Economic boom – an eyesore or an inspiration?

Chris Bright, the former editor of the newspaper pulled no punches. Census results soon to be published in the island will, he says, prove how many people are living in Jersey – ‘too many’.

For that he blamed supine politicians prepared to pursue economic growth at the expense of the environment, personal wealth over quality of life. Doing anything other than pursuing this ideology risks sending out a ‘closed for business’ message, but Mr Bright counters that Jersey risks population becoming a never-ending Ponzi scheme, with no ability to create a ceiling and stick to it.

What really makes one think, however, was Mr Bright’s clever take on the rhetoric of the go-for-growth merchants.

‘That is not a traffic jam, that is a sign of healthy car sales. That is not an unaffordable house, that is a booming property market. That is not a fertile green field or a tranquil bay, that is a development opportunity. To those who wish to see things that way, a skyline spiked with cranes is not an eyesore, but an inspiration.’

Jersey’s decision to hold a population debate shortly before a general election seems almost doomed to fail those who want tough decisions to be made. But Mr Bright’s conclusion will resonate with many islanders in Guernsey – ‘in damagingly overcrowded Jersey, population should now be treated primarily as an environmental and cultural issue with economic implications, and not the other way round’.

If this sounds a little bit like a desire to return to the 1950s – one which a number of Guernsey politicians of recent times would quickly subscribe to – it also makes some eloquent points.

The States of Guernsey has identified population management and immigration policy to be a priority for this States term, but, as yet, there is virtually no clue on what direction that might take.

Many of these points raised ought to come under consideration when that times comes around.