Population growth in Jersey is out of control and we are heading toward potential catastrophe in respect of standards of life in this Island.
When I left Jersey to further my television journalism career, it was calculated that the optimum population was 80,000. When Jersey overtook that figure, a new cap of 85,000 was set – and then ignored.
Excess numbers of inhabitants impacts on all aspects of Island life from access to health care, cars on the roads, housing availability, levels of employment, public service provision, numbers of schools, welfare and – ultimately – the tax required to pay for it all.
We now have well over 100,000 known local residents and THIS MUST BE DEALT WITH NOW.
Sadly, apart from juggling with work licenses, our government – across the board – appears to have no answers to the central problem (from which almost all other issues derive), let alone a functional population policy.
There will clearly be a need for some internal social engineering, which should be discussed by the community, BUT soon major opportunities will arise from political changes in Great Britain to take control of our situation.
A 6th form discussion group could have pointed out that the UK Brexit referendum would produce either a) radical change after leaving the European Union OR b) radical change by staying in and being part of Federal/ United Europe.
Such challenges apparently bypassed the Council of Ministers (CoM) and our paid experts, who have requested the British government to maintain our “status quo” (NO change)!
It is also time to adjust our flawed economic model (based on growing our population), time to cut the continuing “nice to have” spending on cosmetic street architecture and “cobble stone fairy rings” (see outside St Mary’s Church) and time to stop spending and wasting money we don’t have.
Two years ago I revealed that Jersey was over £1,000 Million in debt at the Senatorial hustings in St Martin, with virtually the entire current CoM sitting alongside me. No one said a word then – or at any other hustings. My source of information – one of the CoM!!
I think we can conclude that most knew the score, but didn’t want to reveal it at election time!
I was the straight talker then and will continue to be so.
Projects I will put forward if elected include:
Establishing a permanent solution to our morning peak time traffic congestion;
Stopping our public utilities paying in big dividend cheques for the States to waste and transferring the benefit to you – the customers;
Terminating stamp duty on all property purchases;
And, FINALLY finding serious alternatives to the financial services industry.
Additionally, I will support the Island Wide Vote and the scrapping of “CoM collective responsibility” in any States Assembly reform.
If you are interested there is more detail and plenty more ideas on my websiteguydefaye.com.
Please go out and vote and, ideally, please vote for me.
Thanks – Guy de Faye