Guernsey Press

Cosmetic phrases cannot hide blemishes

TAKING a leaf out of their own playbook, the chief minister and his number two showed this week that they were willing to be ‘less prescriptive and more responsive’ by seeking to amend their own ‘carefully-considered’ Government Work Plan before the ink was dry.

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Spotting that deputy-without-portfolio Gavin St Pier had tapped into a rich seam of political support with his amendment to prioritise public sector reform, the leaders of Policy & Resources took his idea, added some meaningless States-speak about ‘identifying and progressing commissioning opportunities’ and badged it up with a catchy new phrase about ‘right-sizing’ government.

The difference is cosmetic, but it should be enough to ensure that Deputy St Pier cannot win the day – and that’s what’s important after all.

Those public servants in the crosshairs of being ‘right-sized’ might have a different view of what is important.

For this is the project that never ends. Civil servants and public sector staff are forever working under a Damoclean sword, supposedly one frayed thread away from oblivion thanks to the latest cunning plan to cut staff and salaries without damaging services.

For those who have kept the sewers flowing, taxes gathered, pensions paid and all manner of other essential services running during what has been the year from hell it must be inspirational to know that a large number of deputies think you are overpaid and underemployed.

Islanders can be forgiven some cynicism at this point. Umpteen such plans have come and gone. True, none had thought to ‘right-size’ government but all had the same intention: to trim the public wage bill.

So what has stopped those plans working? Usually, the same deputies who drew up and approved the plans in the first place.

Because when it comes down to public sector cuts, the knife is always supposed to be plunged somewhere else. No committee wants to lose their staff, of whatever rank.

The States can right-size its priority list as much as it likes but until it gets true political buy-in instead of empty words nothing will change.