Split has become ‘really vicious’
Saturday 13th December 2008, 9:29AM GMT.
FROM feudal to feuding, Sark’s community remains split in the wake of the Barclays halting their investment in Sark.
Those who are for and against Sir David’s and Sir Frederick’s investment in Sark have been fighting it out for the last 18 months and Wednesday’s election results have done nothing to change that.
French Liaisons is a delicatessen in The Avenue. The property is leased from Sark Estate Management and owners Paul and Claire Marriette were told on Thursday it would have to close. They said that since opening in the spring, they have been dogged by verbal abuse and people boycotting the shop.
A window was smashed just days before the election. ‘It has become really vicious. Even this morning we had one woman come up and call me ignorant and say my shop was rubbish,’ said Mr Marriette (pictured).
‘A lot of the people who want the Barclays out don’t care about Sark. Most of them have sold their properties to the Barclays and are now just sitting back and putting their feet up. As long as they get their paper on a Sunday, they don’t care about anyone else.’
According to one source, who did not wish to be named, other retailers in The Avenue have also been the target of abuse and received threats of criminal damage.
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With reference to the above.
Who would wish to sink money into this kind of mentality exactly.
Message to the Sarkees. You have your elictioneers and elected to thank for your miserable Christmas.
What economy is left then?
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No, Paul, the Sarkees have the Barclays and their petty-mindedness to thank for their miserable Christmas. The Barclays wanted democracy and they got it, that’s all that this comes down to, and if they had an ounce of decency between them they would be searching for progress and dialogue, not behaving like spoilt children. If you truly believe that the mentality of ‘Sark News’ is somehow preferable to the mentality of the Sarkees, then I feel very sorry for you indeed. Are you by any chance Mrs S. Oliver?
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Well said Mr Marriette. Blame could be put at the feet of both camps. But essentianlly, who wants to invest any where, when they are treated like S*&%
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To contradict Paul’s comment. The miserable Christmas that will be encountered by many on the Island has nothing to do with the election or the elected, the twins threw their toys out of the pram once again because things did not go their way. The rock voted and the rock struck back. Power to the people. Let us all strive to work together to bring Sark back to being the place we used to know and love. In the words of a well known film star we will be back bigger and stronger than ever. God save the Queen, the Seneschal and the Seigneur.
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This week has been nothing short of monumental for the tiny community of Sark. The evolution of Sark’s democracy has only just begun.
The influence of outsiders and absentee landlords has been significant. The Barclay Brothers believed that they could somehow buy political influence in Sark through a combination of investment, job creation and philanthropy combined with a vitriolic campaign of negative propaganda.
What did they fail to do? They failed to engage the hearts and minds of the population. Their mis-guided attempts have been massively rejected by the Sark electorate. The people of Sark have resoundingly voted in favour of retaining the essence of their traditional, old fashioned, unique, quaint and quirky community based values. The vote on Wednesday was essentially a rejection of the “corporate-isation” of Sark.
The Barclays are now posturing and shamelessly using local people and small business enterprises to try and reclaim their political ambitions.
It is still, very much, “business as usual” on Sark. The essence of community has not, and will not, change. The Barclays preferred vision for Sark has been roundly rejected by the electorate. The rural economy of Sark has traditionally comprised a diverse mix of small, owner-managed businesses based essentially around farming, fishing and tourism. This will continue. Sark accepts that the island economy and fragile infrastruture requires capital investment. However this should, at all times, be relevant and sympathetic to Sark’s needs and requirements.
Long live democracy on Sark. Long live the independence of all the Channel Islands.
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Sark has a unique and enviable way of life on a gem of an Island. Does not need the claptrap of modern life, not that it is still in the Dark Ages as some would have you believe. Yes money is important but not to the point of “at all costs”. It is not a CASH COW to be milked by whoever!
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Vince I totally agree with your comments, your explanation of the situation is excellent..
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Vince – well said! The ‘Establishment’ (as the GP and the Barclays likes to brand them) of Sark have many failings – and the evolution to a fully democratic system still has some steps to go – but this pillorying of the Sark VOTERS is completely unacceptable. The people have spoken – and however ‘uncomfortable’ or ‘embarrassing’ the result, it stands. And the sooner the Barclays (and I’m not even sure its them, but their election-losing representative – and, sad to say, the GP) get over it, the better.
MUCH better, had the Barclays pointed out to the electorate the principles on which they believed Sark’s government should evolve, than the desperately amateurish ‘don’t vote for these, vote for them’ SARK NEWS, and an acceptance, post election of ‘the people have spoken, while we have differences with some of the representatives, we look forward to working together to secure Sark’s future’, than the ‘we’re taking our toys home’.
I remain convinced that the Barclay brothers are not the remote plutocrat amateurish clowns they are now being portrayed as in the national media (they started Sark down its much belated road to democracy) – but they have been atrociously served by their local agents.
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Excellent, excellent posts Vince and Margaret. Paul your comments sum up your ignorance and show you as being in the ‘lick the Barclays bottom’ group. The democratic system the Chuckle Brothers have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on buying back fired on them and I for one am pleased they have received a bloody nose.
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I suggest that you all read the article in The Times Newspaper written by Simon de Bruxelles re the lifestyle of those on Brecqhou might give you an insight to those defeated at the recent DEMOCTRATIC elections on Sark. The mind boggles!!!
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