States has made things much worse for the working people

But what the States is failing to do is tell people in work what is the point?

It’s also telling people on benefits not to get off them and and those joining the workforce that they will be a lot worse off.

Those increases in charges will directly affect working families and especially pensioners on a fixed income who undoubtedly will need to see the doctor more and be on multiple prescriptions.

So these people have worked all their life to lapse into poverty.

This States has failed totally.

They haven’t tackled the housing crisis, in fact they have kicked affordable housing down the road till 2029.

They haven’t tackled taxation.

They have carried on with massive overspends with no accountability.

They have bickered, grandstanded and just been awarded a 7% pay rise – for what exactly?

If it was performance-related they shouldn’t have got anything.

As I said before, when a Labour government comes in – not if, but when – one of their first targets will be offshore centres, which will undoubtedly make the fiscal situation worse.

Yet this States lives in a la-la land of total inactivity with no plan except to tax the same group over and over again.

I’d like this paper to ask every member these questions:

n Do you honestly believe that this States has done anything of importance? And if so, what was it?

n Do you think the average worker is worse off since you joined the States? If not, why not? If you think yes, then what would you do to make it better?

n Do you think that this States has been the most fractured and unproductive? If not, why not, and if so, who is to blame?

n Do you think that this style of consensus government is now totally unworkable and if you do, what would you replace it with?

n What type of taxation system are you in favour of? And what would you do to make it fair for everybody?

n Are you ashamed that nothing has been done to tackle the housing crisis?

n Do you think that the people that voted for this States are happy about its performance? (If you say yes, I’m afraid I won’t believe it.)

n Do you think that this States is governed by personalities rather than policies? Certain members in the media all of the time and the rest are relatively invisible? Do you think that gives them an unfair advantage come election time?

n Do you think that this States made a monumental error in not electing Gavin St Pier as chief minister at the start of this term, even though he topped the poll? If not, why not?

n Do you believe not electing him to that role or any other role fractured the States from the start?

Things have to change and people have to start taking collective and personal responsibility for their actions.

We live in difficult times – inflation, housing, taxation and medical fees are all going up and the standard of living has gone down.

We can’t blame the States for things outside of its control (Covid, Brexit and the Ukraine War) but we can blame it for inaction, a lack of vision and grandstanding and by not doing anything, making things much worse for the working people.

Martin Bishop