How long has Guernsey got?

2009-10-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

When I was invited to go to the Institute of Directors (IOD) Annual Debate 2009 I jumped at the opportunity. As I knew that the key questions were to be focused on Economy, Pan –Island, Social and Government issues I started to think of questions that might challenge the panel. When I arrived there and saw the amount of business men and women I just could not wait for the debate to start.

When Alastair Stewart OBE came onto the stage and started to question the panel it was like Christmas to me; asking questions of people whose job it is to answer them. The panel were great: they had an answer to everything that was asked of them but the delegates continued to challenge the States. I found that they were a bit indirect in their answers as they tried to dance around questions. An example of this was Chief Minister Lyndon Trott when he was asked if the WAO report was right and what are they going to about it. After a couple of attempts to get out of it he said ‘I agree with that WAO report and I believe that the system of government we have today is no longer as good as it needs to be to deal with the challenges of the future.’

In the first question put forward by Alistair Stewart OBE on the Economy the main point that was the fact that Guernsey and Jersey are under threat from external factors and the fact that we cannot afford to be complacent. Also there was talk about how Guernsey and Jersey need to make some friends in Brussels and to show the World that they are not the problem but the answer. I had a question in my head to ask about this situation but just could not think how to word it. When I eventually stood up and asked the panel how the Islands should plan to replace revenue which will be lost if the finance industry left the island, the panel replied that they would have to look into new sources of revenue but that they did not have a set plan at the moment.

The second question asked was about the Pan – Island issue. One thing that struck me based on the research I had done before I attended the debate was that this question or one very similar has been up for debate for the last three years at this event. For this reason I did not think that it would be a “hot topic”. How wrong I was! The main conclusion was that Guernsey and Jersey have to work together if they want to be heard by the rest of the world and withstand threats from the Global pressures. Problems which arise include the differences in the Housing laws although these may be surmountable given that the two Islands share the same Stock Market. The implications of the difficulties created by the Housing laws are primarily the problems faced in transferring staff between Islands and indeed general recruitment. There were contradictions in terms of whether or not Islanders did or did not want to work together which made me wonder what the truth really was on this point?!

Over dinner our table discussed what had just been said and if we were in power what would we do and how it would affect the Island. After the meal Mr John Greenfield reinforced that if we do not stand together then it will be easier for external factors to affect the Islands as we must stay transparent.

The third question was about Social issues within the Island, the first topic discussing whether businesses should contribute more to the Islands funds allowing more money to be available for example to possibly help students afford go to University as well as enhancing the look of the Island. Another point made by Peter Neville was about capping the population or at least keeping it at a sustainable level to prevent demands being too high for supply. At this point one of my fellow students asked an open question to the floor: “why are teachers not retained for longer to ensure students a stable education?” This was met with applause from the floor although the matter was too huge to go into in any depth at this time. The panel members were asked questions as to their views on health care, housing licences and having a plan for the future.

The final question was about the Government (States) having failed the WAO report and the fact that the Island is going to have to change. As a rule the Island does not embrace change and the number of Deputies required was also questioned. Of the role of Deputy John Davey recognised that the job can be a thankless task at times and that ‘it’s like bashing your head against a wall for four years”.

I think that in the future it will be interesting to see whether anything discussed at the IOD debate will be taken in to account or if it has fallen on deaf ears. This will become apparent in future months and years and possibly by studying the questions raised for debate by the IOD in 2010.
I would like to thank Carey Olsen and DPFMG for sponsoring us to enjoy a very interesting and educational evening
　
By Sam ward

How long has guernsey got?

How long has Guernsey got?