Islands find strength in a united response

There is something about facing a common enemy that tightens the bonds and reminds people they are better off united.

Sadly, it takes a crisis of this magnitude to cast off petty grievances and remember we have more in common than divides us.

This applies not just to individuals but the islands as a whole.

The Bailiwick has rarely seemed a more cohesive unit than in the past year.

With a common policy agreed on Covid-19, the Bailiwick bubble has been to the mutual benefit of Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm.

By supporting one another the islands have pulled together for a common cause and drawn strength from that.

Staycations, in particular, have been a huge success. Guernsey holidaymakers desperate to see a different horizon and get off their own small rock relished the opportunity to travel, even if it was just a few miles away to Alderney.

Many learned quickly that there is world-class beauty, history and culture on our doorstep waiting to be explored and too often neglected in favour of hotter climes with more glamorous reputations.

A new Guernsey States Assembly elected in October has thoughtfully sought to add a political structure to the bridges opened up last year.

The war of words that has soured relations between the Assemblies of St Anne and St Peter Port for the best part of a decade has been replaced by a warmer tone of co-operation.

This has been helped not only by the ebb and flow of islanders travelling in both directions but by an acceptance that Aurigny has a duty to provide a quality service to the whole Bailiwick, just not at any cost.

If the thorny issue of air links can be resolved to the satisfaction of both islands then it should be possible to forge a new political relationship fit for the 21st century, rather than continuing to rely on a post-war agreement that all sides agree has had its day.