THE Radisson Hotel, a building that the Planning Minister later admitted was disliked by nearly everyone, was nominated for the Carbuncle Cup 2008. The building later won the award, which rewards monstrosity, given out by the architecture website Building Design. Islander Alan Holmes nominated the Radisson Hotel and described it as ‘a cross between a blockhouse and a wheat silo’ and ‘the most ugly blob imaginable’. The hotel also suffered criticism earlier in the month when leading UK architect Jim Greaves, in the Island to discuss the Esplanade Quarter, suggested that it was the wrong colour. The hotel beat other eyesores, including Walton Street car park in Aylesbury and Eyre Street car park in Sheffield, to the top prize.
A RECORD 21 candidates put themselves forward for the Senatorial elections, with 13 newcomers among them. However, the elections never quite managed to produce the shake-up that so many candidates promised, with just one new face eventually entering the States alongside five returning Members. The new faces that stood unsuccessfully included Jeremy Maçon and Montfort Tadier, both of whom would go on to be voted in as Deputies. Concerns were immediately expressed about the practicalities of having so many candidates and it was decided that the hustings would all follow the same format of candidates having three minutes to make a speech and 90 seconds to answer three questions. Former Magistrate Ian Le Marquand had been one of the earliest declared candidates in 2008 and was quickly tipped by the bookies as the favourite to top the poll. The Senator, who was made Home Affairs Minister in December, did not disappoint, and was duly voted in as the most popular candidate, with 14,238 votes in October.
MUCH-CRITICISED HD Ferries cancelled all sailings from Jersey, capping a miserable few months for the ferry company. Up to eight staff lost their jobs following the decision, which HD Ferries attributed to the rising cost of oil and a general slowdown in business. The States criticised the decision, however, and said that HD Ferries should not be allowed to cherry-pick when it operated, as it had entered into service-level agreements.HD Ferries had suffered a series of problems and had to cancel sailings a few times during the year because of problems with their boat. Chief executive James Howe-Davies announced that the company would consider returning to service in the summer of 2009, a decision that they are still considering.
THOUSANDS of Islanders made the journey to Trinity for the largest event of the summer – Jersey Live.
The music festival closed with a spectacular performance from The Prodigy, but also amid reports that a legal-highs tent had been forced to close and that one person had been left unconscious after a severe reaction to one of the products. Festival-goers were told that the Legal Highs tent had run out of stock and had to close, but it was later learned that it had been shut down by stewards concerned about the legality of the products. An investigation was launched by the Health department into the safety of the products, including Salvia and Spice. It was later announced that it it was illegal to sell Spice or import it into Britain. Despite those problems, the festival was well received by the vast majority of people with over 8,000 attending over the weekend. Co-organiser Warren Le Sueur described the event as an unequivocal success.
AS the Haut de la Garenne investigation continued, members of the Jersey Care Leavers Association said that they thought victims were too afraid to come forward because ‘everyone knows each other’ in the Island. Representatives of the association spoke on national radio to urge anyone who was abused to come forward. Former deputy police chief Lenny Harper went on national radio to claim that the interests of abuse victims had not been the primary concern of the Jersey authorities. He said that there had been a ‘marked reluctance’ to pursue the allegations. On the same day, the Bailiff and the Attorney General spoke out strongly against attempts to bring in UK judges and prosecutors for the investigation. The brothers, Sir Philip Bailhache and William Bailhache, said that it would be preposterous for the UK to interfere in the case.nextpage
