Jayne Ozanne: Is Guernsey fair?

One of the first lessons most of us learn the hard way is that ‘Life isn’t fair!’ It’s a form of rite of passage, where the innocence of youth is replaced with the hard reality of a world where life can be ‘nasty, brutish and short.’

That said, most of us have an intrinsic sense of what is fair, and what is not. Take the last few weeks and the shameful spectacle of one of the world’s most powerful men, protected by the world’s greatest security system, belittling a fellow president of a country which is currently experiencing the horrific reality of being attacked by one of the world’s greatest aggressors. If you’re like me, you watched on thinking ‘Come on, that’s just not fair!’, while then baulking at the withdrawal of support against an increasingly barbaric version of Russian roulette.

Looking closer to home, I can’t help asking: How fair do you feel life is for you and those you love here in Guernsey? Is there an intrinsic sense of unfairness in the way we organise our taxes, our public services and ultimately, our politics? Do you feel ‘the system’ serves you well, or do you feel it is weighted against you?

The reason I ask is that I can’t help feeling that for an increasing number of us the answer is a resounding ‘No’. Many, I believe, are really struggling with the increasing cost of living, the high rents or mortgage payments, the red tape that stifles our ability to innovate, build, create – anything and everything that prevents us from living the life that we so dearly want. Yes, we are an island of relatively low taxation, but when that benefit is swamped by significant other costs, few will realise that benefit. Indeed, many now believe that it only really helps those who, in their eyes, are already unfairly gaining from the system.

Let’s take, for example, car tax, which has moved from being charged as a road tax to being added as a levy to petrol and diesel vehicles. It was sold to us as a fairer way to apportion the tax burden relating to our roads, so that those who drive more, pay more. It naturally also sought to encourage people to move to electric cars. However, those who can afford to do so – being blunt, the better off – are now in the envious position of paying nothing towards our road costs, often despite taking up more of the space on them due to the large electric cars they can afford to buy. This seems inherently unfair and is a policy that I believe needs reviewing.

How about another contentious area, such as planning. I’ve lost track of the number of times friends have shared stories of ‘unfair decisions’ they feel have been made by the Development & Planning Authority, hampering their ability to develop their homes. More often that not they see things being granted to their neighbours, which they are denied. Their boundary falls in just the wrong place, or they cannot build a small annex for their elderly parents to live in on their land – whatever it is, it builds deep-seated resentment which, if left to fester, creates mistrust and anger with ‘the powers that be.’

So, what is the answer?

A few years ago, I was asked live on stage at a conference what single change I thought would make the greatest impact in politics. Most of my fellow panellists understandably talked about the need for greater transparency and trust, however I decided to take a different tack. I suggested we needed to appoint a minister for kindness who would oversee a new Ministry of Common Sense. A minister for kindness – that is, someone who would look at each draft bill and check it through to see who would suffer most from it.

Would it make us more or less kind as a society? Would it help those who needed support the most?

A Ministry for Common Sense – did the proposals pass the ‘reasonable person test’, would they be seen as wise and fair by those they were elected to serve? It strikes me that the more red tape we seem to create, the more rules and regulations we put in place – the less common sense we appear to deploy. Isn’t it time we empowered people to make decisions based primarily on common sense, rather than making us all jump through legalistic hoops so as to satisfy a computer, that more often than not likes to say ‘No’?

Obviously, this is quite a Utopian dream – there will never, sadly, be such ministers or ministries. However, I believe that every person appointed to a position of power should commit themselves to a set of values that they will adhere to when exercising said power. Top of the list should, I suggest, be kindness, followed closely by transparency, trust and accountability. Common sense is arguably a little more subjective – what may seem ‘commonly’ obvious to one is not always a view shared by others, particularly in a world that is getting more and more polarised. Understanding where people are on various topics will always require politicians to listen across the breadth of society and not just to those in their immediate bubble.

That is why I for one am incredibly worried about the growing levels of unfairness apparent in Guernsey, felt most keenly by those in the lower income percentiles. It is, I believe, the single greatest barrier to people wanting to embrace GST and unless it is dealt with head on, it will become a sore that will become a wound that will eventually infect and affect everything that the next States tries to do.

We need to build a kinder, fairer Guernsey – and for that we need a large injection of common sense into ‘the system’. I’m sure I’m not alone in wanting this – perhaps it should be our focus over the months ahead?