Middle Guernsey will rise up – or leave

The signs of public dissatisfaction and impending protest have been clear for at least a year – 'the worst States ever' has been a commonly-used phrase – and yet it seems that every States meeting brings more misery.

We could have had a protest last year when islanders were angry with the population proposals. I was approached by a number of people to organise one but the decision was made not to do so as it might have shown Guernsey in a bad light. Fast forward a year and the islanders have reached tipping point, and frankly, who can blame them?

Many islanders are struggling. The cost of housing in this island is appallingly high, regardless of whether you have a mortgage or are paying rent. I am seeing tales of people paying £700 per month for one room and if you need to house a family, well you had better have a bloney good income. We have long passed the stage where islanders give up and leave because they simply can't sustain existence here anymore. We have also been through a global recession and many people have not had a pay rise for some time and if they have, it hasn't been a true cost-of-living increase.

Against this background, you might imagine the States would adopt a cautious approach – after all, their duty is surely to look after the welfare of the islanders – however, that has not been the case. Charges are going up across the board and there have been entirely new charges such as the waste-water charge and the looming paid-parking charges. The recent budget has resulted in yet another hike in the duty on fuel. This is bad news for everybody, not just because it costs more to run your car, but because it puts up costs to businesses that rely on transport, whether it's a small business like mine or a large organisation like a supermarket. Those businesses that can, will pass the costs on to their customers while some of us will just have to swallow the extra costs.

Then, of course, there was the increase in TRP, which is potentially much worse for reasons that have been clearly expressed by many who were promptly ignored by the States.

We are constantly told that if we want to maintain the current level of services or even improve them, we must pay more. Well, most of us realise that to some extent, that's true, but the problem is that for the ordinary working person, there is only so much you can pay before your quality of life becomes damaged.

There are many in this island who are praying for a short winter because they don't have the funds to heat their home for any length of time. They really shouldn't need to be worrying about how to feed their families as well. I'm not talking about scroungers here, I'm talking about good, hard-working folk who may well have a mortgage and work hard for 40 hours-plus per week.

Taken in isolation, many of the increases we are facing may be quite reasonable but the problem is, they don't come in isolation, they come as an avalanche and the cumulative effect will be quite devastating for many.

The increased harbour charges that are coming to fund the much-needed development in that area are going to be inflationary as they will affect all food and goods coming into the island, including materials for the new school, so don't be surprised when there is an overspend on that £60m.

In the current States, with one or two exceptions, we have an assembly of gamblers, people who are prepared to risk the wellbeing of the island to achieve their goal – it's not the Guernsey way.

While I'm talking about the Guernsey way, would certain people please stop trying to taint the phrase. It has never been a euphemism for cutting corners and poor management. The Guernsey way is more about common sense and ingenuity.

The States must ease the burden on what is now known as middle Guernsey, otherwise we will be like Tolkien's elves, leaving Middle Earth, never to be seen again.

The straw that broke the camel's back has been the nasty, spiteful first-registration proposals, but there are many more issues that are being protested, as will be clear to anybody who has looked at the 'Enough is Enough Gsy' Facebook page.

The first-registration taxes should be filed in the bin. They are unnecessary and spiteful, they have little to do with protecting the environment and everything to do with controlling people and diminishing their freedom and right to self-expression.

The wealthy folk who drive the biggest, most luxurious cars will not change their buying habits, except that they may keep their cars for longer, which is bad news for the dealerships. The next group of people who do buy new cars every few years will definitely hold on to their current cars for longer because cost and value are a big part of the equation for them. This will really hurt the dealerships and will certainly lead to redundancies, if not failed businesses. There are already a lot fewer dealers around now compared to 10 or 15 years back. New cars have lower emissions than cars of only two or three years ago, so any policy that impedes people from buying a brand new car is self-defeating.

If there isn't some sort of compromise from the States, a simple protest is going to turn into a winter of discontent. For the States, it's about paying bills. For many islanders, it's more about survival.

It is good that the islanders are showing some spirit. Let us hope that the States respond positively and we can find some synergy for the future.

MARTYN TORODE,

La Millaeux Maisaon,

La Route du Braye,

Vale,

GY3 5QS.