Guernsey fails to find its vision
PLENTY of people stand for the States offering vision and courage among their attributes and believing that such talk will influence voters to look upon them more favourably.
While it’s often argued that tax increases are ‘tough’ decisions which require bravery, they are not. They are the easy way out for government, and the only bravery required are considerations of how the electorate perceives their deputy as a result.
Does a deputy need ‘courage’? In today’s ‘robust’ social media climate, they certainly do. Online abuse is the one constant in politics.
Deputy Bob Murray outlined his credentials for courage and ‘visionary thinking’ when he secured a spot on Policy & Resources last week.
But vision is one thing the States just doesn’t do well. Guernsey government is often at its best when firefighting and dealing with urgent challenges.
Infrastructure, development, traffic or the longer-term goals of population growth – or avoiding the same – are either routinely postponed, misjudged, or deputies themselves come to believe their predecessors got them wrong.
Beyond ‘happiest and healthiest’ ambitions, Guernsey has never successfully outlined a vision for itself, or been able to draw up a road map to get there. Maybe Deputy Murray will change that. He certainly has ideas, some of them rather off-piste. But ideas don’t always translate to a vision.