THERE’S usually a moment in every Budget interview where a Minister leans back, nods gravely and admits that “difficult decisions” had to be made. But Deputy Elaine Millar is not one for syrupy political preamble – wasting no syllables of her gentle Scottish lilt on sugar-coating, the moment comes almost immediately. “There is a constant […]
Search results
Posted inVoices
'While I believe in good quality language learning, I accept that it’s not for everyone'
By Anne Southern SOMEONE in charge of traffic management in Jersey once told me that there were as many schemes suggested as there were inhabitants of the Island. It appears to be a subject on which everyone has an opinion. Similarly with education. We’ve all been to school, haven’t we? So we all know what […]
Posted inNews, Top Stories
Minister keeping an ‘open mind’ over tree regulation
PLANS to regulate tree-felling remain under discussion after the Environment Minister said he was keeping a “completely open mind” about amending the Planning Law. Deputy Jonathan Renouf said he was “open” to other methods of achieving tree protection, which could include the creation of an independently chaired group of specialists to “break the logjam”. And […]
Posted inNews
Unanimous support for new laws covering violence against women and girls
CYBER-flashing, deepfake pornography and non-fatal strangulation are among a series of abuses that will now be explicitly criminalised under sweeping new laws approved by the States Assembly yesterday. In a landmark package of legislation aimed at tackling violence against women and girls, politicians unanimously backed new offences covering intimate-image abuse, stalking, sexual threats and emergency […]
Posted inNews, Top Stories
Members clash over use of Social Security Fund
A GOVERNMENT proposal to reduce the amount of money paid into the Social Security Fund and use it instead as a way of helping businesses adjust to the introduction of the Living Wage was maintained on Wednesday 17 November, after a backbencher’s amendment was rejected. Deputy Sir Philip Bailhache saw his call to restore £10 […]
Posted inNews
‘One hell of a fight’ – Housing Minister and fellow Members get ready for rent debate
AREAS of consensus may sometimes be in short supply in the States Assembly, but most, if not all, politicians who took their oaths of office in July 2022 following the Island’s most recent election agreed that changes needed to be made to the Residential Tenancy Law. Initially, responsibility for this matter sat with Deputy David […]
Posted inNews, Top Stories
Party disbands a year after disappointing election night
THE Progress Party has formally disbanded – a year after a disastrous night at the polls which left it with just one member in the States. In a catalogue of defeats during the 2022 election, the party saw its leader, Steve Pallet, voted out and two new candidates fail to win a seat. Only party […]
Posted inVoices
'The islands’ status in the world is diminished by the use of the misleading term ‘Dependency’'
By Gavin St Pier WHEN politicians attend Commonwealth Parliamentary Association events, they do so knowing that they will run the gauntlet of public opprobrium, with accompanying accusations of squandering public money on a jolly. I eschewed attending such events for many years, with a high-minded attitude that as a senior decision maker – when Treasury […]
Posted inNews, Top Stories
Islanders need to ‘keep educating themselves’ about Gaza war says Palestinian journalist
A JOURNALIST born in Gaza has called for twinning projects between Jersey and Palestine. Yousef Alhelou visited Jersey this week for the third time to participate in a panel discussion on Thursday night alongside Israeli dissident and conscientious objector Ronnie Barkan, and Israeli legal expert and Bournemouth University lecturer Dr Yaar Dagan. On 27 February, […]
Posted inVoices
'To succeed, the languages that will be most useful are English, Spanish – and possibly Mandarin'
By John Henwood Fort Regent – here we go again ONE cannot blame Infrastructure Minister Andy Jehan for passing off much of the responsibility for Fort Regent to the Jersey Development Company (JDC). After all, who would want such a political hot potato? Accountability for the Fort has passed from hand to hand for a […]
