By Stephen Le Quesne
BEING away from Jersey for four weeks brings with it a change in mindset, a different view and a bit of space. At times, Jersey can get a bit intense, and we become a little too focused on the small things.
I returned a week ago from my annual three-week freelance job with BBC Springwatch, during which time I also started a qualification in wilderness therapeutic approaches. (More on that another time.)
I kept a distance eye on the news stories that popped up for the Island and, to be honest, most of the stories that I read were about quite small things, propped up by dissenting voices, but largely not really that crucial in the grand scheme of things.
The news story about the newly painted pedestrian walkways near Grouville School did make me chuckle a little. Yes, perhaps red is not the “best” colour but the reasonings were sensible and the main point is that action has been taken to improve pedestrian safety. If the colour is not to your liking, then that is fine and that is your opinion.
Opinions seem to be everywhere now, and owing to social media, instead of processing them and filtering our opinions, we are blurting them out and expecting others to agree. The problem with opinions is that they require no accountability and no understanding, whereas we really should be aspiring for empathy, which is the highest form of knowledge. (I do see the irony in me criticising opinions within an opinion piece column, but hopefully the thoughts that I write here are balanced, thoughtful and mixed with understanding.)
Branchage and the state of our hedgerows popped up quite a bit when I was away and is still in the news as I write this, as we are in peak hedge-cutting season. There is no doubt in my mind that the branchage laws are outdated and need to be changed for the benefit of all stakeholders.
We have a 20th-century law in a 21st-century world. We have a hedge-cutting system that trashes biodiversity and makes our countryside uglier. It only focuses on the end product, rather than the process, meaning that if the hedge is short enough, then that is all that matters, but too many of our hedgerows are being scalped and severely damaged.
Scalping hedges and cutting them to the bare bone also destabilises the walls and structures supporting them, increasing costs for landowners and parishes in the long term as walls and hedgerows collapse. There needs to be a solution, which is kinder on our flora and fauna, but also for the people who are cutting the growth back.
What is the solution? I am not sure, but what I would really like to see is a new designation of green lane created whereby no hedgerow or bank is cut until the end of the summer or early autumn when all our grasses and flowers are seeded. Having a new designation of green lane could have a wide range of benefits. Overall, though, change is needed, and it is possible to change something that is part of our unique history and heritage without getting rid of it completely. It just needs a courageous politician to start the process and conversation.
Another main theme that jumped out at me when I was away was that of government cuts and how it seems to be a major focus for this Assembly, even though the evidence for what needs to be done is pointing the other way.
It is true to say that our government has wasted money in the past, but what government hasn’t? My feelings are that the pendulum has swung too far when trying to balance the topics of efficiency and effectively providing the services that are needed.
The “cost-of-living” crisis is not going away, as it is a result of many different factors over long periods of time, including our inability to deal with, and tackle, the climate crisis and biodiversity loss. Our living standards and the health of the planet are directly linked, even though it is barely spoken about or acknowledged.
The government needs more money and will keep needing more money in the future as our world keeps changing and the pressures increase. However, to solve this, the main response seems to be to squeeze what we have rather than think of other solutions. Surely it is time to question our tax laws?
Actually, it is time to challenge, question and discuss our tax laws, as, just with our branchage laws, they were created during a different time. This is reasonable and fair, considering that our government does not seem to have enough money to do the things that are essential to create and maintain a healthy, prosperous and happy community.
Change is messy though and it is difficult, but we can do it and must do it, even if we all have different opinions on why and how it should be done.
Stephen Le Quesne is a naturalist and outdoor learning instructor.
