A glance at our sister website will indicate that what we described earlier this week as a storm in a teacup – the claims that the chief minister abused his title while on a sales trip to Chile as a non-executive director of a private company – is actually a very live issue for many people.

Whatever the rights or wrongs of the matter, and it seems unarguable that the Concept Group felt there were benefits in having the chief minister, even if he was in mufti, along on their pensions pitch, the biggest failing is that the States have yet to clarify the matter of external interests.

The code of conduct here is not particularly robust and simply says members shall base their conduct on a consideration of the public interest, avoid conflict between personal and public interest and resolve any conflict between the two at once and in favour of the public interest.

Jersey’s ministerial code, however, is more explicit.

It expressly says that ministers remain free to have paid employment unrelated to their role as a minister. That said, they must ensure that no conflict arises, or appears to arise, and the code makes it the personal responsibility of each minister to decide whether and what action is needed to avoid a conflict.

Guernsey’s guidance is silent on the ‘appearance’ issue, which is a much trickier matter and one very much in the eye of the beholder.

Islanders might be relaxed if the chief minister and others were on an official trade delegation to India but less so if two days later the same chief minister, now plain Mr Trott, was explaining on behalf of the Concept Group the benefits of qualifying pension plans, a selection of which he just happened to have in the briefcase alongside him.

Guernsey needs elected representatives with outside interests because it widens their experience and ability – and because islanders have no great desire or requirement to pay for professional politicians.

But it also needs to set out with greater precision the level of accountability, probity and transparency it requires from members – the same governance test, in fact, that the chief minister understands as a director of a private company.