Islands again fail to find common ground
ASK politicians in either Guernsey or Jersey whether the two islands should work more closely together and most will not hesitate to say yes.
They will talk of the efficiencies on offer, the buying power, the greater clout of a combined Channel Island presence.
It all sounds very plausible and worthwhile.
In many ways the States Assemblies in the two islands are keener on inter-island collaboration than their populaces, many of whom are either indifferent or actively hostile to ‘the other island’.
Yet whenever co-operation extends beyond words and a joint initiative gets under way it seems to be only a matter of time before the marriage ends in divorce.
And at the heart of each split are those same politicians who preach the value of co-operation.
The Channel Islands Competition & Regulatory Authority is the latest case in point. After a decade of service it is being split in half after a Jersey Senator took against it.
The decision was against expectations and flew in the face of an independent review by a prominent QC with expertise in competition regulation.
With little fanfare, consumers and key sectors of the economies in both jurisdictions have been left wondering what regulation will look like once the two islands have gone their separate ways.
The timing could not be worse. The coronavirus pandemic is shaking up the world. Some weaker businesses will fail, leaving holes in the market for others to exploit.
Factor in the unknown changes in numerous UK and EU business relationships thanks to Brexit and the coming months will be a maelstrom.
The steady hand of an established pan-CI competition regulator would have been a reassuring presence in such turmoil.
However, the decision has been made, there is no appeal.
The task for politicians is to ensure that the two organisations in Guernsey and Jersey do not drift far apart. The last thing businesses – particularly those with feet in both Bailiwicks – need is to play to increasingly different rulebooks.
If we cannot co-operate – and it may be time to give up on thoughts of joint institutions – the least the islands can hope for is better inter-CI communication.