Guernsey and Jersey should still be able to collaborate despite political differences.
Jersey Minister for Sustainable Economic Development, Kirsten Morel – ironically the politician at the centre of the most recent and significant falling out of the two islands, over the joint ferry tender in 2024 – said the political reality was that the islands did have different interests at times, but there was still scope for collaboration.
‘Just because we are Crown Dependencies, just because we speak similar languages, and we have a long history of being next to each other, it doesn’t mean that our interests are always the same,’ he said.
‘We do have different ways of viewing the same problems, and that’s really difficult to overcome.
‘On the travel issue, we do have different thinking. So it has become clear to me, perhaps too late in the day, that Guernsey likes to own its travel assets.
‘That’s a perfectly rational way to think, but it’s not the same as we think in Jersey, which might be because of the 40,000-plus difference in populations. I don’t know exactly the reasons why Guernsey feels like it has to own its travel assets. But Jersey doesn’t want to, because Jersey doesn’t need to.’
He said that Guernsey had a very different political system to Jersey, an issue which could not be ignored.
Deputy Morel claimed that Jersey was far more transparent in its political system than Guernsey, with strong freedom of information laws and a dedicated Scrutiny function.
‘From a political perspective, it’s important to understand the differences. I’m deeply aware of the differences between our systems, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think we should collaborate,’ he said.
‘When it came to the ferries, our interests were not aligned. Perhaps we should have made that call sooner and said: “This isn’t going to work together”.’
‘But collaboration makes so much sense, we can save costs all over the place if we work together. In our healthcare systems, I would love us to start sharing services so we can reduce those costs.’
Deputy Morel spoke about inter-island relations on a panel hosted by Jersey Chamber of Commerce.
Also on the panel was the CEO of Channel Islands Coop, Mark Cox, who touched on the reality and complexities of operating in both islands.
‘You effectively do everything twice, it’s twice the paperwork, and ultimately none of this is about blame, but these complexities come from long history, identity, constitution, and dependence,’ he said.
‘It’s something we have to tolerate, because the alternatives could be just too difficult, but duplication costs time, money, and patience.’
He said the challenges were differences in laws, regulations and tax structures. Working in collaboration would lead to less duplication and faster delivery.
‘Why are we buying fuel, medical supplies, IT licences, insurance and specialist equipment separately? There could be less duplication and faster delivery, particularly in health, education, and infrastructure,’ said Mr Cox.
‘The savings can be genuinely significant. Getting value for money is something both islands should be keen on, budgets are tighter, costs are increasing.’
It would also open up opportunities for local growers and producers, which would increase food security across the Channel Islands.
‘This collaborative approach would support more resilient local food system, improve availability of fresh products throughout the year, creating the opportunities for us,’ he said.
‘Working together helps each island build greater self sufficiency while supporting the wider rule of economy.’
Guernsey Chamber of Commerce executive director Alice Gill said that externally, the islands were seen as the Channel Islands, not separate entities, and there was power and value in that.
Across the islands £2bn. of public money is spent in running costs, but there were areas where collaboration could take place and costs could be reduced.
‘The biggest wins will come from practical alignment, reducing friction. We’re not talking about full harmonisation, we haven’t got to do everything exactly the same, we can still move in the same direction, but do things slightly differently and work together where it works for us best,’ she said.
‘In everyday business, whether that’s employment or regulation or anything along those lines, that shows up in cost and time and duplication and effort that we don’t need to do.
‘If we can identify some of those areas where there is a friction that we can iron out, we can really realise those benefits quickly.’
She said that government responded best when the case was clear and evident, and it was up to the business community to drive that agenda.