We don’t need divisive wedges to be driven between islanders

What a loss to public life in general - and social services in particular - Mr Le Lievre is. A quiet, thoughtful man with empathy and insightfulness in spades. I’m sure that to many who served later he was a mentor.

It’s inevitable that some will agree with Ms Crowder, but what we don’t need, are divisive wedges driven between local people. I am one of her reviled claimants but I can assure her I’m not on a diet of caviar and champagne, don’t own a car, have a modest TV (no satellite), and keep visits to the doctor to the absolute minimum. I also pay income tax.

I’m sure Ms Crowder and her wealthy friends on GPEG don’t refuse their States pensions or paid-for hospital charges and rightly so (their accountants wouldn’t let them).

I’m very grateful for the help from our government, but islanders forced to go cap in hand, to the authorities for assistance for whatever reason, find it humiliating enough without having the feeling that someone is espousing a veritable witch hunt against them.

I don’t bear any animosity towards Ms Crowder, and I hope she has a very happy Christmas and a healthy New Year, but she should remember that implicit in Andrew Le Lievre’s defence of us, were the wise words of the old adage ‘You have to walk many miles in another man’s shoes before you can understand him’.

JILL MARTEL