Idyll shaken by internal politics
Saturday 18th September 2010, 10:00AM BST.
At the rugby match between Wasps Legends and a Channel Islands side, the latter are pictured applauding their guests off the Millennium Field. (Picture by Puffin Taylour, 1028528)
SARK has just had what was probably its last busy weekend of the year and unfortunately the sun shone on the wrong day.
On Saturday – when the island was hosting a star-studded London Wasps International Legends team between the rugby posts on the Millennium Field and Michelle Perree and her Simply Sark team held their annual Celebration of the Sea – it was a case for most of the day of finding somewhere away from the drizzle.
The weather obviously affected attendances at both events, which was a shame given the amount of work people here put in to make all such occasions a success. It must have been particularly galling when Sunday dawned and became as pleasant a late-summer day as anyone could wish for.
I hope that nothing has deterred the organisers of both events from looking to include them in next year’s calendar.
Sark needs things like the Celebration of the Sea, sporting events, the sheep race meeting and – following the huge success of its inauguration this year – the folk festival.
The emphasis I place on that need is all the more important right now following the announcement that the Lord’s Taverners have decided that their annual cricket extravaganza will no longer be held here. It’s no exaggeration to say that this yearly chance to meet stars of the sporting and showbiz worlds has raised very many hundreds of thousands of pounds for a most worthwhile charity over the years and the fact that next year it will be held in Herm – while good news for our Bailiwick neighbours – is a blow.
Not only has some of the money raised found its way back to Sark – to the benefit of sporting activities for the island’s young people – but the commercial life of the island has also benefited enormously.
From where I’m sitting, it is clear that it has fallen victim to the internal politics that have bedevilled this otherwise idyllic community in recent times and I make no apology for expressing that view, for it’s high time someone did. Tit for tat is a game for children and as such belongs in the playground, not in committee, court and boardrooms. Indeed, one wonders how many more noses will be cut off in futile attempts to spite faces before someone with a bit of leadership emerges from the shambles, bangs a few heads together and declares that enough is enough.
Sadly, I’m not holding my breath.
While on the subject of leadership, it might be as well to remind Sark residents that they have until 29 September to ensure that their names are on the electoral roll, otherwise they will not be able to vote in the December election.
By my reckoning, there will be no fewer than 16 vacancies for the office of conseiller – the 14 who were elected for two-year terms and the seats previously held by David Pollard, who has left the island, and the late Dr Stephen Henry.
Since the historic 2008 election there has been a change to the qualification for inclusion on the electoral roll. The law stipulates that residency for 24 months continuously is now a condition.
This means that I am unlikely to see a repeat of what happened when I cast my vote last time and emerged from the polling station to see four people following me in, none of whom I had ever seen before – or since, if it comes to that.
* The email address for comment is fallesark@sark.net.
Peter Cunneen takes over the column next week while I am away on holiday.
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Totally agree with you Sir.
However, I fear the ‘deaf ears’ syndrome will prevail. As for someone with leadership capabilities emerging from the mire it is, I feel, unlikely to happen. Getting their vote, if they exists and put their name forward, would be most unlikely.
Everyone votes for the person or side they are batting for and there are only two sides seemingly. The middle road does not seem to exist or if it does they are keeping very quiet.
Sad too for the cricket match to leave island for Herm but maybe things were too hot for them on Sark!
Taking their ball away to play elsewhere may have seemed the safer option as opposed to being accused of favouring one ‘side’ or the other.
With no Sark Carnival as such anymore, gatherings like the Celebration of the Sea are now vitally important to get visitors to Sark and it is always a great venue and event. Congratulations to all of the team for putting the event on each year.
Maybe next time only one event to be held per weekend would be better as there is only limited money around these days and supporting two events on one day is being very optimistic. Collaboration maybe in future years. then all can enjoy every event.
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I do not agree. I am certain that the Lord’s Taverners decision to move the cricket weekend to Herm has more to do with Kevin Delaney’s little tantrum and SEM withdrawing their sponsorship of the event at the last minute.
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Sarkee
Are you surprised that SEM pulled the plug? £10k a year to get treated like a leper is a bit much don’t you think?
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Phil
No I am certainly not surprised because it’s not the first time they have “pulled the plug”. Do you remember what happened after the Sark Election in 2008 when Kevin Delaney and his preferred candidates didn’t get enough votes?
It’s always the case with Kevin Delaney of “dance to my tune” or else.
I wish Herm all the best with next year’s Lord’s Taverner’s cricket weekend.
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Sarkee
Yes I do remember what happened after the 2008 election, and I seem to recall that SEM reversed their decision and ended up continuing with their commitment to Sark, thereby ensuring the employment of many islanders.
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Well said Phil.
I think that Sark would be an amazing place again if both sides pulled together politically, enjoyed the full employment it now has at last, keep on enjoying the wonderful events that are put on for residents and visitors alike by the hardworking people who have the time to organise and plan the many great events over the years and go back to being a close knit community again as it used to be.
Divided we fall – as has the cricket match which has been one of Sark’s greatest events over the years.
No doubt more to come if everyone keeps on squabbling!.
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Phil: why did SEM reverse its decision after the election? Because they found to their surprise that they had no control over the Guardian, the Times, the Independent or the Express –all these National newspapers were very critical of this decision to throw people out of work before Christmas. The Mail wasn’t particularly kind, either.
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I think that both Jay and Phil are wrong, and I totally agree with Sarkee, we are Sark people, who are you!!! so how can you speak for us, we have always welcomed people here to Sark, but have wanted to keep our way of life, we liked it, but it has all gone now and no-one is happy anymore, and there is no common ground because SEM does not want any, they are more then happy to keep causing us misery, and why!! also, only a handful of those employed buy SEM are local, the majority are Itinerant workers brought in by SEM to work on their projects.
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Sarkee2
You don’t seriously expect me to believe that SEM only employs a “handful” of local people do you?
For a start who runs the hospitality businesses that they own, I can think of plenty of locals employed in their various establishments.
Your way of life has changed, so what? Do you not think that has happened in Guernsey and elsewhere as well? And for you to suggest that nobody is happy is absolutely ridiculous, I know plenty of Sarkees personally and most of them are very happy with the way things are, they’re in secure jobs for 12 months of the year and earn decent money, which wasn’t the case before SEM came on the scene.
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Phil !
Something you will never understand, “MONEY IS NOT EVERYTHING”
and what do you mean by ‘so what ?’ a whole culture and lifestyle uprooted ! for the love of money and never to be enjoyed again.
There has always been full time employment on Sark and a better and richer lifestyle before sem !
anon
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anon
Rubbish – to suggest that there were as many jobs in “the old days” is nonsense. A richer lifstyle for some maybe (remember the good old Sark lark where some residents got rich by holding fictitious meetings and signing documents they knew nothing about) but not for all, particularly the younger generation.
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Anon,,,
Oh please,,, “Always fulltime employment” and “better and rich lifestyle” did you put that just to get a response!!! or are you one of the wealthy over here who is now having to pay a decent rate for work carried for you ,,and are not as rich any longer that you cant have your cheap labour,, I agree that money it,nt everything, but it funny how its the thing that pays the bills for your average working man. I do not agree with alot of what has been forced upon us residents here, but I object to total distortions of the facts, and feel it does Sark no good in the eyes of the outside world,,, FROM WHICH EVER SIDE IN COMES FROM…So if you do care about this island keep to facts that can be proven ,or you do Sark no justice at all, and give people the ideal excuse to laugh even more at the sad situation we find ourselves in.
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For goodness sake children! Do you not realise that this is a public domain, and what you write advertises your island? This fighting and squabbling that you’re all going in for is ridiculous, and painting you in a very bad light. Times change and evolve, and communities the world over have some changes forced on them that they don’t like, but that is the nature of life. When you rule the world it will be different, but for the time being you really should all stop moaning and whingeing, because you’re painting a pretty poor picture of the island, its people and anything to do with it. You’re all as bad as each other – and I don’t blame the Lord’s Taverners for moving their cricket day. You would all do well to concentrate on making sure you don’t lose any of your other fundraising events. And the way Phil Falle uses this column (which I read regularly) as a way of airing his views and politics is scandalous and very damaging. Re-vamping Sark’s website? You want to remove this dirty laundry from the public domain before you try to address that.
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