Committees have no right to deprive the electorate of their input

The fault lies, I think, with the ‘dog in the manger’ - selfish even - attitudes of the ESC committee in recent years. They’ve had too big a mandate for far too long. How can they do justice to the needs of three important sections of administration?

Education of course is the most crucial, but the other two factions have the inherent profit-generating ability that the treasury needs, so, to let them fall by the wayside by inaction and lack of attention is totally wrong (for the want of a nail, etc.).

The obvious choices for co-option in these matters would be Deputy Lester Queripel and Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, both committed pro-activists for Guernsey and Guernsey people.

Of course Deputy Queripel has tried previously to proffer his wealth of knowledge and love of heritage and culture of our island. It’s his milieu to both the last ESC committee and the present one, only to have the door unceremoniously slammed in his face on both occasions, not only a slap in the face for him but also for his electorate.

Much has been said lately by members opining that deputies should have ‘qualifications’ to formulate policies. Well that’s all fine and dandy but in my book if you haven’t got the nous, common sense, and above all love of our island in tandem, paper qualifications aren’t worth a bean, let alone be the paramount requirement.

Committees shouldn’t be so proprietorial and egotistical about their portfolios. They should have no right to reject our chosen representatives and deprive the electorate of their input. They/we are not enemies at the gate. Aren’t we all on the same side? Guernsey? We wonder sometimes...

All our elected representatives should work together, incorporating the strengths of everyone. We shouldn’t be in the business of promoting cliques, cabals and grandees. Remember all deputies were elected.

I think Deputy Meerveld has been daydreaming in his shed for too long and has contracted wet rot. An ‘outsider’ (even if he is a Lord) to sort us out? What kind of dimwits are we paying £50k a year for, if they can’t sort themselves out? How soon would the overseer on his ‘small retainer’ (yeah, right) feel the need for an aide, then the aide needs an aide, etc. A quango to leech off local taxpayers, because our leaders are inept? Our forefathers would turn in their graves. Quelle horreur. Paraphrasing Stephen Sondheim, ‘Send in the clowns’. Don’t bother, they’re already here.

We might as well have a dissolution of our parliament and insist our government be honest enough to admit wanting to throw in the towel and offload us lock, stock and barrel to BoJo’s tender mercies. The whole sorry saga beggars belief.

All the above is rendered academic of course if our big girl’s blouses choose to prostrate themselves before some old duffer, who by Deputy Meerveld’s own admission must be unelected and know zilch about Guernsey and diddly squat about the people. What a shambles.

Question 1: Why did some present States members stand if they can’t stay the course?

Question 2: Can we have our money back please?

We who have bothered to vote for most of our lives deserve the right of reply. What a charade voting may turn out to be.

JILL MARTEL