Jersey Gas and JEC in power struggle
Thursday 29th October 2009, 2:57PM GMT.
Deputy Paul Le Claire has proposed an independent study
A WAR of words has broken out between the Island’s gas and electricity companies over both the cost and the carbon footprint of imported electricity.
Jersey Gas is claiming that the creation of the electricity imported by the JEC from Europe causes more pollution than States environmental experts assert. The gas company has also alleged that the electricity is more expensive than other fuels.
However, the JEC has dismissed both claims and the Planning and Environment Department agrees that the Island’s imported electricity is a clean fuel.
Next week the States is to be asked to resolve the dispute between Jersey Gas and the Planning and Environment department about the carbon footprint of the electricity supply.
Deputy Paul Le Claire has tabled a proposal asking politicians to vote to sanction an independent study to establish once and for all the effects of imported electricity on the environment.
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That will be a consultant will it then Deputy, and who will pay for that? The reply of course is the usual “but it’s only a few thousand, well actually around twenty, but its not much really in the scale of things is it?”. Of course not, just the repair of one of the States Homes for an Islander, but hey ho, who cares because spending the money to benefit the taxpaper wouldn’t get photo’s in the paper would it?
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This, to my mind, is a clear case of the pot calling the kettle black.
The only really “clean” source of power available at the moment is nuclear energy and the electricity derived from it.
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I think Jersey Gas have a point. If for any reason the link to France was severed, or if the Nuclear power was prohibitively expensive, Jersey would have no option but to go back to oil.
Then, everyone in buildings that had no gas heating would have to use electricity at enormous expense, and the C02 emissions would be about triple what they would have been with gas.
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Years ago when people complained about the French nuclear program the JEC said their power came from no-nuclear plants. Now the buzzword is carbon footprint the JEC power is clean, I wonder which way the wind will blow for them tomorrow?
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It doesn’t really matter who is right, who is wrong they are both dearer than the UK, the word monopoly comes to mind!!!
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The cable that supplies Jersey is plugged in to the French national grid.
Powers stations ‘push’ power in to the grid and consumers ‘take’ it out.
The best you can say is that the power source is the average of the stations running at the time.
The French grid has links to the UK and maybe other European countries so we may be using UK electricity that has been bought by the French and then sold to us at some times!
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I use both and find gas cheaper for heating and water and cooking.
I had economy 7 for a while and found it very expensive and only came on a certain amount of hours and my place was freezing after a couple of hours.
Gas is instant and more convenient to use.
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I believe that with the JEC having a spat at the Gas Company, there is a danger of missing the real issue, which as I see it, is the Planning Department dictating as to how we heat our homes.
I have experience of owning properties which are heated by Oil and Gas, and I accept that the both these systems incurr annual servicing costs, and in the case of Oil, the periodic replacement of the oil tank.
Yes, electricity at the point of use is clean and virtually maintenance free, but at the end of the day, islanders should have the choice as to how they decide to heat their homes, without a dictatorship of a government forcing their decision.
I know of several situations some years ago where Economy 7 electric systems were being replaced by Oil, based on running costs and conveinence. There is little point in people out at work all day having electric storage systems which has been ‘charged up’ the previous night which are running out of puff by the time they get home, requiring them to switch on the ‘boost’ or whatever it is called and be charged 15p per unit.
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Where is the monopolies commission.
Surely how can the JEC get all new contracts with oil and gas not getting a look in, That cannot be right. People surely have the right to decide what they want without being told what they are having.
Sounds like Big Brother to me.
I am with Jersey Gas
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Following on from my earlier comments, how is this ‘dictatorship’ regime going to police the installation of heating systems ?
The property we currently live in, built in the early 1950′s had a coal fire with a back boiler. However, when it was built, it had a gas supply which had been sealed off. When we decided to install central heating, it was simply a case of installing a gas meter and connecting up ! Would this not be allowed in future ?
A relative of mine has a large four bedroomed detached house which has Economy 7 electric heating. Are the ‘Dictators’ REALLY saying that my relative has no option in future to install an alternative heating system ?
Planning sinply should not have that much power. Some years ago, when solid fuel systems were popular, many new build houses had Ceramic chimneys. There were two manufacturers of these Ceramic Chimneys on the market, but Planning only approved one of them, resulting in a lack of choice for the consumer. As luck would have it, the make of Chimney approved by Planning turned out to be faulty, resulting in a significant Fire Risk, and they all had to be replaced with the alternative manufacturers product !
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I think electricity is the better option for a number of reasons over gas/oil; but I think the JEC should be looking to generate clean electricity locally, and the States should be supporting this.
I’d like to see a proper study into putting a tidal power system in place (maybe a barrage type system across from St Aubins to the the Waterfront, perhaps with a walk-way above?)
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The rights or wrong of this debate are irrelevant although we must not lose site that we are NOT connected to a particular nuclear plant but to the European grid as such our electricity is derived from many different sources. Many very old and polluting coal fired power plants still exist throughout this grid so it should be argued that if we used less some of these could be closed down.
The most important element in this debate is that it is further evidence that our GST etc is being diverted to fund an army of very highly paid Civil Servants with no benefit to our Island or our economy. How many Civil Servants have been employed in this unnecessary exercise? What is the carbon footprint of their employment and the many thousands of pages of printed paper wasted in this exercise.
Our nurses and teachers are being told there is no money for a pay rise. Our old and vulnerable are suffer through lack of funds. Why? Because our politicians are incapable of putting a stop to such waste within the public sector whose only contribution to Island life is an endless stream of petty rules and regulations that frustrate our economy and adds an unnecessary layer of stress into everybody’s lives.
Maybe if we were to remove GST and prevent the raft of additional taxes our politicians will be forced to cut this waste, and the resulting carbon footprint.
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Lets have a quick look at who owns the JEC. It is split having 51% owned by the states, the rest by hidden private and company ownership of the shares. Who owns the private shares, states members,planning officers the lady around the corner ? Data protection will not allow further disclosure.
This planning (committee) law, removes choice and rounds us up like a herd to use one source. As a footnote we have one main industry called finance in Jersey is that good?
This is against everything that freedom and democracy should allow and is completely wrong. A complete abuse of power by one States department.
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Several contributors have deplored the fact that Jersey’s utility companies are monopolies.
Normally, I would agree with them.
However, unsatisfactory as the current situation may seem, we must remember that the maximal population of the island is <100,000 souls, and that its area is 45 square miles – at low tide.
That being the case I submit that, for reasons of economy of scale, there is no room for competing suppliers of gas, water, or electricity.
Sad – but true.
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Actually the States of Jersey own 53.80% of the share capital as unlisted Ordinary shares but are entitled to 86.40% of the votes.
The publicly listed A Ordinary and Preference shares make up the rest but they are entitled to far less votes.
The States have complete control despite owning just over half of the share capital.
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bella 7
I had Gas put in last year wonderful it is the cheapest form of fuel ever. I have had electricity heating my home and I have suffered the primitive coal fire. Give me gas any day of the week the cheapest ever
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what a joke this is so will this mean houses with the cheaper option to heat it will shoot up in price ??????
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People seem to be touting nuclear energy as clean when this is not correct. What happens to spend nuclear fuel? It has to be recycled at a great cost and shipped at great risk around the world. What about the large decommissioning costs involved when a nuclear power station is shut down?
Nuclear power plants do leak nuclear particles into the environment as nothing is 100% secure. Just because something is invisible doesn’t make it safe to use. Anyone who thinks this should take a look at Chernobil. This has contaminated large tracts of land in eastern and western europe since 1986. All it will take is an earthquake in that region to dislodge the loose lid on the strucutre to release large quantities of radioactive particles once more into the atmosphere.
We also have had three Mile Island in the USA in 1979 and Windscale in the UK in the mid to late 1950′s. And these are the ones we know about what about others that may have been kept quiet?
There is also the waste that needs to be disposed of from these nuclear sites. It can’t just be dumped in land fill can it? The half life of many radioactive particles is tens of thousands of years not just a few years. How is all this toxic material going to be kept safe, for this long, to prevent its ingress into the envionment, and who is going to pay for it for this time period?
People think nuclear is safe and cheap. I think it is fair to say on both counts this is inaccurate.
As per the european grid how do we know we are getting nuclear generated electricity? The answer is we don’t, it could be from coal powered power stations for all we know as the european grid isn’t only run from nuclear generation. I think a more accurate statement would be obtained if we knew the production ratios of all electrical generation in the european grid, then by taking this average we would be closer to the mark in my opinion.
For example if nuclear contributes 50% to the european grid then we should take our own consumption as 50% nuclear.
The JEC obviously wouldn’t want to do this as it would undermine their own arguments of a very low carbon footprint.
Davey West, a valid point, profits are going into private bank accounts. I would much prefer to see 100% ownership so that every penny possible went back to the tax payer and not into dividends elsewhere.
I would also have to say, that in my opinion, to force people to stay on electric once they change over is an infringement of peoples human rights to free choice.
To push this to its logical conclusion what happens when most were with the JEC? It would mean the JEC would control peoples electric supply 100% and their heating supply nearly 100%. Is this a good state of affairs to be in? With a lack of competition I think more likely than not that prices would start to become uncompetitive.
I am surprised that electricity hasn’t be liberalised as we keep getting rammed down our throats, by the states, that competition is good for the consumer. If its good enough for telecommunications then why isn’t it being encouraged elsewhere?
As per alternative energy production Jersey has one of the largest rises in falls of tides on the planet and wave power, both are totally ignored, I have to wonder why?
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#Excellent points Adrian.
The jec won,t like that.
I pay £12 a month for maintainance for my gas and can call them anytime i wan,t and get a complete overhaul every year and parts renewed.
Doubt if the jec could match that.
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I take the point made by Adrian in the first paragraph of response #18.
However, what viable alternatives to fossil fuel would he suggest for a small island off the coast of France?
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so the new regs will mean all new builds will have to be heated by electric. there are several forms . resistance ie night store or electric boilers or heat pumps. heat pumps are the most effecient form of heating widely available. two problems are can the supply handle the increased loading. also building inspectors have to be on the ball where insulation is concerned. being in the trade i have several times come across new builds that have appalling thermal properties. this lies with the building inspector and the builder. a modern heating system will be desighned at the planning stage of the building with information taken off of the plans . if the insulation is’nt installed correctly [if at all] then the system will not work effeciently. jersey is years behind the times when it comes to insulation . why heat a property and then watch the heat dissapear. a modern built 3 bed house in the uk will require only 5kw/hr for heating and hot water . thats 66% more than an immersion heater for hot water alone. systems in northrn climates are built to such stringent insulation values that a full heating system is not nescerary . eveything that produces heat is taken into account ie inhabitants electrical appliances etc . weather compensation is widely used also. another problem seems to be people who want to insulate there propertys as best they can but are stopped by planning especially in older properties . sash windows need changing to double glazing but the cost of wooden double glazed sash windows is astronomical. planning need to be sympathetic to these prpertys and allow cheaper alternatives if they are to relly try and reduce the islands carbon footprint
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Adrain 18 – And gas just magically appears at the point of use. Have you any idea of the processes and energy required to provide gas at the point of use let alone the carbon footprint for manufacturing.
As Pickles 21 notes; Heat pumps are indeed the most efficient form of heating available here in Jersey. Our average winter temperatures are perfect for this technology. Heat pumps have been around for decades and with the latest CFC free refrigerants offer up to 5:1 efficiency. I.e for every one kW of electrical energy consumed 5kW of effective heat energy is produced.
Electricity will be around long after gas extraction has exhausted our planets resources.
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My Opinion yes I do. My points are that nuclear is over egged. It is not safe. It is highly toxic to all life when released into the environment. If you don’t believe me do a bit of reading up on Chernobil to see how good nuclear power plants can be for your health. Even robotics can’t function in areas of high nuclear contamination.
The toxic waste has to be stored somewhere and there are costs involved with this. Any idea how much it will cost to store this waste in secure underground areas for 10,000 plus years? What about possible leaks into the environment over this time?
The nuclear installation has to be decommissioned when beyond its sell by date. Another big expense.
We are told nuclear has a low carbon footprint. How can this be when the power stations are made of concrete which has a big carbon print and other compounds which also have their own carbon footprint? You have recyling issues as well with the toxic waste. Is the carbon footprint small when you have to ship from say Japan to Windscale for reprocessing then ship back again to Japan?
Yes all petroleum derrivatives have a carbon footprint I have never disagreed with that statement. However to say because we import our energy from the continent that this means our carbon footprint is low may be inaccurate.
Also how much energy in the grid is from lower carbon footprint production? Is it 30% or 50%? What I am trying to say is that a fair proportion of the JEC imported energy may be well from other methods of generation like coal, gas or oil anyway, which by their own admission is bad for the environment.
Basically what I am saying is that electricity from the continent may not be as green as it is portrayed.
As per other methods of enery generation alternative energy is the way of the future whether it be heat pumps, solar power, wind power, tidal power, wave power, or others like magnetic.
All of these should be in use in Jersey but they aren’t. And why would this be?
Big business dictates what we get our electricity from and what they say goes. This is why electric power is way behind what it should be for things like cars.
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has the jec included the power station over here in there figures, which is oil fired!enrgy prices here are astronomical compared to the uk . gas is bought into the island by ship then stored then blended and then sent off down the main or bottled for lpg. electric arrives via cables [ yes theres more than 1]and is supplemented by our own local power station when demand exceeds supply. i would like to know how all the small propertys in the town area could be heated if we did’nt use gas . 1 small condensing combination boiler with all controls and ancillarys in the unit does away with water storage [ever seen inside a water tank?]and hot water storage . thus saving space and the whole thing only needs a 3 amp supply. the price of these units if fitted to an exhisting system is around £1800 fitted. if all these propertys went for heat pumps then i dont think the supply would be adequate . siting of heat pumps would be an issue as the pumps are mounted externally.that leaves resistance heating ie wet electric boilers which are expesive to run or night storage which is almost uncontrolable and has no weather compensation . what a lot of people forget is that central heating is there to warm the building to a comfortable level 18-20c not turn the building into a sauna which i have seen many times before. educating people in energy conservation should be the first step. at present there are no grants towards changing your heating to a more effecient system . this will put it out of reach of many people . meaning they will continue to have and use ineffcient heating. thus increasing fuel poverty [ you are in fuel poverty if you spend 10% of your income on gas,oil,and electricity
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The following was taken from:
NATURAL GAS PIPELINE STUDY
Lodged au Greffe on 30th September 2009
by Deputy P.V.F. Le Claire
3.4.1 Other potential environmental benefits – current technology – Biogas (Bio
methane)
The introduction of natural gas to Jersey will enable biogas (bio-methane) options to be developed. Bio-gas, predominantly methane, arising from the anaerobic conversion of organic matter, is currently being promoted in
Europe. The most simple and cost-effective model is to inject this gas into natural gas systems (natural gas being predominately methane). Such technology is deemed to be carbon-negative, as unless the methane from the
organic matter is collected, it is likely to escape to the atmosphere as the organic matter rots. Methane is 21 times as potent a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide. Hence, if one can collect the methane and burn it, converting it to CO2 and gaining energy, one can gain a significant greenhouse gas reduction.
This report is a “must read” for all the eco-friendly inhabitants of Jersey.
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@ Adrian
Granted nuclear power is by no means a perfect solution, at least it eliminates the problem of filling the atmosphere with CO2.
My main point to you the would be about Chernobyl. You mention it in two mails and encourage another reader to read up more on it. I would suggest the same to you A) Because your own research doesn’t even seem to have extended as far as spelling the name correctly and B) That disaster was caused by an early type of reactor design that was inherently unsafe to begin with and for that reason hasn’t been produced for the best part of half a century. If you will look a bit deeper you will also find that the even with the dated design, the accident would never have happened had the operators not removed more control rods than the absolute design minimum, which was just plain stupid.
Also, as far as the encasement of the damaged reactor cracking goes, I’m just guessing this contingency was considered when they built it. Most of the bunkers from the war are left as they are just too difficult to destroy, even with focused detonations from within. I’m guessing that chunk of concrete would take more than an earthquake to pop it open.
Modern reactors have a very long lifespan, are more fuel efficient and the odds of a catastrophic failure are in the region of the odds the large hadron collider will create a black hole and destroy us all! if we are serious about cutting CO2 emissions they are the best and only really viable tool we have at present.
The volume of waste produced in total tonnage is minuscule compared to the useful power that can be generated from it. What we need is international collaboration on safe long term storage sites.
It also ‘would’ have been good for our economy, had Labour not decided to sell Westinghouse reactors to Hitachi, right when we needed them most. Oh well…
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I should also add to my above comment, you mention the following:
” It is highly toxic to all life when released into the environment”
Do you have any idea how well the wildlife is thriving in the exclusion zones around Chernobyl? As it turns out, human presence is vastly more damaging than even heavy nuclear irradiation!
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One more…!
Apologies, it was Toshiba that bought Westinghouse, not Hitachi.
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bio methane is viable . especially with our way of farming ie dairy industry . it will of course rely on a pipe line of natural gas/methane.being bought into the island . as i mentioned before we currently use imported lpg . there are other options ie tapping off methane from land fills etc which could be used to power communal or district heating systems
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This must be fought tooth and nail.nothing to do with “either or” it is pure dictatorship…You build your OWN house you MUST be allowed to heat it any damn way you please…Resist this folks or just keep suckin’ it up ..that’s choice, be careful you’re not soon gagging on your own compliance……
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@ truthseeker #30
“…This must be fought tooth and nail.nothing to do with “either or” it is pure dictatorship…You build your OWN house you MUST be allowed to heat it any damn way you please…”
Another reliable post of outrage from truthseeker; brilliantly missing the point of the thread, and not understanding the issue.
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Just a reminder as per #30′s comment along with my earlier commnets #8 & #10, this matter is NOT about the environment, it is about our government Dictating as to how we heat our homes.
The action taken by the JEC, which is to all intents and purposes State Owned against the Gas Company is a distraction, and judging by the comments on this blog, the majority of respondents have been totally distracted !!!!!
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Warren J:
“and judging by the comments on this blog, the majority of respondents have been totally distracted !!!!!”
Guilty as charged! sorry =)
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Warren J 32.
This may well be a smoke screen, but it we don’t start caring for our environment NOW, there will be “NO WORLD” to leave a ‘carbon footprint’ on!
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31 j lambretta…well then please enlighten us O wise one.
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@ truthseeker #35
“…well then please enlighten us O wise one…”
The issue in this thread is about the argument between the JEC and Jersay Gas over which form of power is the most costly and ‘greenest’
So did you talk about the cost? No. Did you talk about the issue of production? No. Pollution at either fuels point of use? No.
You chose to ignore these issues and wade in with ridiculous claims of dictatorship and how people should resist or suffer an errosion of choice!?!
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I have read these posts with great interest. My view on this subject is very straight forward.
People are entitled to believe that the contribution they make in saving the planet in Jersey amounts to a much bigger contribution globally. The truth of the matter is that what we do here in Jersey has little to no effect on global environmental issues.
What we should be concerning ourselves with are the steps we can take to improve our environment locally.
What bothers me about Freddie (the shred of our countryside) Cohen and his gang at Planning is the motivation in bringing in this byelaw whereby we can only have one form of heating and that’s electric!
We will be tied into one company, with no choice, no chance of reverting to a cheaper fuel, and no chance of changing if they decide to hike the price through the ceiling! And with electric already up 25% that’s a great possibility.
The introduction of this law is tantamount to a dictator imposing his will on the population who he believes should have no choice other than the ones he makes for them. For their own good you understand.
This law should be thrown out along with the planning minister and his cronies and resigned to the history books where it belongs.
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Roy Travert 37.
You seem to think that whatever we (as individuals or as a group) do will have no effect on the environment. Therefore, by openly scoffing at ‘environmental awareness’, you foster the “let’s-continue-using-energy-and-producing-waste-as-always” attitude.
Well, that attitude is as old as the mentality of the politicians who refuse the new technologies which are revolutionizing the world of energy.
One example of such technology, is the new way of ‘tapping’ the methane which forms in landfill dumps. This new method allows even small landfills to generate viable supplies of bio-methane…so Jersey could be sitting on its very own a fuel supply. I’ll leave off there, because I could go on all day on this subject, I work in this sphere (I am a technical writer), and I come into contact with these innovations daily.
I understand that this debate is also about state monopoly, but you shouldn’t push environmental issues to one side. If you read Deputy Paul Le Claire’s report (maybe you already have), I’m sure you will find that the Gas pipeline (although costly during the installation phases) is the most cost-efficient and reliable method in the long run.
However, I agree that what Jersey really needs is efficiency and reliability…not only from its energy supply but also from its politicians.
P.S. Defeatest comments like: “The truth of the matter is that what we do here in Jersey has little to no effect on global environmental issues”, tend to weaken the response of people who are learning to be eco-friendly. Every little helps, remember the thre R’s: Reduce, Re-use and Recycle.
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36…Correct…for that IS the point.
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The carbon footprint of electricity consumed on the Island should not be too high, as much of it comes from France, generated by nuclear power stations.
However electricity is an extremely expensive means to heat a building, and people should have the right to decide whether to heat their homes by electricity, gas or oil fuel, as best for their particular circumstances.
But during recent visits to the Island, I got the impression that many homes have inadeqate insulation, from conversations I have had with various people, as well as noticing that many houses still have wooden framed single glazed windows.
As an example; I have a 3 bedroom detached bungalow in North East England, which is normally 2 – 3DegC colder than Jersey, comprising 84M2, of living area, with latest standards double glazing, cavity wall insulation, and 200mm (8ins) of loft insulation, with gas central heating.
To maintain a comfort level of approx 19-20DegC, in living areas, I only consumed just under 1700Kwh of electricity, and 18500Kwh of gas, over the last 12 months to October, resulting in a combined annual cost of £970 inc 5%VAT, from one supplier, split about 25% for electricity, and 75% for gas.
Am not sure how this would compare with the Island, but this was with a 25year old boiler.
Whilst Jersey has some of the most abundant resources of reusable energy in the World, comprising wind, tidal and wave, the development of these are hindered by the luddite attitude of the local nimbys. I understand a proposal to erect a wind farm on the Ecrehous, was met with a howl of protest, in case it spoiled the view.
If they looked a little further, they would see a wind farm near Cateret, the nuclear power station at Flammanville, and the Cogema nuclear reprocessing plant at Cap La Hague.
We are going to have to learn to live with such developments if we are not find ourselves sitting in the cold and dark by the middle of next decade, as apart from the environmental problems, we are fast running out of fossil fuels, many of which are imported from politically unstable countries.
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@ truthseeker #39
Why bother posting such utter contradictory rubbish?
Please, if you’re going to bother posting, at least be coherent; I don’t mind an opposing view, it’s people with no idea what they’re talking about that annoy me. You babble on just getting in the way in any proper discussion.
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So looking at commercial applications how many in Jersey are gas and how many are heat pumps?
I think there is a reason for that, cost!
So what is so different for domestic properties.
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Mr Lambretta,resorting to petulance when you are contradicted….well really
Point is people need to be free to have whatever power source is safely available.surely that’s allowable…..?
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@ truthseeker #43
When I’m contradicted? You’re not contradicting me; you’ve even agreed I’m correct.
The trouble is you’re not talking about the issue; it’s very simple:
Jersey Gas say gas is environmentally better than electricity.
The JEC say electricity is environmentally better than gas.
People start discussing the merits, in their opinion, of one over the other… and you wade in with;
“This must be fought tooth and nail… … …it is pure dictatorship… …Resist this folks or just keep suckin’ it up…”
What must be fought; other’s opinions??
What’s a dictatorship; two opposing opinions??
Resist what; other’s opinions??
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Unlike most people who write comments on this site I do not hide behind a name. Born Warrior..If you actually knew me personally you would know as most of my friends do, that I am probably one the most environmentally conscious people you could ever meet with regards the planet and the destruction that man kind is inflicting upon it.
Please do not assume that you know what I am thinking. I can assure you that I am anything but a defeatist and would fight to my last breath to protect Jersey against the marauding developments that are consuming our once beautiful Island.
My point globally is that China is again returning to rapid growth in its economy and along with it its consumption of energy. This is being supplied in the most part by coal burning power stations which contribute massively to global warming. We are powerless to stop this.
Yes we can make sure that the population of the planet and Jersey know about recycling and the effects of global warming but we as individuals are impotent to do anything about the real issues…that being the governments of the world relentlessly pursuing economic growth to the detriment of the worlds precious resources and the people that it effects.
As far as Freddie’s bylaw is concerned it is about money and nothing else. Who owns shares in which companies? Who is going to get multi million pound contracts? No one should be dictating to the people of Jersey what fuel they should be able to use to heat the home they live in. It’s a scandal in the making…. where will it stop? Will they then tell us we can only drive a certain type of car? Or wear certain types of clothes?
I have no problem in putting my name on this comment page because I believe we are accountable for our own actions in life….and should be held accountable for them.
I would urge anyone that is reading this, to contact Senator Cohen and let him know your views on this building bylaw…”to live is to change, and to obtain perfection is to change often” and that includes politicians and governments.
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My answer to the same accusation of “hiding behind a moniker”, posted by Deputy Trevor Pitman 23 under Schools ‘failing problem pupils’ October 31.
Granted, you decided to express an opinion, propose your thoughts and take the heat.
And with that, all the “cowardly” moniker users must now scramble away and delete their posts in shame!
I, like many of the responders on this thread, choose to use a moniker. However, I also choose to speak and respond to comments in a civil manner (and not in the easily-vexed tone you adopt).
A name does not build a relationship bridge, nor does it build opinions or ideas.
Agreement with someone’s opinion does not create a bond, nor does it create the foundations of positive change.
So there is no real need for those who wish to put forward intelligent viewpoints and thoughtful discussion to undersign their comments.
If I’m not mistaken, you are trying hard to find your place in the world of politics (my sincerest apologies if I am wrong), yet you choose to use your own name, so maybe you could be accused of seeking attention and looking for approval…you see, it works both ways!
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