‘We are listening’
Monday 22nd September 2008, 2:30PM BST.
GUERNSEY’S government is now in listening mode. The first wave of islanders to give their thoughts on how they think the island should move forward gathered at Les Cotils at the weekend.
They will now take the workshop process out to others, but familiar themes were already coming to the top of the pile including sewage treatment, the need to use derelict greenhouse sites and everyone’s right to a decent standard of housing.
It is all part of Guernsey Tomorrow, an unprecedented consultation exercise by the States that will feed into the political process.
But it has been deliberately designed to be free of political interference at this stage, with 60 people, representing a diverse set of groups and interests, present at the opening workshop.
‘They are really bending over backwards to make sure government is seen to be listening to people,’ said Guernsey Bicycle Group chairman Francis Paul. ‘They are representing us, so it makes sense and it’s hitting the nail on the head.’
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“GUERNSEY’S government is now in listening” – Err I thought April Fools day ws in April, oh well they must have spent the last states meeting debating that, seemed to be a more important issue then say Landfil and Sewage, because the public have been talking about this for 10years+ and no one in the states has listened!!
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They are lsitening so intently to the people of Guernsey that they’re thinking about reducing the level at which income tax is capped.
Presumably, the wealthy ‘entrepreneurs” relief will be paid for by reducing salary increases for the poor and reducing public services?
Are they listening to the right people?
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Listening with their ears shut presumably. They have just disbanded the people’s forum on the waste strategy and managed to ignore all the significant findings of that group. The cap on income tax is going to be reduced if Parkinson gets his way.
If the new government carries on like this there will be trouble ahead – especially when our elected representatives seem so out of touch with what the majority of islanders want and need. I mean, the comment by Deputy Maindonald about those on £80K a year as being “middle income” is laughable. The rich, to whom the States are pandering are in a minority and at some stage the majority will make themselves heard. When the masses shout selective deafness will no longer be an option.
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It is encouraging that the States is trying to open up and be more community focused. We should encourage this instead of knocking it. It does appear that Guernsey has alot of sceptics out there.
Does the States have an ongoing interactive forum for community members to put sensible ideas and comments through?
The press is often misrepresented or disregarded by political groups and associations as being hypercritical. Perhaps the States themselves on their websites should have a section devoted to new ideas to keep the community involved.
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Didn’t Jersey do this a few years ago?
Might be worth looking into how things changed (or didn’t) over there.
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Finally Guernsey Gov have woke up from their Coma and listen !!! after all this years….
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Really though, if they were listening the States would not have elected in the more unpopular elements of the policy council. That aside:
Recycling – waste management? (vested interests)
Student loans? (political number massaging)
GHA (absolving responsibilty)
Traffic (blind eyes)
Taxation (suits you , Sir)
Local business (not if they’re not wealthy)
Transparency (who is in charge, the masons, the bankers?)
And that’s just in the last few days of reporting.
The new Deputies don’t stand a chance of committing to their manifestos when they are ridiculed for asking questions of the more ‘established’ members. Their is a status quo that does not want to listen. Is it a lack of imagination or the simple backroom politics of the favoured?
No one is listening to the non-finance poorer earners. It is just pandering to wealth. The sooner we ditch the old, failed models of ‘growth at all costs’, the sooner Guernsey will be a happier place.
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Listening…so thats the reason behind the extra phone masts. If you are listening…stop squeezing every last penny out of the high earners (you will sart losing them), reduce the number of states members, a policy that every house is on main drains within the next 5 years and sort recycling out…and reduce the number of offences that need “court appearance” therefore get rid of 50% of magistrates…
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Who chose these faceless 60. I think the real reason is that GIBA/Policy Council is planning a massive building programme and these ’60′are all associated in one or another to finance. Is this group just a cunning ploy by GIBA/Policy Council to make policies which our elected representatives should be making but because of the far reaching implications of the aims and objectives of these policies the heat would be off the two main sponsors. If the real Guernsey person just sits back and lets this band of nobodies dictate massive architectural and social policies without our elected government addressing and having the final say then god help us. We are losing our cultural and historical identity. Do not allow these faceless men and women destroy Guernsey, stop ir now because we are slowing becoming a borough of england.
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the day the states take notice of what islanders say will be the day that things go right for once in guernsey history ,we gurns know what we want and when the states just dont care about the truth spoken from the islands ,
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Calm down, Pete… I don’t know the names of all 60 invitees, nor the criteria on which they were invited, but I do know a handful of people who went to this and I think you’d be pleasantly surprised: at least some of those who were there (i.e. all the people I know) have nothing to do with finance and all would fight tooth and nail for our cultural and historical identity, not to mention an environmentally and socially sustainable future for our island. They are the ‘real Guernsey people’ you assume are being wronged, so perhaps your cynicism is misguided in this instance.
Also, I’ve heard that this is just the beginning of the consultation process and the States are planning to consult an even wider band of islanders next.
It’s very easy to slam the States for not listening, but I think this time they deserve the benefit of the doubt that they are genuinely trying to do something constructive. Bear in mind that it’s easier to listen if the person doing the talking is presenting a clear and rational argument grounded in fact, rather than ranting for ranting’s sake on a wave of sceptical speculation. I sympathise with the sentiment behind these posts, but I agree with A that this an encouraging step.
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