By Fiona Walker
2026 is a year full of promise.
No, hang on, let’s start that again. 2026 is a year full of promises.
There will be promises to make a brighter future, promises to improve our roads, to reinvigorate tourism and the town centre, to reconsider GST, to redress injustice, care for the poor, invest in the young, and promises to do just about anything that takes your fancy.
You see, 2026 is an election year.
When I worked full time in the media, it was a running joke that around 12 months ahead of an election at least one politician would put forward the idea that television licences should be free for the over 70s. As sure as the changing seasons, this suggestion would re-emerge from the hibernation of non-election years, be crafted and polished, and then put forward as a new and innovative proposal. And after the election, it would return to obscurity, oblivion, purgatory or whatever forgotten location in which it normally resided, never to be mentioned again for another four years.
And so, to misquote Neil Diamond: “except for the names and a few other changes, you can talk about now, the story’s the same one”.
Already a number of politicians are using social media to raise a profile that has been, until recently, pretty low, if not entirely dormant. Yes, I am getting more cynical as I get older, but when a politician suddenly starts using random posts to announce to the electorate all the great things that they have achieved since voters last went to the polls, my hackles start to rise.
What I’d like to see in the run-up to the 2026 elections is a comprehensive fact checker. I’d start with those self-congratulatory posts, and check whether the achievements are exactly what they appear to be, and – perhaps more importantly – whether they can actually be attributed to the politician making the claims.
Next, I’d like to review all the promises made prior to the last election and examine which ones have been achieved, which have been attempted, and which have been completely ignored.
I really do appreciate that sometimes situations change and promises made in good faith can’t be fulfilled, but it’s a very different story when guarantees are given simply for the purpose of getting elected and then entirely ignored or discounted. Take, for example, the politician who promised faithfully to balance his green credentials with the needs of businesses in the Island and then disregarded all but his own viewpoint; in an Island that needs commerce and the environment to flourish side by side, he’s now lost my vote.
While fact checking, it would be worth doing a few sums. Promises to make the Island a better place often come with a hefty price tag, and that’s fine if the money can easily be made available. However, using funds put aside to help support an ageing population – a problem that Jersey and the rest of the world is finally and belatedly waking up to, and one that comes with eye-watering costs – is not an acceptable option. Just because previous generations had the foresight to build up reserves, it certainly doesn’t give this one the right to squander those savings on ventures that will fail to generate income for future generations.
And don’t get me started on vanity projects! I sincerely hope that, when it comes to the ballot box, voters will remember which politicians pressed for unnecessary and expensive schemes while overlooking the state of our roads, the needs of the elderly, provision for the young… Need I go on?
The other proposal that simply doesn’t add up is the much vaunted “tax the rich”. We live in an Island with some very wealthy residents, many of whom have moved here for the tax benefits. And yes, I agree, some people should pay more than they do. But to unilaterally hike their taxes would be reminiscent of geese and golden eggs.
People who have already moved residence for reasons of taxation will quite happily move again, and plenty of jurisdictions will be waiting for them with open arms. If their taxes rise too dramatically, instead of a smaller percentage than we merit, Jersey could end up with 100% of nothing. In 2023, 400 of the highest earning taxpayers contributed 11% of Jersey’s personal income tax, and without their contribution to the coffers, the tax burden that 2(1)(e) residents [formerly known as 1(1)(k) high-value residents] currently bear would have to be spread over every income group.
And on that happy note, Happy New Year. And happy voting in the 2026 elections!
Fiona Walker was born and educated in Jersey and worked in finance before having children. She moved into media, presenting her own programme on BBC Radio Jersey, then as a senior broadcast journalist for local BBC television news. She was editor of The Jersey Life and wrote eight series for the national publication Motor Boat & Yachting magazine. She now promotes Jersey charity shops on social media under the name Upstylejersey.
