AS Guernsey’s authorities fought to lose the dubious distinction yesterday of being the only airport in Britain not able to accept Flybe aircraft, a viral email was spreading its way from office to office commenting on the States’ inability to react to a bit of snow and ice.

Headed Newsflash: Guernsey Thrown into Turmoil, it was a satirical look at the inept way the island has handled trivial amounts of bad weather.

What its anonymous author did not know when penning the piece was that this multi-billion pound international finance centre’s belated attempt at reopening the runway consisted of driving trucks across the ice to break it and then trying to sweep it up. They were also unaware that Public Services, as operator of the airport, had finally decided to investigate alternatives to using salt to de-ice the runway.

For the thousands of islanders whose travel and domestic plans had been disrupted on the unchallenged say-so of Guernsey Water, it was simply too little, too late.

Ministers and civil servants snug at Frossard House were genuinely perplexed by criticism from this newspaper and others of their ‘wait till it thaws’ strategy and the chief minister had to be prodded into announcing that the island’s response would be reviewed.

At least the Home minister openly acknowledged that government performance had not been good enough and that unacceptable harm had been caused to businesses as a result of the lifeline airport being closed.

Islanders accept that there are times when the weather will mean disruption but what caused the most irritation, especially to those thousands prevented from travelling, was the official shoulder-shrugging lack of concern or any sign that those with responsibility were doing anything to help alleviate the situation.

It is clear from the last few days that ministers have made no attempt at preparing a bad weather strategy or assessing what is a realistic price to pay for a given level of air and road mobility.

The reason is that such things are deemed ‘operational’ – in other words, some other department’s problem.

Forward looking government? It’s another nought out of 10.