Guernsey Press

Reform Law the root of Sark's recent problems

TWENTY-TWO high-profile Channel Islanders have pointed out the inconvenient truth that Sark is having problems and are wondering where these come from and whether these problems have built up over a generation or so.

Published

The real 'inconvenient truth' about Sark is that the 2008 Reform Law experiment has been an abject, catastrophic and total and utter failure. Largely all of Sark's problems stem from that law, the people who have come to govern it as a result of its adoption, and the kinds of laws they have been enacting. All of these problems were a predictable, predicted (ahead of time), and most importantly, obvious (then and now), consequence of this law.

We can keep looking for the cause of our problems, but so long as the truth is staring us in the face and we choose to ignore it because it is either embarrassing, inconvenient or does not fit our agenda, until we recognise the bitter and painful truth and bite the bullet, we will never find the cause of our problems, or a solution that works.

While personally I appreciate all offers of help, and perhaps a Panel of Inquiry or a Royal Commission will reach a helpful conclusion, I am somewhat sceptical that this will be the case. Maybe such a panel or commission will be staffed by more sensible people, but just as likely (or more so) it will be staffed by the very same kind of politicians and bureaucrats, of the same kind of blinkered ideological persuasion, who have caused Sark's current problems in the first place.

The principal (and perhaps the only) help Sark could helpfully receive is the recognition of the abject failure of the 2008 Reform Law and a repeal of this law and all the subsequently passed anti-business legislation.

All that needs to be done is to look at how Sark was doing before the 2008 reform, how it has done since, observe the kinds of laws that were passed since 2008 and notice the obvious causal link (already known to most of the local population, the usual suspects who will now probably jump on me excepted) between these laws and Sark's subsequent poor performance.

Until the 2008 Reform Law and the laws passed in its consequence are repealed, Sark's problems will never be solved.

TOMAZ SLIVNIK, Dr,

Sark.

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