Vale

Dave Jones

As we go into this election one thing is clear to many, that we will need deputies who have courage, commitment and enthusiasm for the difficult years ahead. I have all these qualities together with the passion to serve this community. Having decided on the new direction for Guernsey in terms of our tax strategy, this next States will need to manage the island’s economy carefully, controlling government spending and keeping the island competitive. Recession and unemployment is stark, bleak and ugly for those who suffer it and it is often just over the horizon for any governments who fail to manage economy with sound judgment and commonsense.

The two other top issues that will need priority are: population controls and waste management. Our housing control laws have served the island well for fifty years or more and although the five- year licence is universally disliked by business and the public sector alike, it has kept numbers significantly lower than would have been the case had we scrapped it, as a large number of people suggest. I will continue to support strong population controls.

We also need to make a decision within the next few months on a waste management system. I still remain apposed to a mass burn incinerator, a system that produces several hundred tons of toxic waste as a by-product. There are now several tried and tested waste management systems around the globe, that are not mass burn and I will support the cleanest and most cost effective of these options.

I also support passionately our right to self-governance and independence, island wide voting, our parish schools, tougher sentencing on criminal damage, tidal power and the continuation of our social house-building programme. If you want a strong, decisive Deputy, give me your vote on 23rd April.