It was telling that this superb programme ignored the ‘iconic’ architecture and luxury hotels

‘Call to freeze the population’ it blazed out in bold print, kicking my vivid imagination into overdrive and conjuring up images of cryogenically frozen storage facilities.

Well, if we are going to import millionaires in an attempt to fill the big black hole in the public purse, why not invest in the niche suspended animation market with its appeal to wealthy Americans in search of eternal youth?

Cryogenic freezing is the science of preserving the dead until a time comes when technology will have been invented to revive and rejuvenate their bodies.

Devotees of science fiction will be familiar with the process as it is commonplace on long distance space journeys to ‘freeze’ the crew. The ways things are going with Condor it may become an option for local ferry travellers.

At present the only place in the world where cryogenic freezing is legal is California, so there is definitely an opportunity to exploit this potentially lucrative market. By making cryogenic freezing legal in Jersey we could not only import live millionaires but dead ones too – and charge extortionate fees to keep their bodies securely ‘suspended’ until the time is right to turn back their body clocks.

No doubt a plastic surgery ancillary industry would spring up because anyone frozen for a long time would be in dire need of the odd nip and tuck, and a gallon or two of botox, before they could possible face the world.

The plus side is the freezing facilities could be built underground so no architectural eyesores to complain about. Also, as those frozen in time are to all intents and purposes dead, they would not be included in an already out of control population. Nor would they be a drain on the economy as the only services required would be a regular supply of power and water to keep the vital equipment running.

As part of ‘resting’ on the rock, each frozen individual’s considerable financial assets would have to be deposited here with the appropriate taxes levied and local dues paid.

It has to be a ‘win win’ situation all round.

Extrapolating to another tangent, can you imagine what it would be like to fall asleep for just 20 years, just as Rip Van Winkle did?

A great deal can happen over two decades, even in the boomerang world of Island politics so jwhat will be the state of Jersey in 2031?

Following established States practice, the Environment Minister of the day will be endeavoring to push through his or her ten-year vision of the Island Plan, not doubt sponsored by a prominent developer, builder or architectural practice.

As with the 2011 plan, and the one before and the one prior to that, not forgetting the 2021 version, the most contested issue would be how to deliver affordable housing for first-time buyers on the few remaining brown fields sites in the Island.

By 2031 will there be a single blade of grass left in St Clement or will the entire parish have disappeared under concrete? And what of the ever- widening country/town divide?

Will the young generations of families for centuries associated with the rural parishes have been ‘exiled’ to the cheaper end of the property market in town, forced out by the policy of protecting green fields at all costs, even the continuation of traditional parish life?

Twenty years hence, will Plémont headland have gone the same sorry way as Portelet to be dominated by a luxury housing development, regardless of who designs it and how many awards it may win? Or do we need a ‘line around the Island’ to finally ram home the message to the decision makers that enough is finally enough?

There is one certainty: the States will still comprise 53 Members who will be spending turgid hour after hour debating government reform and ruminating on their composition – such as whether there should be more, or less, than 12 Senators.

Fingers and other digits crossed then, that by 2031 the course of history we are following would have been changed for the better.

How ironic that it took Countrywise presenter Paul Heiney to remind us where our future best lies. As he asked at the end of the most fantastic promotion this Island has enjoyed since Bergerac was compulsory viewing, where do you go to find the real wealth in Jersey?

He touched many an Islander’s heart – and hit the nail on the head – with his answer: ‘Not to the banks or the offices; turn you back on the tax haven and instead turn to the coast and the countryside, for that is where you still find real country lives being lived and that is the richness of Jersey.’

It was telling that the 46 minutes or so of footage largely ignored St Helier, the ‘flagship’ waterfront, Jersey’s luxury hotels and ‘iconic’ architecture no matter how world class.

Countrywise’s delightful journey around our Island, and to the furthest tidal reaches, is one I have been reacquainting myself with of late. Like Mr Heiney it has given me great pleasure and none more so for reconnecting me with true Jersey folk.

Let us hope that the electorate wakes up by October and votes for the best candidates – the marvels all around us that sorely need protecting.