At last Frankie has gone! Now will we see some semblance return of smart governance? Ministerial portfolio’s made up of competent people, or will it be ‘jobs for the boys’?
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My vote (and thousands of fellow citizens) is ignored. Why should I bother to vote again?
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The over regulation of small business is killing it, it takes a long time to process, a long time to fill in. These regulations are made for finance and applied to everyone, so we end up with finance biased regulatory system.
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Frank’s friend NOT! – Think about it – every industry is positively affected by the finance industry. Finance staff are the best paid meaning they pay the most taxes to support services. It also means more of their salaries go back into the economy than from any other industry sustaining every non financial business.
Frank’s point is that if anti finance politicians get into power and reduce its capacity less will be spent in non finance businesses from sandwich shops to plumbers to expensive yacht sellers.
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Hear! Hear! One can only endorse Mr Walker’s sentiments. Surely the primary responsibility of any States member must be to do everything possible to promote a stable and supportive environment for our finance industry.
Yet increasingly one sees elected to our legislature a menagerie of anarchists and crypto-Marxists both hostile to business and financial interests and bent on stirring up discontent amongst the local ne’erdowells and layabouts.
Wholly unqualified for public office, these wreckers and professional agitators represent the gravest threat to Jersey’s well being since the 1940s.
While we still have sufficient politicians from a business background to form a competent Council of Ministers, one fears for the future if current electoral trends persist. Perhaps now is the time to consider some kind of property qualification for prospective candidates to ensure that right kind individuals continue to be elected to office.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Mr Walker for all his efforts on behalf of the people of Jersey, and in particular his good work in promoting economic stability and prosperity during his time in office.
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Frank is gone (Ok we are stuck with Little Frank ..) George W. Bush is going – it’s got to get brighter soon, hasn’t it?
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Perhaps Frank Walker should have tried to make a case for voters in the finance and other industries coming out and voting for his political friends on the grounds that they would promote the best policies for the whole of the island.
Or would have that have been too difficult?
Vote for us because we will look after your jobs might seem a bit too cynical to the average finance worker. Most people like to believe that they support a just and inclusive society.
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agree absolutely with Proud Jerseyman, Mr Walker has done very well. By not voting people are tacitly encouraging under-qualified malcontents to enter politics and then make decisions on our behalf. Time to wake up for anyone who actually has a basic grasp pf economics (Mr Southern not you).
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Any kind of property owning qualification for election as a member of the States would be completely impossible;
1) Sark had a property based system until recently and they were forced to abandon it on human rights grounds.
2) Jersey legislation has to be approved by the Privy Council before it becomes law and they would never agree to it as it would open the island and the UK up to possible legal action.
3) It would be grossly discriminatory and would result in many members of the present House being disqualified and not only on the ‘left’. Quite a few members live in accommodation that is owned by their parents, spouses, partners or other family members and some are long standing private tenants.
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Proud Jerseyman – you forgot the Trotskyists and the neo-maoist revisionists.
Irony is a dangerous game sometimes. Some people can take you for real (like Jack, for example).
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Proud Jerseyman – you also forgot the Levellers and the Diggers who I think deserve a mention. Especially the Diggers. And the Hippies! nearly forgot the most important ones. Never forget the Hippies.
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Frank,
It’s not hard to see why people no longer bother to come out and vote when the most important vote for Chief Minister is denied to us!!!
A government the people deserve. First we would need to be allowed a complete democratic vote.
Give us our right to vote for the CM position and I bet you will see the people of Jersey come out with a vengeance.
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‘Flooded’ – I am afraid it is you who has misinterpreted my words, not Jack.
Judging by the composition of the newly-elected Council of Ministers, many sitting States members would apparently agree with what I wrote.
Pip Clement – thank you for highlighting what an appalling iniquity this so-called ‘human rights’ legislation actually is. Surely the people of Jersey have a ‘human right’ to a competent government rather than be misruled by an unholy alliance of far-left rabble rousers and economic illiterates?
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Far left? Ha, ha very funny!
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I wholeheartedly agree with Proud Jerseyman and I admire his courage in sticking his head above the parapet; standing up for what is right, in a time when it is deeply unfashionable to support the finance industry and politicians that have made Jersey a great and prosperous place to live.
Too many people knock our leaders and the establishment who for years have had the foresight to import cheap labour to do the menial unpleasant tasks leaving locals free to enjoy the fruits of the finance industry.
Lets be honest most local people have good well paid jobs and their houses are worth a fortune; their kids go to private school and their wives only have to work for something to do in between taking the kids to school in the 4×4, going to the gym and doing lunch. It is only those who can’t be bothered to work that end up working in low paid jobs and sponging off the States.
Not only should voting rights be limited to property owners it should also be restricted to the Jersey born of Jersey born going back two or more generations, as it is their island after all. It is really unfair that you only have to live here for two years before you have the right to vote and this distorts politics by allowing people with left wing leanings to vote.
The fact that the property qualification excludes those living in States Housing with housing qualifications (and most probably local born) is irrelevant. They have been given housing what more should they get?
Making complex decisions as to who is best to run Jersey is best left to those who have had the gumption to afford their own houses and real ties to the island!
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Boris-that was the funniest post I have ever read on this site. Thank you, you’ve made my day. Hilarious.
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Boris – have you been in hibernation since the time of the Czars!
My family history in Jersey goes back to the 1700s and I am horrified at your proposals. I am definitely not left wing – strictly middle ground and lets look after the taxpayers for a change.
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May I thank Boris for his kind words of support and congratulate him on his splendid correspondence. It is rare indeed to find such an eloquent and measured argument on a local forum.
I believe there is a great deal to commend in his proposals, whatever objections the local ‘human rights’ mafia may raise to them.
It is precisely those who live in States accommodation and newcomers from the island who tend to vote for unqualified and inadequate candidates who espouse class hatred and the politics of envy. One only needs to look to the example of the United Kingdom to see how universal suffrage has undermined a stable and prosperous community.
Like Winston Churchill (that glorious man!) I tolerate democraracy as “the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried”, and believe the only reason it has succeeded in Jersey has been due to the island’s capacity to produce more than its fair share of gifted statesmen.
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Going on Churchill’s record as a statesman and military leader I think any attempt to implement your proposals when he was in power would have resulted in;
1) The Privy Council refusing to sign the legislation into law
2) Some really stiff and unpleasant letters from the Prime Ministerial desk to the Bailiff
3) If the island government persisted then a battalion of the Parachute Regiment would have sent to impose direct rule and sort things out
Churchill was a firm believer in democracy and universal suffrage. Read his ‘A History Of The English-Speaking Peoples’ if you do not believe me.
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Also he would have treated your proposed tinpot, neo feudalist, quasi dictatorship with the contempt it deserves and he would have condemned it, at length, in the Commons.
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Thanks PJ I appreciate the feedback. There is far too much talk of ‘democracy’ these days without and real understanding of the responsibility that goes with the exercise of the vote. Universal franchise to be honest is really a recipe for anarchy and its use in the Channel Islands is fraught with danger.
Giving everyone the vote Willy Nilly is really Plebocracy more than anything else it is mob rule. Why give a 16 year old the ability to dictate who sits in the States when you still have to tell him to get up to go to school and do their home work? How daft is that? If anything the voting age should be raised to 30, after all life expectancy is longer so no one is going to miss out on their requisite number of elections.
However we should withdraw the right at 70 as they all get a bit batty after that. Any one under thirty is probably out binge drinking anyway so will either be incapable of voting or too inexperienced to see the benefit of elder statesmen such as TLS and Co.
It is only with age and a lifetime in business that you can see the necessity of Machiavellian Political machinations in order to protect the population of Jersey and more importantly the interests of the States.
Maybe a property qualification is too simple; perhaps we need some sort of examination in Jersey history and current affairs that way we will be reasonably sure that voters are qualified to elect those best able to represent their interests.
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Why bother with a vote.
A benevolent dictator is finest form of government.
Boris you get my vote for that (sic)
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Quote
would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Mr Walker for all his efforts on behalf of the people of Jersey, and in particular his good work in promoting economic stability and prosperity during his time in office.
My sentiments entirely Mr. Walker will be greatly missed by most of the Island, He should be given some sort of medal for the outstanding work he has achieved, it was only the other day that I stopped Mr. walker in King street to congratulate him for all the hard work he has done, Mr. Walker I salute and hug you..
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Oh my goodness Boris what a load of biased ageist twaddle you write. I can think of a States member over 70, and yes I would say that one needs to be got rid of. However I know a lot of people older than that that are very much of sound mind, how rude of you to say otherwise!
You say quote: ‘the establishment who for years have had the foresight to import cheap labour to do the menial unpleasant tasks leaving locals free to enjoy the fruits of the finance industry.’ End quote: The cheap labour they have brought in have in the main taken away jobs that could have been filed easily by local children from poorer backgrounds, who have had to leave the island to get anything like a decent standard of living.
You say and I quote: ‘Lets be honest most local people have good well paid jobs and their houses are worth a fortune; their kids go to private school and their wives only have to work for something to do in between taking the kids to school in the 4×4, going to the gym and doing lunch. It is only those who can’t be bothered to work that end up working in low paid jobs and sponging off the States.’ End quote: Unbelievable BS.
You say and I quote: ‘The fact that the property qualification excludes those living in States Housing with housing qualifications (and most probably local born) is irrelevant. They have been given housing what more should they get?’ end quote: In saying this you are actually sticking two fingers up at a majority of Jersey Born people, what more should they get, I’ll tell you what they should get, they should get affordable housing not just to rent but for normal working people to buy. When both parents have to work out of necessity, which is the case today in Jersey for working and middle class parents, it causes the disintegration of family units, this is where so many problem children come from on our streets today.
You say quote: ‘Making complex decisions as to who is best to run Jersey is best left to those who have had the gumption to afford their own houses and real ties to the island!’ end quote: What a b***dy nerve you have, gumption does not give you the financial ability to afford the outrageous cost of buying a house in Jersey, and as far as real ties to the island goes I know many people in states rental shoe boxes whose ties go back numerous generations, and to say that these people should not have the right to vote is totally out of order.
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“Lets be honest most local people have good well paid jobs and their houses are worth a fortune; their kids go to private school and their wives only have to work for something to do in between taking the kids to school in the 4×4, going to the gym and doing lunch. It is only those who can’t be bothered to work that end up working in low paid jobs and sponging off the States. ”
I’ve been working hard all of my life – I got my A levels at 16 (two years early as i worked hard!) I started working in the finance industry since i was 17 i have never had a payout from the states even when i was homeless but guess what? I can’t even afford to run a car with the amount of money i earn and get taxed on let alone buy a house and send kids to private school!
And guess what? It’s not because I “Cant be bothered” It’s because of politions like Walker who think like you do – give freebies to unfortunate and tax breaks to the well off and screw everyone who earns between 20 – 40k because according to you they’re “lazy”
as for voting – i doubt anybody votes anymore because votes dont count for anything! In jersey it has always been “its not what you know but who you know”
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A lot of people in Jersey own houses not through ” gumption ” but because they have inherited them-particularly true in Jersey farming families- or they have had financial help from their families to enable them to buy.
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And they say that sarcasm is dead
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Spot on Linda.
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Those who talk about ‘democracy’ and ‘freedom of speech’ are missing the point. History (and common sense) tells us that business and finance are really more interested in stability and order and do not need self-appointed barrack room lawyers ‘rocking the boat’.
While it is currently fashionable to heap scorn upon ‘The Jersey Way’, these values have helped create a stable, cohesive and largely contented community, and have helped make Jersey an attractive location for the international finance industry.
However this stability now seems to be under threat, and it is of great concern to those of us, like Mr Walker, who wish to see a States assembly continuing to work in the best interests of the finance industry.
To that extent I believe there is a great deal to commend in Boris’ suggestions. I am particularly grateful to him for pointing out that we must not not only examine the bona fides of those standing for office, but also of the electorate. I would also advocate giving the franchise to all ex-service personnel. Surely they,above all, have earned the right to vote.
Secondly, I believe we should always provide some incentives to good behaviour for the less priveliged sectors of our community. For example I would suggest that someone with an unblemished work record over a period of 20 years, who has not been involved in strike action and whose employer is willing to vouch for their good character, in my opinion has proved that they can be trusted to exercise their right to vote in a responsible manner.
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I feel I must take issue with Pip Clement’s comments. I believe Sir Winston Churchill’s ‘record as a statesman and military leader’ actually tends to support my original contention rather than to undermine it.
Sir Winston may well have tolerated the concept of democracy, but he was certainly no naive idealist. After all he vigorously opposed female suffrage as well as giving the vote to the non-white populations in the Empire (particularly in African countries). There is also the matter of his use of troops to bring to heel striking miners.
Therefore I am sure he would have been rather more sympathetic towards any local government experiencing problems with ‘restless natives’ than Pip Clement seems to believe.
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