A Week in Politics

There’s a third kind of story that’s more like a giant tube: the more you squeeze it, the more keeps oozing out. I think it’s safe to say that the saga of the Waterfront fits squarely into that category.

Ash dumping, green beaches, hotels, towers, bridges, sunken roads, secret debates, a theme park, a giant wheel, colonnades, a winter garden, traffic chaos lasting three years, a lease that lasts more than a century, a lawsuit about ancient feudal rights, another in Dublin and yet another half-way around the world, architects from America, England and Jersey – for a news journalist, the Waterfront has been the gift that just keeps on giving.

The latest instalment features a row between colleagues from the Council of Ministers and includes fun words like ‘untenable’, ‘sensationalise’, ‘naïve’, ‘disingenuous’, ‘arrogant’ and ‘defamatory’. Missed it? Relax. There’ll be more next week.

Although it’s a sideline to the main story of the week on Haut de la Garenne, there was a moment where we all learned that ministerial government hasn’t shaken States departments out all of their bad habits.

What was the Home Affairs Minister’s first response to the news that all was not as it seemed re: the Haut dela Garenne investigation?

He offered the police chief early retirement. A chance to ‘go quietly’.It is to Graham Power’s credit that he politely declined. As a very senior police officer with a very senior police officer’s salary and pension, I’m guessing he’s not worried about money.

Fair play to him for choosing suspension – yep, fair enough, still on full pay I guess – and the option of fighting the charges against him. But isn’t it disappointing that the culture remains whereby senior civil servants can be given a choice between early retirement and disciplinary action invoking suspension?

It was also interesting to note that my learned colleague reported: ‘It

is understood that the suspension papers make absolutely no reference to any media statements made by Lenny Harper or anyone else.’ So why is he suspended?

Well folks, it happened. A candidate came a-knocking. Complete waste of his time, mind you, because he already had my vote about a minute into his speech at the hustings meeting the night before. I didn’t agree with everything he had to say, and he didn’t seem to agree with everything I had to say either, but that’s not the point.

The point is that it’s part of the process. And it was fun – partly because he’s got a fair chance of getting in, and it’ll be the last time for three years that he has to ask any member of the public for anything. When it comes down to it, voting is an act of faith: it’s about giving someone power over you – power over how you are taxed, power over what they will spend that money on, power over your healthcare, your security in old age and the future of the place you live in.

Human nature being what it is, it’s a lot easier to give that power away to someone whom you’ve looked in the eye. That’s easy for me – I’ve spoken to most of the 63 Deputy candidates and all the 53 States Members. I know some of them pretty well, and some of them better than I’d like. For others, it’s a bit more difficult.

So, get to a hustings meeting this week, read the pamphlets, check the websites, take five minutes to talk to a candidate if they knock on your door, and call them up if they don’t. Incidentally, the candidates that my neighbours and I in St Helier No 3 elect will end up running the Island. Fact. In 1991 the Deputies there included Stuart Syvret, Frank Walker and Terry Le Sueur, and it’s where Philip Ozouf started his States career.

I HAVE written before about the secret, dark conspiracy that schedules Chelsea games at the same time as elections and hustings meetings. I’m afraid to report that I haven’t cracked this story yet. But it’s now taken a new, even more diabolical twist.

Tomorrow there are four hustings meetings going on around the Island. I’m pretty much going to have to cover one of them. It’s also my 31st birthday. So, there’ll be no booze for Benji, no fun and no night off.

Great. Just great.