This time is was the ground lease for the Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel following the announcement that the Jersey Development Company – part of the public sector whether people like it or not, in much the same way as are Jersey Telecoms, the post office and the harbours and Airport – has flogged it off to something called Point Properties Ltd for £3.19 million.
Such is the scorn with which that lot in the Big House and affiliates such as the outfit charged with managing publicly owned land – and flogging it off cheap, by the looks of things – regard the ‘presumption of openness’ which heralded the Freedom of Information Code of Conduct when it was first unveiled to a justifiably suspicious public that there was of course no information given out about who is the beneficial owner(s) of Point Properties Ltd and who sits on that company’s board of directors.
I suppose one can only sit and hope that the events of last week and the outright condemnation of much of the ‘Jersey way’ of handling matters including openness may herald a realisation that doing things like keeping secret matters such as who is involved in the sale of millions of pounds’ worth of publicly owned land will swiftly become a thing of the past. Perhaps it’s the public sector’s appalling record in this area but somehow I can’t really see such a massive culture change happening any time soon.
That said, I have always thought that one of the more praiseworthy aspects of the public sector doing business is the system they’ve got of inviting tenders for work that becomes available and I suppose that publishing the invitations openly in the Jersey Gazette is probably commendable.
However, what I read the other day seems to fly in the face of what I’ve just written because the sum total of the information on the last one I read had this – and only this – abundance of information: ‘Invitation to tender for Project Resources to support e-rostering implementation and roll-out.’
Quite what this gibberish means may well be clear to someone – even if it’s just the pinstripe sitting in a comfy office looking out of the window at his or her car parked conveniently close by who spent a day or so choosing those carefully honed dozen words – but I’m afraid that this increasingly brassed-off taxpayer is not one of the fortunate ones.
It may surprise ministers and their hired help to know that those who are footing the bill for this nonsensical jargon are actually entitled to know – in plain English – precisely what their hard-earned taxes are being spent on, with me recalling as I wrote that what is fast becoming the Fourth Great Lie, the presumption of openness, the other three lies being ‘I’ll love you just as much in the morning’, ‘There’s a cheque in the post’ and ‘I’m from the States. I’m here to help you’.
Before I close, a word in the shell -ikes of the idiot car owners who double-park on slipways. Herself and I were having a coffee and bacon roll with friends at Gorey two weekends ago and thoroughly enjoying watching youngsters preparing themselves and their boats for the Gorey Regatta and could not believe the stupidity of some drivers. Understandably, the slip was heaving with cars, vans and boat trailers, but that didn’t stop the double-parking, with not one of these morons asking themselves how an emergency vehicle the width of an ambulance could get close to the water on the very day when their services might be needed most.
Perhaps those involved in the organisation of the event – which was wonderfully entertaining – could either make a plea for a bit of common sense next year or, failing that, ask the St Martin Honorary Police to attend. Lightening wallets by 50 quid does concentrate minds.
And finally… I was saddened by the death last week of yet another of the Island’s larger-than-life characters, Gary Parkin. The family owned and ran the holiday camp at Plémont and Gary also appeared in the winning St Helier ‘Top Town’ entertainment competition nearly 60 years ago. As I said, a real Island character.
