Tough times for the band of brothers

On the upside, there are the cows, for instance, and on the downside there is the partly consequent monopoly over milk prices by virtue of an import ban.

There is the fact that Jersey, by and large, remains a safe place in which to live and bring up children, but making the decision to do so means accepting horrendous housing and childcare costs. For each silver lining there is a cloud: some are large and brooding, and some small and wispy.

One of the aspects that is both cloud and silver lining at the same time is that whatever you do – or

do not do – your neighbour, your mother or your father’s boss are likely to find out about it at some point or another.

This is, after all, a very small community. Sometimes it is lovely to have that comfort of knowing that you are likely to bump into someone you know. At other times it is rather less appealing. Only this week, for instance, an acquaintance and I bumped into each other at the doctor’s surgery prompting a rather awkward conversation opening along the lines of: ‘No, not really bad, just … um, stuff.’

This also means that there are often relationships which are less than ideal. There have been States Members who live with other States Members. There are journalists who are married to States Members. There are probably States Members who are married to civil servants. And there are certainly civil servants who are either siblings of, married to or a parent or child of another civil servant.

It may not be ideal, but it is also impossible to avoid and does not naturally mean that there is any corruption inherent in the situation. All right, so it does not mean there isn’t either, but the fact remains that it is going to happen.

And so we come to the fact that our Bailiff and our Attorney General are brothers. Since it is not exactly unusual for siblings to enter the same profession, and in Jersey for that profession to be law, the fact that a pair of them should reach the top of that tree in public life should also not come as any surprise.

However – and perhaps we have only fully woken up to this in recent months as we have blinked into the glare of the national media spotlight – it is hard to get away from the fact that no matter how scrupulous the Bailhache brothers are about avoiding a conflict when it comes to their roles, it is very hard to put away the suspicion that the relationship between them will draw attention, no matter how unjustified that might be.

When it really comes down to it, however, what this really speaks of is the Jersey way of life, and just how much we are willing to change it. We all knew full well that the now Attorney General, William Bailhache, was the brother of the Bailiff, Sir Philip Bailhache, when the former took the post.

Now while there were the usual ‘old boys’ club’ mutterings, there were not exactly riots on the streets about the positions being filled by the siblings. Nothing has changed since that day except that the spotlight of outside judgment has now fallen on such proceedings more sharply.

The question will be whether we chose to do anything about that. If we do, we will need to ask ourselves some fairly searching questions about which relations are appropriate. The Bailhache brothers, and the many others who have what may appear to be relationship conflicts, would argue that they are professionals and have separated the two areas of their lives. And as genuine as such statements are, they are unlikely ever to convince accusers when it comes to charges of nepotism.

JUST how acrimonious is this abuse inquiry going to get, and should such an important inquiry really be subject to this level of dispute?

It has all become such an incredible mess that it is becoming hard to believe that justice will be done for any of the parties involved – whether accused or accuser.

As was pointed out to me this week, there has always been a tension between the police and the legal profession, but even given that regular frisson, the relationship between former deputy police officer Lenny Harper and the Attorney General, William Bailhache, appears to have been somewhat strained.

The latest instance of this apparent ability to rub each other up the wrong way are the different versions of events surrounding the desirability of bringing charges against a couple interviewed as part of the historic abuse inquiry.

Who are any of us supposed to believe when it would appear that a personality clash is getting in the way?

It is becoming increasing difficult to have any faith that any real answers and any meaningful prosecutions are going to come out of this inquiry.

THE only real question posed by the attempts to get further GST exemptions through the States is this: Who, apart from some heel-diggers at Treasury, are going to think that it is a bad idea?

The fact is that whether the latter amendment-bringers have one eye on their election chances or not, it is not exactly a proposal which is going to garner opposition.

Rather like the eventual decision to relent and offer free nursery care for all, you simply wonder why it has taken this long.

Perhaps we just had to wait to be over-charged in GST or until the Island had made some other vast profit before anything could be recouped.