THE time has come for a rebrand of the motley collection of beloved Island politicians that masquerades as a parliament.

As of last week’s tortuous and at times mind-boggling five-day States sitting, Charlie Chuckle’s Laughter Factory is no more. I introduced you, dear reader, to the Laughter Factory 112 columns ago and it has taken that long for them to make me laugh. And laugh I did last Friday – out load, uncontrollable belly laughs until my sides hurt.

What in particular so tickled my funny bone? It was when the House, in its unique infinite wisdom, decided that they had no intention of leading by example when it comes to cost-cutting. In the same week as Members cut funding to charities, slashed services and snatched free milk from children’s mouths, they also refused to debate freezing their salaries.

Those among the electorate who are about to be over-taxed, face longer waits for hospitals appointments, have benefits reduced or be made redundant salute the 20 Members who did not want the inconvenience at the end of a long week by their standards of debating a pay freeze. The decision was over in a flash yet I sincerely hope that it has serious repercussions for the ‘score’ who interestingly included the so-called ‘people’s champions,’ Deputies Southern, Martin, Trevor Pitman and de Sousa.

From this day forth I shall refer to the Assembly of the States of Jersey as Tony Tonkin’s Turkey Farm. With Christmas fast-approaching and farmer Tonkin sharpening his knives and dusting off his plucking gloves, the birds have revolted, run him off the farm and turned it into a comfortable retreat with all the mod cons a turkey could wish for. What these daft birds fail to understand is that a turkey farm, like any business, has to be financially viable and the clue to its success lies in the title.

• Read the full column in Friday’s Jersey Evening Post