By Robert Surcouf
I HAVE previously written about the importance of our politicians and our community embracing realism when making decisions or calling for action. For those who missed that article, the definition of realism is “the attitude or practice of accepting a situation as it is and being prepared to deal with it accordingly”.
Whether you are an individual who holds power or influence to make change or, like me, are just an invested outsider who wants to see positive change, we must have a realistic understanding of our circumstances and what can really be achieved.
Jersey is an island nine by five with a population of some 105,000 individuals from very diverse backgrounds and since the introduction of ministerial government, we seem to have lost sight of what Jersey is and, in the process, too many poor decisions have been taken by consecutive governments. It often seems that very wishful thinking is driving the decision-making process.
In 2018 possible changes to the laws around the production and use of medicinal cannabis became a hot topic, with much speculation about the economic opportunity the subject presented. In 2021, the then Government Plan estimated taxation of medicinal cannabis growing and processing formed part of their plans to raise around £10 million of additional taxation and would help balance the budget by 2024. It is interesting that the latest 2025-2028 Budget does not make any mention of taxation from medicinal cannabis. Does this mean that the original expectations have come to nothing? We have heard of at least one of the local operations facing material funding issues and with production now legally possible in so many countries, do we really have any competitive advantage? Did we really ever have a major economic opportunity, or was it wishful thinking, or positive spin, from those keen to invest?
We have challenges with our economy and its long-term resilience, but we need to be realistic about possible solutions. We are a small island, with the challenges and cost of travel being material; housing and living expenses are high too, but there are no quick fixes for this and we need to avoid chasing the gold at the end of rainbows, as seems to have been the case with the production of medicinal cannabis locally.
We have very recently started hearing about the possible economic benefits of a “Screen Commission” to attract both TV and film production to the Island. Someone has been commissioned to assess the opportunity and report to the Economic Development Department. As the chosen party already works in the industry and in 2020 were quoted as saying “I’d like to see a cottage film industry in Jersey. I think independent films up to £20 million… I’d like to see a tax break of 20% for budgets spent in the Island…”, I would be surprised if they do not say it is a good idea. However, will it really get stressed tested for its medium- to long-term economic viability, or will it be another idea that gets funded and then fades away far too quickly, with little or no return?
There has also been much talk recently about a French supermarket chain opening in the Island. While the extra choice of products would be welcome, I very much doubt we would see a material reduction on the price of goods on the shelves. They would face the same challenges as existing providers, with the high cost of rents and shipping along with the challenges around staffing. These are bound to create far higher overheads than they face in the locations where they currently operate. Before we get too excited, we need to ensure some realism about this opportunity.
One area where realism was evident was the investment in the preparation for the Moneyval inspection. Before the National Risk Assessment process began, many in the industry who tend to wear rose-tinted glasses felt that we were in a strong position. Thankfully, those in power were realistic about the challenge and a collective effort has delivered a favourable outcome but with more still to be achieved. Without that realistic original assessment, we could now be on the “grey list”, facing an uncertain future in terms of our financial services industry.
A similar dose of realism needs to be applied when we start talking about bridges or tunnels to France, or having our own purpose-built university. These are theoretically great ideas but it is hard to see how they could ever be viable in the real world, especially when over a decade on we are still struggling to get a final plan to deliver a completed hospital – or hospitals as is now the preferred option. The focus – rather than assessing bridges/tunnels – should be to make a more detailed analysis of the shipping links and how to develop a better service. In terms of university courses, we already have some excellent courses hosted locally through associations with UK universities and this could be expanded further.
With ministerial government, successive ministers seem to have been obliged to look at the wildest options, as Scrutiny or social media will demand the same. The result is that valuable time and tax resources are wasted when we have far more serious matters to consider.
We need more realism and a few snappy decisions so we focus on the immediate priorities and avoid chasing pots of gold at the end of the rainbow.
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Robert Surcouf comes from a Jersey farming family, though his mother was Spanish and moved to Jersey in the 1960s. He became an accountant and now specialises in risk and enterprise management. A father of two school-age children, he still helps organise and participates in local motorsport events and was one of the founding members of Better Way 2022 before the last election. The views expressed are his own.
