A depressing reminder of the old normal

It ended with the ‘there will be blood’ public embarrassment of the Victoria Oliver debate.

Petty, over-personal, pointless. It had all the hallmarks of the childish Class of 2016.

If ever a States has run its course it is this one.

Nor did the Assembly show itself at its best during the Revive and Thrive debate.

As a green paper discussion it was an opportunity for deputies to show clarity of thought, innovative ideas and unity of purpose.

It was Big Picture stuff, but all too often members were fixated by Policy & Resources’ signature in the corner of the canvas.

Action not words, they demanded. Let’s get on and do things.

It sounds good, and certainly this States has been cursed by an inability to turn policy into practice.

But there has to be a hint of an overall plan, otherwise it’s just a mad mess of headless chickens running in every direction.

As it was, deputies took to their saddles to give their own hobby horse a canter around the Chamber, whether that be sport, green issues, arts or social policy.

And that, given the chance, would be this States’ answer to the greatest economic crisis this island has faced since the Second World War. Zero prioritisation, just a lot of money thrown at a 1,000 ideas with no co-ordination or common purpose.

Policy & Resources rightly got flak for the glossy tone of Revive and Thrive. It does read like a greatest hits of empty PR rhetoric with subheads about ‘Caring For Each Other’ and ‘Look Forwards Not Backwards’.

But that is the nature of high level strategies. If P&R had presented big detailed proposals it would have been criticised for bypassing the Assembly and getting ahead of itself. Sometimes you can’t win.

The true test will come in the action plans. They must be quick, practical and full of spade-ready projects that will turn this island around sharpish.

Sadly, they will not be well informed by last week’s debate.