No time to waste in blame game

With islanders belatedly waking up to how much it is going to cost to export some waste and recycle the rest, no one wants to be front of stage.

This is not a vote-winning strategy. There is no upside.

Astutely, the States’ Trading Supervisory Board and Environment & Infrastructure last week forced deputies to take a share of responsibility.

By taking a sliding scale of fixed and per bag costs to the States, deputies were left with the unpalatable choice of either not funding the scheme or giving one option their approval.

It was a risky strategy. The States has a lamentable history of making up policy on the hoof when faced with difficult decisions.

However, this time there really was no third way. Mont Cuet is full and there are no other holes available to tip rubbish into at short notice so deputies could not scupper the scheme without risking piles of rubbish on the streets.

And if they needed a reminder that it was all too late they only need take one look at the huge waste transfer station taking shape at Longue Hougue.

As a result, three-quarters of the Assembly accepted the realities of the situation and backed the option which did most for large families (but least for frugal pensioners).

A resounding 30-7 vote will not, however, stop deputies abandoning collective responsibility and seeking to distance themselves from the decision.

We now hear that they had no option, the previous States made a mess of it, the whole policy is flawed but time has run out. We didn’t want to do it…

Quite what they would have done differently is hard to judge. Would they have built one of the incinerators? Perhaps they have forgotten the protests at the Suez plans.

That battle was fought and lost at a cost of millions and the States spent so long fighting it that they are close to running out of time to implement this system.

This set of deputies cannot step away from its responsibilities any more than the last ones.