This Is Guernsey

Laurie Queripel

HELLO, my name is Laurie Queripel and, as my name suggests, Guernsey born and bred. I am proud to be standing for election in the Vale.

As a true ‘donkey’, I have forthright opinions and dislike the direction in which the current administration is taking us. Corporate government can be one-dimensional and de-humanising: not everything can be measured purely via the profit and loss columns and although the figures must tally, it must not be at the cost of the island’s identity and culture.

The results are plain to see - public services suffer; schools that are loved by both children and parents are threatened with closure, thereby damaging community spirit. Add to this the increase in taxes and the cost of living and the real losers are the people.

The public purse is being closed to the public, whereas in fact, funding for consultancy, bureaucracy and unelected organisations should be questioned. We have to invest in Guernsey’s future; interesting but uncertain times are ahead.

Changes are coming politically and climatically on a global scale and I believe that in the future, heavy reliance on imported goods will not be realistic.

Self-sufficiency, resourcefulness and diversity plus the growth of local business and industry will be vital.

Sewage and waste? I am researching efficient and eco-friendly systems which result in two by-products - energy and fertiliser, which could be used to ‘fuel’ growing programmes.

I am wary of what I term ‘nanny-state creep’. Advice is one thing - telling people what to do and how to live is quite another. Government exists to serve the people not vice-versa. To quote John L. Sullivan: ‘The best government is that which governs the least.’

My philosophy is ‘Equality and justice for all’. Words uttered by Thomas Paine, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy - worthy role models.