States’ train has ground to halt – former C&E minister

Former Commerce and Employment minister Kevin Stewart said momentum built up in the last States had been lost and that the current structure of government was affecting decision-making.

‘I feel the train has now ground to a halt and it’s going to take a lot of work to get that going again. If you don’t go out and sell, no one is going to buy from you,’ said Mr Stewart.

Pointing to the ‘successful’ creation of the island’s aircraft registry, he suggested a shipping registry could be developed along similar lines, while further development of the Digital Greenhouse was needed to support innovators.

Strengthening links between Guernsey and Hong Kong as fintech islands was another avenue to explore, said Mr Stewart.

His comments come after Economic Development president Charles Parkinson last week said ‘bold’ action was needed, including committing public funds where necessary, to support the economy.

Business chiefs have also called for action and a review of how the island is run, while a group of deputies have backed a charter setting out political principles that will guide them for the rest of this term.

While praising current deputies such as Gavin St Pier, Lyndon Trott and Al Brouard, Mr Stewart added: ‘At the moment, they haven’t got any more power than a person cleaning my office without having to take it back to the States.

‘For goodness sake, give them a little bit of leeway. Of course, there need to be checks and balances, but we need a common-sense approach.’

A two-tier structure could see more power given to the douzaines, for example, to deal with more local issues, with a more powerful executive then able to address the big decisions such as adjusting to Brexit, according to Mr Stewart.

In recent weeks, the Guernsey branch of the Institute of Directors has called for a review of the machinery of government – and that call is now being supported by the director of the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce.

‘Every organisation needs to have a review every now and then and government is no different. We do need structures that are clearly defined and understandable. We all need to be able to work together,’ said John O’Neill.

Last week, Deputy Parkinson said that a new Guernsey investment fund with up to £25m. of States funding to support new business ventures was a step in the right direction and praised elements of previous work undertaken to boost the economy.

However, he warned more needed to be done to diversify the economy in the face of the finance sector facing ‘headwinds’ from Brussels and the UK.

‘What is different about my committee’s approach, apart from the injection of “vision”, is that we believe the time has come for the States of Guernsey to be bold, to make some positive interventions to stimulate new economic activity,’ said Deputy Parkinson in an address to the Chamber of Commerce’s February lunch.