Apparently, Frank and Terry are starting to lose votes where they were sure they didn't have to fight for them ... the traditional Jersey people. The devout Establishment voters kept casting their votes for the GST party because they truly believed Frank and Terry and their disciples knew what they were doing : they didn't necessarily like them, but they were prudent businessmen with a good head on their shoulders. Now that trust is crumbling every single day and if I were Terry (as Frank is out of the picture soon (though not soon enough!) anyway) I wouldn't get too cocky about getting Frankie's job. Even the people on their side are getting a very nasty taste in their mouth and they are getting more than uncomfortable.
I truly believe Jersey HAS a future still if ALL parties learn to talk to each other and learn to meet each other half way.
Even though people have made up their minds that I am against the finance industry, I honestly believe trying to get rid of the finance industry would be absolute suicide. You do not bite the hand that feeds you ; but you can tell "the hand" you do not necessarily like everything it tries to force into my mouth. It sounds naive - I know I am an awful lot more realistic than I sometimes (like to) give out to be - but I do believe "the finance industry" (and of course, we're talking about the big guys at the top - those that do the real work in finance often struggle as much as others here in Jersey, or did you REALLY think that a customer service agent in a bank gets more than 40,000 pounds per year ?) plays tough but they know they have an awful lot to lose themselves if they don't play their cards right.
You can compare it to haggling in places like India or Thailand ! I am an awful haggler ! I feel too guilty about trying to get money off these poor people who are fighting to make a good life. Silly, of course, because the Thai or Indians themselves admit that haggling is part of the game for them; they expect you to haggle. If you pay the full asking price, they have NO respect for you. But of course, there is no way they can allow you to get away with "whatever product" paying way below the cost price. OF COURSE, they want to make some profit. So the whole game is about finding the road in the middle where both parties can be happy. Finance is, undoubtedly, much too serious to call it a game, but I am sure we could meet halfway on a lot of things.
The same goes for 1(1)k residents ; you've got to be pretty naive to think that these people would come to Jersey in hordes and say : "Oh please, can I be unqualified for a couple of years ?" But it is also rather narrow-minded to think these people come to Jersey ONLY because of the benefits and the gift of quallies ; do you really think that little of our island itself ?
I am also constantly being told I am against businesses and the middle class. Mmmmm, strange, if I HAD to label myself, I am definitely a LOT more middle class than working class. And against business ? Hell, one of my soap boxes is the maltreatment of the local businesses here in Jersey. The Establishment allows the local businesses to be suffocated by UK chains; red tape and GST is like a millstone around the neck of small businessmen and women ; the collapse of tourism has also caused instability for small retailers (because tourists prefer quirky little shops ; the regulations laid upon businesses often stop them from really flourishing. It's not enough for Ozouf to SAY he wants a diverse economy and he wants other economies to grow or take off. He has done diddly squat for other industries ; the few ideas he's come up with are so far off what small businesses really want or need ... If only THAT, it is a good enough reason for me to say : Thanks Philip, but no thanks.
I agree with what other posters have said before : it's just no longer enough to say "it is even worse in other countries, in other countries you pay even more GST (or VAT or whatever you want to call it), ..." The people in Jersey are starting to wake up to the fact that we're listening to excuses all the time : "Oops, maybe we should have kept the Fort regent swimming pool after all ! Oops, I didn't check because I believed Harcourt when they said there was nothing to worry about ! Oops, maybe we didn't really need GST after all, because look what I found ... ! Oops, maybe we need to revise Income Support a little after all ! Oops, I cannot tell you how much we paid all these expert consultants because it would take too much time to get all the accounts together (You get away with that as an answer as a small businessmen, don't you?)" I have lost ALL faith in all these OOPS people. Their own Code of Conduct demands transparence and accountability, but do you see any ? The only want that never says "Oops !" is Guy de Faye, because he is either too much of a nitwit or too big-headed (I haven't quite figured that one out yet!) to realise the stupidity of the ideas he comes up with.
The lot can have MY vote of no confidence now ; that is the only vote they will ever get from me.
Anyway, sorry for the long post, but as I kept being accused of never posting on here, I thought I'd make up for missed opportunities ! :-)
