This Is Guernsey

MANY of the established members of this House, let alone the newcomers, would do well to take a leaf out of Deputy Bill Bell’s book of political experience should they get elected on Wednesday.

Unflappable, shrewd and with a rhino hide impervious to either criticism or praise, Deputy Bell is a canny operator well respected by his colleagues.

Yet while his two decades of political savvy and old school manner might indicate a dated approach to island affairs there are many areas where he is ahead of his younger peers.

One of them is in communication. The man who has joked with surfers dressed as corpses on the Royal Court House steps and worn a yellow cycle cap courtesy of road safety activists was keen to open up Public Services Department meetings to the media and thus all islanders.

For his more closed-minded colleagues on other departments this was, and remains, inconceivable. What if someone said something the public shouldn’t know? You can’t trust the media. Let’s hire another PR agency.

Yet in the months that have followed his decision the sky has not caved in. The public are simply better informed about the complexity of some of the decisions being made.

Deputy Bell’s parting gift to open government today is an outline of how the disputes over three troubled capital projects are progressing. It is done without preamble, spin or self-justification, but seeks to stick to the facts as permitted by the law.

The report contains some good news – particularly with regards St Sampson’s Marina – and some bad (the lawyers are getting even richer).

Deputy Bell has mostly left it to others to point out that these three poisoned chalices of overspend were largely inherited by this outgoing States and his department and were none of his making.

Rather than bleat about it and seek to protect his own political reputation he simply sought to minimise the huge damage caused by a previous regime blighted by hubris.

With a new minister in charge, islanders can only hope this damning series of mishaps can be put far in the past.

Regrettably, in the political arena, Deputy Bell will be joining them.