A week in Politics

And when you’re invited to a press conference with a UK government actuary on the future of the Social Security Fund, well, you suspect this isn’t the joyful story that’s going to lift the Island into collective euphoria. It wasn’t.

The short version of that story is that the fund will be empty by around 2036 if we leave things as they are – and that even if we crank up the retirement age, cut the annual pension increases back a bit and change the arrangements for teenagers, it will be empty in 50-odd years.

This, said Social Security Minister Ian Gorst, is a serious issue that all States Members are going to have to get to grips with. Great. Another one.

Well, at least we get spared the debate on Deputy Geoff Southern’s amendment for a review of Social Security funding. It turned out that in the time that the Deputy was writing his proposition, the review was being written.

So there are funding problems at the Health Department, a review of major spending departments, those pesky deficits again, a review of the fiscal (read ‘tax’) policy, and now the prospect of a big hole in the Social Security pot.

Added to which, Transport Minister Mike Jackson is working on a sustainable travel and transport policy which will reduce commuter traffic by 15 per cent. The catch? It’s got to be essentially free.

The upshot of all this is that it looks like we’ll be paying out more, right across the board.

Also in the news this week was the budget from Sark – no real debate, agreed in ten minutes, no amendments, no tax increases, and public spending at less than a quarter per person than Jersey. Sound good? All we would have to do is give up our hospitals, schools, roads, buses, Airport, police, firemen, nurses …

IT ISN’T often that you read a story that fills you with pride about our elected representatives – because we love a moan, don’t we? We love stories about civil servants running rings around politicians, about developers who really run the Island, about the Constables voting ‘en bloc’.

Imagine, then, my delight at the news that the entire Planning Applications Panel told their department officers and developers to take a hike over the Plémont development, siding instead with the overwhelming spread of public feeling against the development.

This panel of absolute legends, led by Trinity Constable John Le Sueur Gallichan – who I am backing right now to be the next Chief Minister – rejected officer advice and kicked out plans for 73 chalets on the old Pontins site.

And to those who moan about the Constables and their alleged block vote, have a look at the make-up of the panel: St Mary Constable Juliette Gallichan, St John Constable Graeme Butcher, St Saviour Constable Peter Hanning, and Deputies Sean Power and Jeremy Maçon.

The six of them (and obviously Senator Alan Maclean’s legendary ring binder) have to be early contenders for ministerial posts in 2011.

If I didn’t think it would be unprofessional, I would offer to buy them all a beer. Say, the Blue Note, at around six tonight? Hypothetically speaking, of course.

Also on the Planning front, here’s a thing: the new draft Island Plan has put forward seven sites to be rezoned for housing. Five are brownfield sites – which means that there’s already something on them, basically old greenhouses – and two are greenfield sites.

Looks like Environment Minister Freddie Cohen has a fight on his hands on the Council of Ministers, because during the 2008 Senatorial hustings, Treasury Minister Philip Ozouf and Economic Development Minister Alan Maclean both declared themselves against any development in greenfield sites. They’re not likely to forget something like that, are they?

Added to that, the aforementioned Social Security Minister has already formally requested that the two sites in his St Clement district be taken off the list.

Looks like Senator Cohen will be sitting on his own at the next Council of Ministers meeting.