Beloved island losing identity through greed
WHAT a very interesting contribution last week from Henry Lancaster [Housing crisis is not just down to supply, Thursday 10 February]. Informative, insightful, yet with a sincere empathy for the children of Guernsey who will not have the proverbial ‘snowball’s chance in hell’ of having a home in the island. Guernsey is in danger of losing its identity. Our beloved island is like a ball of tumbleweed, tossed hither, thither and yon, by outside forces and inner greed.
Discussions are apparently under way to spend millions changing the face of our coastline, yet in our second-largest shopping centre, you can’t even buy a loaf of bread, except from the Co-op (God bless the Co-op), where not so long ago good local bakeries thrived (to the Bridge eh!).
In this centenary year for the BBC our ‘local radio’ is practically non-existent. Apart from a few minutes of news and weather, we could be Radio ‘Anywhere’. It is non-stop ‘musak, musak, musak’ now. Don’t get me wrong, I like music as much as the next person, but there is no comparison to what we used to have. Kay’s Sunday Supplement, Fiona’s Popular Classics, and JKT’s beloved phone-in and our piece de resistance, the wonderful Roy Dotrice reading the serialisation of Ebenezer Le Page.
I know ‘muzak’ filled in with talk/speak passes for entertainment for the young these days but most young people are ‘wired’ into their ‘gadgets’ and can play what they want, when they want, for as long as they want.
So, surely it is not too much to ask that the elderly and housebound should have more choice? We are the generations who have religiously stumped up our annual licence fee and surely BBC radio services get some of the fee? I know ‘muzak’ is the cheapest way of broadcasting, but it’s not fair to us oldies – to me, it is a case of dumbing down ‘the local scene’. It is such a shame because there is so much talent in Guernsey.
Another contributor, Janine Le Sauvage [Island Development Plan needs fixing] never fails to put her ‘passionate protector of Guernsey’ hat on when it comes to injustices on the island. She is a formidable opponent and brooks no wishy-washy subterfuge from mealy-mouthed politicians being paid to do likewise. The promises made at election time are, it seems, ‘like pie crust’ – easily broken.
Would it really be too much to ask that the ‘powers that be’ listen to such caring and erudite islanders? And give some tangible help to everyone by not selling Guernsey out to the highest bidder?
Or has it already happened?
JILL MARTEL
Flat 8
Courtil Jacques
Burnt Lane
St Martin’s
GY4 6HA