Not sticking to decisions will be damaging
ON 2 FEBRUARY 2018 Hayley Correia, Colin Wood and I marched through St Peter Port along with 110 like-minded members of the community opposing the two-school model given the nod a month before by the government. We had distributed over 4,000 flyers leading up to the march and had extensive media and social media coverage... yet the attendance was, to say the least, pitiful and concerning, but epitomised the Guernsey mentality.
It could be argued if these very same armchair keyboard warriors who oppose the very same model today and who opposed the model in 2018 had marched on 2 February 2018, the model may have been taken back to the drawing board with further consultation with vested parties and with a very different outcome.
Deputy Fallaize and his committee are under a massive storm of opposition with respect to the two-school model. Whilst the opposition has a right to protest, the demonising and abuse on social media of Deputy Fallaize is deeply, deeply disturbing and unwarranted. Deputy Fallaize is a nice guy and not deserving of such vitriolic behaviour.
On 6 September 2019 the States of Guernsey sanctioned the spending of £157m. to reform the education of 11-18 year olds, including the two-school model. It therefore must be argued Deputy Fallaize and his committee are only carrying out the will of the government. I do not condone any form of abuse, but any anger by the keyboard warriors must be aimed at the whole government and not just Deputy Fallaize.
Since February 2018, I have considered the two-school option. Whilst I may not fully endorse such a model, I fear continually rowing backwards for another four years come the general election in June will not only damage the future education of my two children and grandchildren, it will show how broken all our services are – health, law and order and education, which are the very glue which holds a functioning social fabric together.
I attended the IoD lunch on Monday 20, where Paul Whitfield gave a super presentation on the £200m. States of Guernsey smart IT system. This costly system will be more intrusive in data collection on its citizens than any UK MoD system can ever be – funnily enough, and more concerning, there’s not been one voice of opposition to the cost or worrying data collection by Guernsey Big Brother... I wonder why? Then again, what’s the point of having a 21st century IT system if our education, health and law and order structures are not fit for purpose in the 21st century due to indecisive, flip-flopping deputies who are scared stiff to stick to their convictions. It’s fair to say Deputy Fallaize is a man of principle and a politician who, despite the terrible abuse, stands by his convictions and is not for turning. Now this deserves respect.
PETE BURTENSHAW
petejb@cwgsy.net