Civil service making the long journey towards more 'enlightened' government
DURING the Occupation order was kept by a brutal and extreme regime. However, any system that is so loathed and despised has a seething wall of resentment building against it by the hour. Any government that is run so blatantly against the will of the people is self-defeating and can only exist in the short term. So the jack boot is long departed but, perhaps, even as recently as the '90s, I can remember isolated incidents where at times civil servants could be officious, rude and sarcastic in dealings with the public.
In the year 2000 I began a 10-year term as a 'modern' civil servant.
Everybody should try it. Today's civil service works continually at developing its staff's people skills. In my department we took pride in the skills thus engaged in the day-to-day handling of the public.
But it will always be the case that people skills come much more easily for some than others.
Any civil service does and always will take criticism but that can as often as not say far more about the complainants than the complained about.
As an element of the public will always steadfastly maintain the right to be difficult.
Our civil service is not corrupt and strives to serve its employers, the people, fairly, hallelujah.
So our civil service has progressed since 1945 but I am not sure that means it has ever been 'progressive'.
We demand of government bodies that they are reliable, safe and secure in their work.
At the same time, can we expect them also to be progressive or innovative? Maybe not as these things require an element of risk taking.
Guernsey is strong on community, it is something we seem to do well.
People coming together under a shared interest, driven along typically by charismatic leaders employing good strong people skills can save St James from being a police station, refurbish La Vallette and get Les Bourgs up and running – all huge achievements.
Broadly speaking, it can be said that in its methods local government has made a journey of sorts, from brutality in 1945 towards community.
True efficiency in any local government can only be achieved by first appealing to what's good in people.
It is the line of least resistance because inherently on the whole people are good.
So many community projects pulled off against all the odds leaves a legacy.
We think after the event, why cannot local government get things done more like community gets things done?
This question is asked often the world over.
It can seem like a conundrum but then I suspect it is largely only a question of a willingness and a little courage to adopt a new mindset.
In 1945 we suffered the very worst form of government but the experience provides us with the best of yardsticks.
I dare to think that we just might be moving from an extreme government to an enlightened form of government working hand in hand with community.
Is it even possible? Certainly as individuals if we do not seek to facilitate it, it cannot ever happen.
ANDREW LE PAGE,
Alma House,
St Peter Port.
