Speaking to business leaders on Tuesday, John Henwood described the Island’s government as a ‘bloated monster’ that had become ‘drunk on money and spending profligately’.
Moreover it is being led by people who were afraid of change and in denial to the true state of the economy.
‘Government must now stop doing the stuff it doesn’t need to do,’ he said.
‘If it’s not essential, stop it. If there is a genuine reason for continuing with an activity then find ways of paring it back, reduce it.
‘Or, if that’s beyond the ability of public sector managers, outsource it and let someone else do it,’ he said.
The former chairman of Jersey Telecom and a founder member of the board of Jersey Finance was addressing 64 members of the local branch of the Institute of Directors at a networking lunch at the Grand Jersey.
He said today’s politicians should look back to their predecessors who appreciated the principle of thrift, and who rebuilt the economy after the deprivations of the Occupation.
‘We can’t go back, but we should be able to learn lessons from the past,’ he said.
