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Making a start on the future
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However, even if the green paper invites comment not only from politicians but also from the general public and will be refined in the light of these contributions, it already outlines the overarching strategies that the Council of Ministers, as newly constituted, are favouring. Ministers might not have lost sight of economic growth as a vital factor in returning the Island to former levels of prosperity, but other priorities are now high on the agenda.
In particular, immigration, population and employment are prominent issues – as they should be, from the perspective of what must be good for the community and because, manifestly, these are matters of major importance to Islanders.
Significantly, there is growing evidence of an executive that listens to those who have installed it in power and which recognises that there is more to Island life than enrichment which may – or too often may not – trickle down to the benefit of the general population.
Nevertheless, as next week’s in-committee debate unfolds, it is probable that Chief Minister Ian Gorst and his team will come under fire for producing a consultation paper that is thin on detail but replete with generalities. Such criticism, if it emerges, will be unfair. Senator Gorst would be the first to acknowledge that the green paper is merely a starting point and that more flesh must be put on the bones of the present outline proposals before they can be turned into policies capable of transformation into meaningful action.
It is possible that further criticism will focus on the extent to which the green paper sidesteps economic concerns which, perhaps with good reason, preoccupied the previous administration. This, too, would be premature, though ensuring that the Island can pay its way, that taxation measures are equitable and do not incite damaging attacks from the outside world, and that appropriate support is offered to the industries that generate wealth and employment opportunities are, very clearly, issues that must be addressed as the policy framework is developed.
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