Sir Philip would offer decorum and authority

Friday 23rd September 2011, 3:00PM BST.

From Mirto Sappé.
I AM puzzled by the number of people who have written to criticise Sir Philip Bailhache’s decision to stand as a Senator.

No other person is better qualified to be in the States and to work for the good of Jersey and its people. His long and distinguished career as a lawyer, States Member and Crown Officer makes him ideal for bringing common sense and good judgment to the Chamber.

Whether he would seek grand titles such as ‘Foreign Minister’ or not, he would represent Jersey, as he has always done, with decorum and authority.

On local matters, Sir Philip would bring to the debates the experience of 40 years of public life and he may well bring back the sense of duty and responsibility of past distinguished Members, with whom he worked for many years.

If Sir Philip chose to devote some work to the arts, as has been suggested, he has the energy and the passion to do that also, with the same enthusiasm that he has demonstrated in the past.

1
Pip Clement

September 23, 2011 at 4:04 pm

Does the writer of this letter really believe that the States members will sit there and do whatever Sir Phillip tells them to do?
He will have to take his chance in the bear pit like all the rest and if anything he faces a disadvantage with his brother in the Bailiff’s seat as there is always a chance of a charge of favouritism being bought.
Jersey has a funny habit of building up and electing these high profile figures. We build them up to a point that the individual has no hope of reaching and when it turns out that they have feet of clay we drop them.
Freddie Cohen started off the same. To listen to his supporters before the 2005 Senatorial elections he was going to right all the island’s planning and environmental ills.
Now he is running with the hulk of Portelet Bay’s misbegotten development on his back he is a good bet for last place.

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2
James Wiley

September 23, 2011 at 4:47 pm

I will take liberty over authority any day!

Sir Phillip is not Tinkerbell who can just wave a magic wand, he has lived for the past 40 years in an ivory tower and has no idea about real life or real people.

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3
gross misconduct

September 23, 2011 at 6:44 pm

Is the JEP acting as Sir Phils election agent?

Letters and articles praising him to the hilt or photographs with him centre stage, seem to dominate this paper every day, whilst the opportunity to have a pop at the non establishment candidates is never missed.

Bailhache is so out of touch and full of his own self worth he would be a disaster for the island.

The propaganda isn’t even subtle. I think we need some fair minded international observers here to ensure a fair election process (and that does not include Ozouf even if has done it in Rwanda!)

Go on print this I dare you – just to give a bit of balance.

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4
Dear me!

September 24, 2011 at 5:04 pm

We do not need “decorum and authority” we need honesty, integrity and intelligence.

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5
Voice of the Past

September 25, 2011 at 4:14 pm

.
Mirto Sappé is rather sycophantic about Bailhache’s “common sense and good judgement” ?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/jersey/8129122.stm

Whatever your views on the investigation or the press coverage, most adults would agree that the ‘REAL SCANDAL’ was actually the physical and sexual abuse of children in the supposed care of the states.

Sir Philip takes a different view that seems rather too heavily invested in the past.
We need a better future, not more of the old secrecy and feudalism.

I think that even the most obedient surfs are getting tired of it.

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6
Jerry

September 26, 2011 at 8:24 am

#5 I’m board with this torc of obedient surfs.

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7
Tom

September 26, 2011 at 1:03 pm

#5
Aye aye squire
tug-tug

Not too bored to comment on it I see

Poor Mirto was “puzzled” and you are “board”

I think you will find that many emotions run higher than that

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8
alane

September 27, 2011 at 1:26 am

Jerry, torc? Is that supposed to mean talk? Or torque, or what. And surf’s up, dude.

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9
Andrew

September 27, 2011 at 9:23 am

I think people are scared to death of Sir Philip standing because unlike some of the other no hopers put forward , Sir Philip will actually do some real work.

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10
Foxtrot Oscar

September 27, 2011 at 4:26 pm

#9 You are so wrong Andrew.

People are averse to Bailhache standing because he represents the very core of what is bad in our society today.

To have the temerity to stand on a platform of “all these proles asking awkward questions is so tiresome” is arrogant to say the least. What gives him the right to say what issues should and shouldn’t be bought to the House?

Perhaps if we had honesty and integrity instead of lies, spin, half-truths and evasion the backbenches would not have to keep coming back time and time again to ask for clarification.

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11
Family Business

September 27, 2011 at 4:42 pm

Andrew @9
Bailhache may “actually do some real work”

But he will work to take us back a hundred years:
-Too much power and influence in too few hands
-Commitment to secrecy (opposing freedom of information because information is power ?)
-increase the power of the constables
-erode further what semblance we have of an opposition

Hardly independent of ‘Walkerism’ or the foul-ups and cover-ups that precede Walker ?

He has a large tribe of sycophants so he probably will get elected and then the ‘club’ is likely to vote him in as CM

For all the gloss & polish of his campaign he can only promise a return to the past.

Shouldn’t we be scared Andrew ? – not even a little bit ?

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