Charging electric cars for the roads they use: a workable scheme for Guernsey
Guernsey faces a problem of ‘fiscal fairness’ that is emotive out of proportion to its size. Every owner of a petrol or diesel car pays into General Revenue on every…
The Reference Trap
When the law punishes candour and rewards silence, the people it claims to protect are the ones who suffer most. Employment references occupy an uncomfortable position in the law. They…
IT projects – the disaster continues
Guernsey squandered £42 million on two IT projects that failed to deliver. Politicians were misled about the true state of the MyGov and Revenue Service programmes, which floundered despite substantial…
States IT Wastage: Warnings Ignored, Millions Lost
The States of Guernsey now concedes that at least £42 million has been squandered on two failed IT projects. Deputy Marc Laine, Policy & Resources’ newly appointed IT adviser, has…
The St Pier Suspension: A Democratic Failure?
An uninvolved deputy spent two and a half hours reading material about this case and asked me to examine it, as well. It was, in their words, ‘chilling to democracy’.…
Can the States deliver real reform in the public sector?
In his recent Guernsey Press Politics Podcast, new States chief executive Boley Smillie spoke of efficiency savings and better IT systems While these operational improvements have their place, Guernsey’s civil…
Proposed Questions to the Law Officers of the Crown on Privilege
Introduction These questions would be submitted to the Law Officers of the Crown to obtain clear and authoritative clarification on matters of client status and legal professional privilege in the…
Heritage is society’s physical memory
Or Why Nobody Photographs Admiral Park Wander St Peter Port on a summer’s day and count those taking photographs. The results are invariably the same: thousands of images of the…
Perelle Bunker Rejection: Lawful Power Exercised Unlawfully?
The Development & Planning Authority’s rejection of plans to convert a Perelle bunker into housing reveals an interesting distinction between possessing legal powers and exercising them lawfully. The Facts A…
Accountability and Transparency: The Case for Reform in Guernsey’s Public Administration
‘Buried cash incident’ exposes systemic governance and oversight failures The recent admission that Guernsey’s Civil Service mislaid £31,000 in charitable funds – for fifteen years – and the recent announcement…