Jeremy is worried about burglary in the island

[Ruddler]

So TV's basically a smart politician then?  Saying one thing to her voters to get elected and doing another thing once in the House?  She'll go far........but I thought that was the point of having debates, so that you can try and persuade them to come over to your point of view.  Otherwise they may as well skip the chat every other Tuesday and just vote on the propositions.

Don't know her by the way, just using an example to make the broader point and, as you may guess, I'm generally content that no more time and cash will be wasted by the States on the subject of the incinerator.

[Nellie Macon]

If you particularly want to ask Jeremy anything you can always email him on   j.macon@gov.je

On the subject of the incinerator - I've been doing loads of research and quizzing so many people  - if you knew even half of the information that is out there and the amount of lies and half truths we're fed, you might not feel so complacent about the new incinerator. The most important factor has got to be health and TTS have this agenda where they had decided on this type of incinerator and where they were going to build it and come hell or high water that was what they were going to do. The fact is that time and new methods have come on since they began looking into a replacement for the old incinerator and they simply refused to carry on looking.

I haven't come across anything in my research that is 100% safe but I would have liked to see a team of unbiased Jersey residents go over to Canada to see the plasma gasification plant because I don't believe we looked at that thoroughly enough. I can't see that shipping our fly ash to Norway is going to be cost effective in the long run and I am horrified at the size of the monstrosity they are going to build next to the most populated and lowest lying part of Jersey.

We do have the highest incidences of some kinds of cancer already in Jersey, despite what our Medical Officer of Health says and some of her statements make me wonder whether she is really concerned primarily with our health. EG she claims that the incidences of these kinds of cancers being higher in Jersey is due to our lifestyle ie drinking and smoking more than people in the UK - I question that statement and the other old chestnut we get from pro-incinerator people that our cancer rate is in part due to living on granite - funny how all of these longstanding characteristics of life in Jersey have only in recent years resulted in a rash of these cancers?

The reason I became interested in the incinerator issue is because my father has one of these cancers (doesn't drink and hasn't smoked since he was 30 and even then only a couple a day - if that) and the cancer specialist at the general hospital told him that we had more of these cancers than the UK and that's what got me asking why this should be.

One of the basic commonsense suggestions I came across was that if we have to have an incinerator it should be at the highest point of land available and where the prevailing winds blow the dioxins away from the population. We are doing exactly the oppposite.

Anyway, what do you think?

[Shiva]

The Macon collective could set a new trend in Jersey politics by introducing the concept of "buy one, get one free". It would seem that Nellie does all of the research and instructs "the guys", whoever they are, and Jeremy sits in the House awaiting his next set of instructions. All in all, not a bad arrangement, we all know the damage the ensues when you let any Jersey politician think for themselves!
The dynamic duo will have to up their game a bit if they want to see a second term but they have lots of time. In terms of this thread, yes, Jeremy has stated the bleedin' obvious possibly because he couldn't think of anything better to say. (Maybe Nellie was at the W.I. that day). Then again, maybe he is genuinely concerned by the prospect of somebody slipping in, uninvited, through the back door.

[Nellie Macon]

I don't give Jeremy or anyone else instructions and I am always researching matters for my own information (along with a great many other people in Jersey) but if I come across something useful or "new" or very often something I don't understand, then I ask around or tell other people about it. How else can one learn anything? It's only through discussion that you get a balanced or pertinent to the Island viewpoint. I was under the impression that this is what democracy is all about? I thought this site was all about political discussion - I don't seem to read very much of it unfortunately lately - more slagging off and sniping. Maybe Jeremy's right and I'm wasting my time coming on here.

[Shiva]

CPCarrot - now this is the sort of comment we need - constructive suggestions. I'm going to tell the guys to take a look at this

Your words, not mine!

[rogueelement]

Who are these guys ? is this the same guys who were working out who should be the next Leader of the house or are they the guys we see around Nov.5th?

[Shiva]

It would be nice if they were one and the same, then we could chuck them all on the bonfire and be done with it. it would appear, however, that these mysterious "guys" are known only to Nellie and each other. Still, it's nice to know that somewhere, somebody is working on something.

[newmac]

So are people saying that because Nellie is related to Jeremy she is not allowed to post on here

She post's under her own name and doesn't pretend to be someone else, so whats the problem?

[rogueelement]

Nellie has the right to express her own views equally as much as we have the right to ridicule them.

[newmac]

Very constructive and helpful.

[rogueelement]

Thanks

[Nellie Macon]

OK, "guys" was maybe a bit ambiguous for those of you who are determined to nit pick - I meant people I discuss matters with in general - my family, friends and aquaintances - not States Members - is this clear enough for you?

Now, back to the actual matter under discussion.......last year I had a bunch of youngsters throwing stones at my windows - for no other reason other than the builders had left a bit of rubble lying around and this group of children and teenagers decided to amuse themselves in this manner. They wouldn't stop and I was afraid they would break the windows. I rang the police and despite several calls, after 2 hours they still hadn't turned up. I found the children's behaviour very disturbing and extremely aggressive and I know other people in the area have been subjected to this kind of thing as well from time to time.

There is a very good housing association for our area and they are extremely helpful but every now and again something erupts and we have to call on the police. To be subjected to this kind of aggressive behaviour for 2 hours is unacceptable. We did also call the honorary police but they were also unavailable. So what is an ordinary citizen to do? If you go out and confront the youngsters you just seem to stir them up even more and in any case you can't do anything to them - if you speak to them you just get a load of abuse....the only thing to do is call the police to get them to disperse the mob.

Then at the end of last year we had a spate of daylight burglaries in the area - just as the recession was starting - which got people thinking about household security but also concerned at the slow response time from the police to incidents in our area. The fact is that we pay our taxes and our rates and we are entitled to feel that we are safe in our own homes. The general consensus of opinion from my neighbours was that if the police drove around our area a bit more they would feel safer. It might not actually make any difference in the long term but they felt it would help.

[Ashley]

Oh my god.  This was all your idea then and not Jeremy's?

[Nellie Macon]

Don't be silly - I didn't even know Jeremy was going to ask this question. I'm just telling you about the problems we've had in our area, why my neighbours are concerned about security and my own experiences regarding how long it takes the police to respond to a call. Are my posts so difficult to understand or are you just intent on being obtuse?

[Shiva]

Nellie,

I take it from your comments that no windows were actually broken. Either you have very thick glass, the stones were very small or the kids in question were so enfeebled by the ravages of the recession that they could not throw the stones hard enough to break glass. Just what did you expect the Police to do? No crime waas committed and the days are long gone where a copper could give a kid a clip around the ear just because they were annoying adults.
The recession has not impacted fully on Jersey yet and, when it does, it will mainly affect middle class families working in the finance industry. Unless you are predicting a sudden crime spree led by ex bank managers turned burglar, things will not change significantly other than a massive shortfall in tax income for the Island. Most of the petty crime and burglary in the Island is committed by drug addicts supplementing their States benefit to feed their habit. If Jeremy is looking for a cause, why doesn't he look at the rising levels of drug addiction in the Island and what can be done about it? This is a subject that the States have, for years, swept under the carpet and refused to address because it makes the Island look bad. Anyone can get by asking the easy questions, the test of a true politician is whether they can ask the difficult ones and get a straight answer.