Agency told to make Facebook page look like non-States one
A FORMAL instruction by Carl Meerveld to make the pro-three-school Facebook page look as though it was ‘independent from the States’ has been revealed by the Policy & Resources president.
Since stepping down as Education vice-president over the botched social media site, which went live last Saturday without the approval of his committee, Deputy Meerveld has maintained that the lack of States branding was a mistake on his part.
‘Firstly I exceeded my authority by pressing the red button,’ he said at yesterday’s snap Scrutiny hearing. ‘Secondly is the fact that the page went live without any States branding on it.’
However P&R president Gavin St Pier read out a formal pitch document that was signed off by Deputy Meerveld.
‘We feel it is important for this campaign to look and feel relatively impartial and independent from the States,’ it read.
Deputy St Pier said it was never Education’s intention to put its name behind the campaign, which had been designed to ‘rubbish’ the alternative two-schools proposal that was being worked up.
‘It was extremely reprehensible [of Education] to criticise government in such a cheap and populist way,’ he said.
Full story in today's Guernsey Press
