IF you were told by your doctor that you should seek a second opinion about your heartbeat who would you ask? a) a cardiologist specialising in your condition; b) the opinionated bloke at the pub or; c) a JEP comment writer.
If you needed plans drawn up for an extension to your property would you ask a) a qualified architect; b) a local tattoo artist; or c) the random occupants of a No. 15 bus?
If you were spending £400 million plus of taxpayer’s money on a new hospital would you a) set out a professional design and amenity brief and ask the experts with a track record of delivering such projects on time and within budget; b) ask the general public; or c) ask Basil* (which is effectively the same as b).
I am not a fan of consultation and consensus if it is used in the wrong way. Rather than being a sign of good government it is the sign of weak government – one that cannot make important decisions without the back-stop of being able to hide behind the public’s consensus opinion drawn through consultation. What makes the above even more unfortunate is when the tail wags the dog.
I wrote previously how almost anyone from anywhere in the world can buy a States of Jersey Development Company Waterfront flat through share transfer, and that rather than providing homes for locals they provide investment opportunities for global investors. Evidently the Waterfront land was originally deemed the best place for the hospital, but the tail told the dog that the land was too valuable as overseas investors will pay up for an investment there.
A strong government decides where the hospital is going to be based on professional opinion, and then follows through and delivers. It does not over-consult, it does not waste millions procrastinating, it does not do so many U-turns that it has absolutely no idea which direction it is now heading in.
Unfortunately, I worry that the new government will not be a strong one. It will work under the misapprehension that asking the wrong people the wrong questions is better than asking a few correct ones to the right people. As they would say in less politically correct days it is time the government grew some balls and start delivering.
*Basil is our Spanish rescue dog. When consulted he said there should be a Basil Ward!
