Scrutiny can shine a light into shadow of overspend
News that the work at Salerie Corner junction would cost some £80,000 more than budgeted has overshadowed what should be seen as a positive step, writes Nick Mann. He hopes that some light will be...
View ArticleTime for the ‘musketeers’ to fall on their swords
Deputy Marc Leadbeater’s resignation from the Education board should be a catalyst for the remaining members to follow suit and avoid all the disruption and uncertainty that holding on will cause,...
View ArticleInter-island co-operation needed on European stage
The UK has been our voice, eyes and ears within Europe, says Nick Mann. And losing that benefit post-Brexit should be of real concern for us in the Channel Islands – especially considering the...
View Article2017 agenda will feel akin to climbing Alpe d’Huez
The 11-plus vote apart, the States has been largely marking time since the general election at the end of April. But this year will be a lot different, says Nick Mann. Starting with a vote of no...
View ArticleFreedom of Information Act not front and centre
More than 10 years ahead in its approach to the information act, Jersey has moved from a code to a full-blown law. In comparison, the way Guernsey’s code has been treated hardly encourages its use,...
View ArticleEducation up against it to deliver the goods on time
After eight months treading water and now with less than half of that time to devise a new secondary school system, Nick Mann asks whether it really is reasonable to expect Education, Sport &...
View ArticleLost in an exercise of percentage-based targets
The rising capital and particularly operational costs of the waste strategy make for eye-watering reading. Is value for money a subject politicians have at the forefront of their minds ahead of next...
View ArticleAre car fumes or bonfires the real burning issue?
Whether the right area is being targeted is debatable as Environment & Infrastructure seeks to introduce legal standards on air quality to combat pollutants. The worry, as with any new law, is...
View ArticleGolden thread of accountability could help remove States ‘fog’
With the Assembly in the depths of deciding what its spending priorities will be, now is the time for key performance indicators – not just for capital projects, but for the States as a whole
View ArticleConsequence of indecision is unsatisfactory results
An independent report ordered at the beginning of December into the Salerie Corner overspend is one example of the glacial pace at which work proceeds in the States as opportunities are lost and bills...
View ArticleUse technology correctly to enhance States debate
Electronic screens can be the curse of modern deliberation. Members’ attention often wanes in the wake of speeches that are too long or are constantly repetitive. However, employed in the right way,...
View ArticleSwift action missing from conduct complaint debacle
The Policy & Resources Committee’s investigation into the events that followed Deputy Marc Leadbeater’s resignation from Education, Sport & Culture has revealed some of the political...
View ArticleDim twinklings of an economic recovery shouldn’t mean spend
The first financial surplus since the creation of zero-10 in 2008 has led several politicians to consider veering off the course of restraint. That the States has done all it must to make the public...
View ArticleScrutiny’s investigation into States charges timely
After 10 years of unchecked dipping into the public’s pockets, a fresh look into the impact of increases in States fees as part of a review of in-work poverty will take place – a welcome move that will...
View ArticleIf not the population law, what is the alternative?
Tomorrow the States will debate, and vote on, the implementation of a new law to control the island’s population. There are deputies attempting to tweak it, but none brave enough yet to suggest its...
View ArticleAccess to information code is inadequate and toothless
Having had four years to bed in, the mechanism for openness and transparency is anything but. Data that should be freely available is not. A States too busy to be frank with the population about its...
View ArticleTransparency on the cheap sidelines code’s principles
In July of 2013 the States voted on an access to information policy that was meant to signal a cultural shift in the way government goes about its business. But now, nearly four years on, Policy &...
View ArticleIt’s no use hiding under the covers over island-wide voting
Nick Mann asks why have we ended up with variant options of island-wide voting on the table, after the States decided in 2015 for ‘full island-wide voting in one election if approved in a referendum’....
View ArticleAvoid voter fatigue, take heed of Brenda from Bristol
She’s the most unlikely of political commentators, but Nick Mann believes the words of Brenda from Bristol, whose reaction to the snap UK general election caught the attention of the media, should be...
View ArticlePublic expects more from the States of Inaction
A year after they were elected, and weighed down by the need to show financial restraint, Guernsey’s deputies have yet to make any major decisions. But they did decide what we could burn on our...
View Article