We should be keeping our French connection in perpetuity for posterity

No sooner had the ink dried (metaphorically) on the agreement to fund restoring Guernsey French classes to the tune of £100k per annum, and the words ‘There are rewards to be gained in preserving our unique identity’ spoken, then lo and behold, the powers that be proceed to replace our age old French responses in the House with an Anglicised button control effort.

‘Ah,’ they say, ‘it will save money, (until it breaks down) and it will save our deputies precious time.’

Time to do what? Dream up more unaffordable schemes unwanted by the electorate? What’s next? The Anglicisation of all verbal interaction in the Assembly – even Notre Pere – so we are ‘in line’ with other jurisdictions?

When we see the sorry state the rest of the world is in, both physically and politically, who wants to be ‘in line’ with any of them?

We should keep our French connection in perpetuity for posterity, or maybe the powers that be would prefer to delete the closing prayer of the Assembly altogether, so we are more ‘in line’ with non-Christians? We mustn’t discriminate, eh?

We get the impression that future grandiose plans for our little island are invoked by a few deputies trying to convey the electorate how very, very busy they are. And are actually earning their £50k plus a year.

Wrong. We call it ‘fiddling while Rome burns’ or ‘regarding the Emperor’s new clothes’.

We need representatives who help us at grass roots level in the here and now (which thankfully some do) not show-boaters who would put us and our descendants into excruciating debt to impress their wealthy friends or celebrities. Frittering away hundreds of thousands of pounds on reviews or feasibility studies, only to file or shelve them. Plus ca change.

How sad we devotees of States Assembly broadcasts will be not to hear the dulcet tones and impeccable accent of Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq. Quel dommage.

Some deputies are great and worthy of their seat, while others get more wearisome by the day.

RIP to another facet of our island heritage.

JILL MARTEL