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JERSEY IS LUCKY & PROSPEROUS


but a new government will have a hard time keeping it that way. by PAUL MUNDY, CEO, WWW.FINANCEOFFSHORE.COM


All elections are important but some are more important than others, and the one coming up in May could be very important to the future of Jersey. It is said at nearly every election that the Island is at a turning point, but this time it could be true.


So this magazine approached sitting States members to find out who wanted to face the struggles ahead and stand for re- election this year, and what the main issues were likely to be.


The results of the research start on page 8 and show that some members are clearly disillusioned with the whole thing, while others have a plan to tackle the challenges facing Jersey. Perhaps one of the biggest issues is the election itself and whether the whole electoral process is fit for purpose. Few Islanders seem confident that local elections produce the kind of government that most people want to see. Be that as it may, there is little chance that a Fairy Godmother will appear and make the Island's electoral system more efficient in producing what Jersey needs. A majority vote for real reform would do the trick, but


Page 6 20/20 - Our Future


that is as unlikely as the appearance of the aforementioned Fairy Godmother.


So we have to make the best of what we have, and we can take comfort with the fact that Jersey is not the only jurisdiction suffering from a surfeit of populist democracy.


As the current Council of Ministers has shown, it is still possible to get things done in a dysfunctional political system. The Council has made progress in several important areas of Island life and are tackling (or at least say they are tackling) the major problems facing this crowded rock in the English Channel. Despite criticism to the contrary, it is only a small government and so by necessity has to really prioritise what it does, even if the Council likes to claim its priorities include just about everything impacting on Island life. For example, St Helier was supposed to have been a major priority for the current Council of Ministers, but there's not much evidence that this has been the case. That might be good news, because Jersey does not need to make a special case out of any town or parish. They all have to fit in together and


work together. Green spaces in St Helier are important, but we cannot escape the fact that St Helier is where most of the buildings will go and where there is at least some potential for growth. God is not making Jersey any bigger, but man can at least try to cope with a larger population and more economic activity in St Helier. That does not include using up expensively reclaimed land for nothing much more than a rubbish tip, and it will need a real vision, some clever architects and the latest ‘smart city’ technology which goes beyond being able to pay for parking online.


The St Helier Waterfront is beginning to take shape and develop its own character, although following the election, the new Council of Ministers will need to devote more effort fully delivering the potential of the area. We may not be able to emulate Sydney or Cape Town, as we once wished, but there is the opportunity to creative an attractive waterfront development delivering a range of benefits to the Island. That will require those elected to the States in May to agree a vision and then let the experts get on with delivering it without nit-picking every single item.


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