By Ben Shenton
A COLLEAGUE said to me: “It’s Christmas; for your last piece can’t you write something a little more upbeat, even if it’s just your Christmas list?”
This actually gave me an idea: what would my Christmas list for Jersey look like?
For a start, we would cherish what makes Jersey great – our independence, heritage, beauty and uniqueness. We would stop simply following others with dumbing-down policies that are likely to make us decline like everywhere else. I’ve had enough of a government that wastes my hard-earned taxes. I’ve had enough of politicians who cannot make a decision, and regularly inconvenience and discriminate against the majority to please a minority. I’ve had enough of the increasing interference in my daily life, and the mountain of administration required for living.
I’ve had enough of asking permission from people who don’t understand and don’t care. I have had enough of not having a proper immigration policy based on economic, social, environmental and wealth implications. I’ve had enough of knee-jerk policies such as the desire to open the immigration floodgates for the lower paid simply because we have built too much social housing that we cannot fill.
I want our pensioners to have enough money to have a comfortable later life. I want our health experts to be heard so that we can deliver a high-quality service. I want our teachers to have enough support from their managers, and I want them to be listened to. I want enough support for our children who have issues that need professional help, and I don’t want the education of the majority disrupted by the few. I want enough police for the public to feel safe, and I want the courts to stop turning a blind eye to perjury – for with the decline in religion, and therefore the power of the oath, they are walking down a very dangerous road.
I want our paramedics to have enough confidence in the government so they can undertake their roles to the best of their ability. I want Ports of Jersey, and their board, to have enough ethical honesty to admit they treated the Jersey Lifeboat Association, and the former St Helier RNLI crew and their supporters, appallingly.
I want those running the JFSC to realise that what people say behind their backs is opposite to what they are forced to say to their face (never upset someone who regulates you); I’ve had enough of their aloof and arrogant approach which does their hard-working employees no favours. If you cannot take criticism, you should not be a politician, write comment pieces for the JEP or be a regulator.
I’ve had enough of unco-ordinated roadworks, unnecessary diversions and bad roads. I want to be proud of our island capital, rather than watch its decline. If the adage “you can tell the wealth of a country by the state of its road” is true, then St Helier must be very poor.
I want enough civil servants, but not too many. I want public-sector management to work and get stuck in, not just delegate and have meetings. I want planning officers to realise that when they give advice it is the Planning Department that is giving the advice, not them as individuals.
I want enough members of the public to realise that if another planning officer subsequently gives contradicting advice, or changes the advice, the Planning Department has to explain in great detail why they got it wrong, and potentially offer compensation if their admitted mistake had a detrimental financial impact on the applicant. All dealings with Planning are with the department, and all correspondence is from the department.
I want us to spend enough on our heritage. I want us to cherish our assets and give them enough protection. I want enough incentives to ensure that people want to invest in our island, especially in the tourism and agricultural sectors. I want a massive reduction in administration and red tape, and a central electoral register to make it easier for banks, credit card companies, etc, to verify addresses. There should be just enough interference in our daily lives, not too much.
In politics, I want businesspeople to stand for election, and people with useful professional experience in all walks of life in the States – real-life experience with a compassionate heart (Note: some of our existing politicians already possess these qualities).
I want enough independent support so that a politician can focus on the important issues rather than the minutiae. I’ve had enough of politicians seemingly spending most of their time in unproductive meetings.
I want them to be able to undertake another role in the real world, so they fully understand the implications of the policies they are implementing. I want them to stand for election with a clear philosophical banner that sets out what they believe in, with enough independent support that allows them to be productive and efficient.
The body/party must have enough power to hold them to account, and ensure they always align themselves to their election promises, while allowing them enough independence so they can represent their electorate. A person with genuine experience is far more valuable than one who has simply “read a book”.
We are an island of just 100,000 people with 49 political representatives who were historically unpaid. The 12 Constables already have a second career, and I would like the majority of the other politicians to hold another role so they can better understand what is going on. I’ve had enough of my representatives living in a political bubble. With enough external support this is entirely possible.
I’ve had enough of our drift towards socialism – the central management of the economy that stifles entrepreneurial spirit, destroys wealth and leads to massive government debts and long-term decline. I’ve had enough of an electoral system where the public have no say regarding who ends up in government.
I’ve had enough of a system that does little to ignite the imagination of the youth and capture their energy and enthusiasm. I want our island to get its mojo back.
I’ve used the word “enough” regularly in this piece. It is a great word, for it can be used in so many ways. We need enough good people to stand at the next election, because many have had enough of how the Island is being run. It would be a good name for a political movement – ENOUGH, just a thought.
I hope life brings you enough of the good things to ensure a better future. And after almost ten years I’m moving to a less regular comment piece, writing only when there is something important to say rather than weekly. I’d like to thank my wife for acting as my editor, making sure my articles are understandable and telling me if they are too boring, and the editor for not printing the ones that could have led to litigation. So, it’s a definite Merry Christmas from me, and certainly not a woke compliments of the season. It’s Christmas, for goodness sake – be honest in 2025. Enough said?
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Ben Shenton is a senior investment director. He is a former politician, Senator, who held positions such as minister, chair of Public Accounts Committee, and chair of Scrutiny. He also assists a number of local charities on an honorary basis.
