By Lindsay Ash
WHEN I was elected to the States back in 2018, the late Len Norman said to me: “One word of advice, if you are looking for praise you are in the wrong game, if it comes along treasure it.”
Well, on the evening of 30 May 2025, those words came flooding back to me as praise came flowing in my direction. “Well done mate, this is your day… you won’t have to buy a drink tonight… you’re proof that not all States Members are *.” I did have to point out that I was no longer a States Member at this stage and probably am, in fairness, a *!
Why were these comments coming my way? Well, finally the Attorney General and the Licensing Bench had given the go-ahead for “price promotions” on licensed premises, which the States Assembly had voted for in 2021. I make no apologies at this stage for quoting from the JEP two years ago when I wrote on this topic, as it gives the background perfectly when discussing how the consumer was being abused by the system by way of a state-backed cartel.
“I decided to tackle the real issue – the lack of competition and a pricing policy that encourages it. My first draft of an amendment before the States resulted in me getting a call from the Attorney General, during which he told me in a charming and diplomatic way that I couldn’t bring such a thing. Well, I could, but it was not possible to win it as the States Assembly had no power over alcohol issues; it rested with the unelected Licensing Bench. So I had to go away and rephrase it. This came as a surprise to many States Members who hadn’t realised they were powerless in this matter.
“The revamped proposition was in three parts: firstly, to ask the Licensing Bench to consider allowing price promotions; secondly, to ask the JCRA to review the whole issue of pricing in Jersey; and thirdly, to amend the law by 31 December 2021 to have licensing policy decisions decided by the States Assembly.”
So the Assembly voted to request that “price promotions” be allowed and that the law be changed to allow policy to reside with the Assembly. Bizarrely, they voted against the JCRA looking into pricing, although they did, where interestingly their conclusion was that it would be hard to argue a cartel didn’t exist in Jersey, but it was encouraged to do so by the law. This, of course, made it virtually impossible for them to do anything about it!
Why has it taken so long for the wishes of the States to be taken into account? After all, they are the representatives of the people and are accountable to the people. As far as “price promotions” are concerned, the bench have until now given a large V sign in the direction of the Assembly and its wishes. As for the change in the law, there has been more dragging of the feet than on the baseline at Wimbledon, or to put it in harsh terms, certain bodies did not want to lose their power to the elected body.
How did it suddenly change? I think it has been a combination of things. Firstly, I have refused to let it go, helped by others such as Andy Brown on Twitter, who have continued to point out the huge disparity of prices between Jersey and areas of the UK, including putting up the odd price list just to make a substantial point.
At this stage, it’s probably right to also credit the local media for not letting it die and for keeping me centre stage whenever the issue is raised, especially the JEP and Emma Volney on ITV, who I said to last time we met: “You must have a lot of the old footage you could use, as I think I’m just repeating the same message!”
I think Marcus Calvani has exerted pressure on behalf of the hospitality sector, and the much-maligned Kirsten Morel has added his support, which coupled with the fact the law is due to change in 2026 (at last) may have forced a few hands… who knows?
I would stress that I didn’t bring this proposition for any other reason than to secure a fair deal for the Jersey consumer, that was it pure and simple. But a couple of questions have arisen since the changing of policy on 30 May, and they are: Firstly, what about problem drinking and alcoholism? A very good question, and my answer would be that this policy has now been in place for 40 years, and in the last European League Table, Jersey was apparently second, which to my mind shows the policy to have been an abject failure whichever way you wish to view it.
Secondly, what about alcohol-fuelled violent incidents? These are obviously to be regretted, as indeed are violent incidents of any kind. I listened to someone from a UK-based alcohol abuse organisation, and he said that drinking at home was the bigger danger, both from a mental-health angle as you were cutting out the social aspect and a domestic violence one. He added that drinking in a well-regulated environment with a responsible licensee was preferable.
It’s sad that one of the first things someone said to me was: “It’s fantastic, but you know there’s a group who will blame any trouble on this.” Yes, of course, there is, but I think we’re mature enough to judge these things fairly, and it was encouraging that the police said Friday night was no different from any other Friday.
So, thanks to all who have supported me along the way, and there have been many. In answer to the question: “Does it annoy you, all these others claiming credit now?” No, partly because a lot do deserve credit, and secondly, I always remember the great quotation attributed to John F Kennedy: “Success has many fathers, failure is an orphan.”
