Talking about our generations

Seemingly straight out of a hustings meeting, Deputy McKenna rehearses some of the tired old rhetoric that has seemingly been largely discredited by this States about waste and largesse in government. Although, have those claims really been properly tested?

However, some of the comments he makes will strongly resonate with his audience of those in a similar age bracket, wondering how their children will be able to make a prosperous way in their home island.

They too will think to the next generation. What becomes of the grandchildren, and the grandparent? Plenty will agree with him that ‘I’ll want to be with the grandchildren’.

And so comes the heart-wrenching decision, if the children are away from the island, will the parents uproot to start a new life with their offspring and their offspring? Somewhere where maybe their combined income can buy the kind of property that can sensibly accommodate a three-generation family, and leave some spare cash for a few luxuries too.

We’re all aware of instances of this happening, and the official population statistics appear to back it up too. Economically it’s not the worst thing, but for social cohesion and traditional Guernsey values, it’s the last thing we want to be seeing.