Our politicians seem to be both deaf and blind

From Mark Olver.

I AM a person who rarely puts pen too paper. However, I have had enough of the States Members in this Island who expound the importance of frugality and being careful with our finances and then proceed to do the opposite.

Part of the problem now facing the Island in this economic crisis is that are just not enough jobs to go round.

For over ten years this Island has been waiting for an effective migration policy. Deputy Paul le Claire proposed that we introduce work permits. This appeared to be a solution to monitor the ebb and flow of people wishing to come to work in Jersey.

It appears that States Members have lost the ability to make the hard unpopular decisions unless it is to take money from low income families and give more to the finance industry. I think that we are probably ten years too late with stemming migration, but better late than never. That said, I wonder how many States Members will have the backbone to support work permits or something similar.

I accept that people have no work at home and are following work all over the world but we have less work now and it is becoming scarce. It’s a frightening time for residents, and with tax being raised, monies spent on finance, no diversity is being supported.

States Members are living in a bubble and cannot see the hardship that is all around them. They are in an ivory tower, with their eyes firmly shut to anything other than the finance industry and dreaming of the good old days when we had a boom.

Benefit payments are at an all time high, but only those on benefit get help. Special payments for emergency assistance don’t come into play for desperate working families if they have a crisis.

What will it take? Exponential growth in residentially qualified people becoming homeless, children living on the street? Does it sound far-fetched?

Look at the UK and the conditions inner city people have to live in. That is happening here. Transitional payments that stopped people from sinking are being taken away.

That was always the plan, says the States. That’s as maybe, but did they plan for the recession? Did they plan for all the redundancies? I think not. However, what they apparently did plan was to keep changing the local to non-resident licences for companies employing people.

It used to occur only in the tourism and agricultural sectors, but is now widespread. It appears that finance industry institutions can now apply to have non-resident licences for employees.

Given the number of redundancies in the last year or so in that industry, I think this action by the States is unconscionable.

I am residentially qualified and I have never been out of work for more than a couple of weeks because I am prepared to do anything. I have never claimed benefits, but feel that if I hit a crisis and ask for help I am simply going to be turned away.

I am earning £10k less than in 2008/9 and yet I keep hearing States Members saying ‘times are hard, people will have to accept they may be asked to take pay cuts’. Does that include them? I think not.

What happened to competition? Why are we spending a fortune on a Jersey Competition Authority when we don’t have any? Why did we get another expensive supermarket?

It’s all about those who have keeping those who have not in their place at the bottom. Just remember that those at the bottom are the voters who foolishly put them where they are.

I have so many things to say, but just feel that maybe we should spend some of the capital reserve money on hearing aids and guide dogs for all States Members as they all seem to be deaf or blind as to what is happening in our Island.

I am married to a Portuguese girl – this is not about being racist, but about our Island’s locals who deserve what their family’s have worked for all their lives, whether they are Portuguese, Polish, or UK citizen’s who have earned the right to be called local.

We have to stop now, to protect the future.