It’s all about life skills, deputies

A FRIEND I was having coffee with was direct. ‘Why do you think government has so quickly degenerated into the States of Inaction?’ he asked while pushing a bundle of papers my way. One sheaf was a closely typed three pages setting out examples – on a single issue – of where government had failed to act or even do what it said it would do.

This individual, I should say, is sharp, well connected, informed and pretty passionate about Guernsey having a bright and vibrant future. In short, not a crank, but someone rather despairing about where the island’s heading – or, rather, isn’t – and what to do about it.

Before we get onto the reason for the lack of meaningful action, there are a couple of other threads to weave into this. The first, coincidentally on the day Boris Johnson faced his confidence vote, was a reminder from Roger Bootle, one of the City of London’s best known economists, that what government does or doesn’t do is pretty important.

‘Economic success holds the key to everything the government wants to achieve. Admittedly, there are some people who think that prosperity doesn’t really matter. While they are right to highlight other values, such people under-estimate the centrality of prosperity to achieving goals including health, security, global influence, sustainability and even the preservation of beauty in the countryside and its promotion in our towns and cities,’ he said.

Significantly for Guernsey, he added: ‘Governments cannot achieve prosperity. But their actions can promote or impede it. Promoting it first requires that governments recognise the importance of economic matters and make sure that this is reflected in everything they do. This recognition must start at the top.’

The second thread was a conversation I had with a particularly well-placed official in which they expressed the view that this Assembly is the worst so far ‘by a long way’. Why? ‘Lack of trust, lack of experience, lack of understanding as to what government is (and isn’t). Very naive. Bullying.’

A disturbing analysis indeed, but one made, perhaps less trenchantly, by others and borne out by our own observations. Just think of the brutal and unnecessary dismissal of the last States chief executive, something so urgent that 10 months later he hasn’t been replaced or the vacancy even advertised until Monday.

Go back a few years, and Guernsey was characterised by its small c conservatism, pragmatic self-reliance and a pretty liberal outlook on life – live and let live; do largely what you like as long as it doesn’t affect me too much. Now… well, just think back to a 22-year run of Liberation Day street parties held outside the Trafalgar Inn (popularly known as the Parrot) being stopped last year by a couple of Prodnose civil servants for no credible reason at all*.

How and why this has changed is down to two reasons. The first is the very successful campaign waged by civil servants to separate the operational from the political. The second is island-wide elections, which has compounded the first. A contributory factor is also the increasing growth of the island’s UK-focused bureaucracy, which I would now hazard is strongly left leaning and pro centralisation of everything.

Previously, States members were deeply involved in the day-to-day operation of their department/committee. And remember, before 2004 there were more than 50 committees, although some met infrequently.

This enabled then Public Thoroughfares Committee president Peter Bougourd to stop his officials from building a second lane along Bulwer Avenue on the grass verge there.

Gategate, the infamous decision to barricade off steps at La Salerie that no one has ever fallen down, would not have happened on his watch. Fast-forward and the plan was enthusiastically embraced by the now former head of Environment, Barry Brehaut, who’s chiefly remembered for introducing new 25mph speed limits few observe and which aren’t policed.

Decoupling politicians from what their departments get up to – not always a bad thing, admittedly – has detached them from the ordinary life of folk and the irritations their civil servants daily impose on us (again, just think road closures). Which, for instance, of the current crop of members would you instinctively recognise as a constituency deputy, dedicated to improving the life of his or her electors? Don’t write in, I know it still happens, but the last real people’s champion I can recall is Laurie Queripel.

The thing is, under island-wide voting there are no parish deputies and so no need to try to keep sweet a comparatively small group of voters whose personal view of you is essential to keeping a qualification-free job that pays £40k-plus.

So when the Prodnoses blocked the party outside the Parrot, not one political voice was raised in protest.

Not one said, ‘without wishing to interfere in the operational, I’d like to hear how this can be made to happen’. As the official I quoted earlier says: Lack of experience, lack of understanding as to what government is (and isn’t). Very naive.

It’s why traffic chaos can be imposed on the north of the island and it’s left to the constables and douzaine to get some common sense applied (if resurfacing a little-used track to the Cuckoo Lanes can be described as common sense).

It’s why Guernsey’s once remarkably good bus service is a shadow of what it was and no penalty is imposed on CT Plus – despite being contractual – to get them to sharpen up their act.

It’s also why the worst of the service reductions affect the north of the island but no one with the political clout to do anything about it gives a damn.

So the reason why we now have the States of Inaction is really very simple. The Assembly is so focused on big picture ‘government’ – and spending us into an £85m. deficit – that helping to remove the many kinks in everyday life that beset islanders no longer matters.

In short, States members have stopped caring about you as an individual.

* One of the ‘reasons’ given to pub landlord Michael Druce by Traffic & Highway Services was that it didn’t like closing roads.

. Richard Digard is a freelance writer, consultant and a former editor of the Guernsey Press.

Email: newsroom@guernseypress.com.