From John Dix.
EARLY last month (JEP, 14 Apr) you were kind enough to publish a letter in which I suggested that States spending could be reduced by the following actions:

• Reduce the cost of running the States by reducing States Members’ salaries to the average salary in the Island. The last figure published by the States in June 2009 was £620 per week.

• Close the final salary pension schemes for States employees and replace them with money purchase schemes.

•  Stop the employment of temporary staff to fill in for States employees working in offices who are absent on sick leave, maternity leave, etc.

• Look seriously at outsourcing within the Island any function currently carried out by States employees which is already provided by the private sector.

• Lose the fear of means testing and stop delivering benefits to everyone.

I have scanned the letters page every day since, but have so far seen no response from any States Member or, indeed, any member of the public, either in support of these ideas, or to put forward a reasoned argument as to why my ideas might not be deliverable.

Is everyone so apathetic that they cannot apply fingers to keyboard to generate a response? We all complain about the quality of our States Members, and I am beginning to understand why.

As an avid listener to the States debates, I find it easy to come to the conclusion that most of them cannot sustain a rational discussion and they just fall back on vacuous rhetoric when challenged.

Will any of the candidates in the forthcoming senatorial election be bold enough to publish a list of the cuts in States expenditure which they will champion if elected, starting with a reduction in their own salary?

If they won’t, please can we have a ‘None of the Above’ box to tick on the ballot paper.
Pied du Câtillon,