2 more letters in tonight's rag. One for by Deputy Southern's wife is it? And another one against.
"From Anne Southern.
I WAS disappointed to read the personal attack on Deputy Shona Pitman (JEP, 2 July) by Collette Crill, whose work for Amnesty International I admire and support.
She claims to be unaware of any of Deputy Pitman’s achievements; that is not to say that there have been none.
The Deputy works hard both to ensure the rights of her constituents and to fulfil her role on Scrutiny, and being in touch with the electorate, is very aware of how offensive many found the Bailiff’s words on Liberation Day.
He seemed to imply that revealing Jersey’s dark secrets was more scandalous than the nature of those secrets themselves. This only confirms the feeling that the establishment are operating a ‘cover-up’ policy.
It is interesting that Mrs Crill accuses Deputy Pitman of belonging to a ‘cabal’ - a group that operates in secret and indulges in conspiracy. On the contrary, she belongs to the JDA, which is a properly constituted political party, with the openly stated aims of promoting democracy, and as such it is supported by the Rowntree Foundation.
This party openly declares the dual role of the Bailiff to be unconstitutional. It is the establishment of this Island that is perceived to conspire in secret and could therefore more properly be labelled a ‘cabal’.
To defend the Bailiff on the grounds that he could earn more in private practice is again offensive, as most of us who work in the public service could earn more elsewhere, our salaries being only a fraction of the Bailiff’s; the status and power that accompany his role should more than compensate him for any loss of income. The cost to the taxpayer of his salary is around six times that of a Deputy.
Deputy Pitman is representing those who elected her by bringing before the States the concerns felt by many. She does not deserve to be attacked, and especially not by someone who is campaigning to restore democracy to Zimbabwe by seeking transparency in its electoral process.
I am in no way comparing the Bailiff to Robert Mugabe, but the principle of opposing the exercise of power by those not properly elected remains the same".
My only comment on the above is how many people does Deputy Pitman actually represent? I wouldn't say a big percentage.
"I CANNOT believe that the Bailiff of Jersey is to face a vote of no confidence because of a judgment of character, a speech and his traditional role.
What on earth does Deputy Pitman think she will achieve by pushing this through?
The last time I checked there was something I believe they call free speech. I could understand how a few people may have taken offence but I wholeheartedly agree with the quote ‘it is the unjustified and remorseless denigration of Jersey and her people that is the real scandal’.
Why is the Bailiff being persecuted for expressing his opinion? He did not in any way deter from the fact that the child abuse cases were not important merely that Jersey does not deserve to be punished and humiliated in the way it has been by the media on all fronts.
As for the Holland case, as Attorney General it was his opinion given the facts and circumstances which dictates what happens. If he thought that Holland was honestly trying to correct his ways through giving back to the community then so be it.
Roger Holland freely admitted to the fact he had this conviction during his application. I am sure there are many policemen and personnel in the world serving in a similar manner with similar convictions unbeknown to their employer; is that not worse?
Every judgment made in a court is down to facts and how these are interpreted; if this is how the Bailiff is to be judged, it would only be fair that every court judgment be scrutinised in the same manner.
Finally his role in the States. I do not understand how this can be something against him. Perhaps I do not have the full understanding but how can someone have a vote of no confidence because they were fulfilling the role they have been appointed to? I agree that there should be separation between the two roles but can this really be counted against Sir Philip?
People wonder why Jersey cannot generate tourism anymore, why the agriculture industry is dying and why youth crime steadily rises and I’ll tell you it’s because the States waste far too much time, effort and money on petty little items such as this with no real standing when there are far more pressing issues in the Island. I sincerely hope that Deputy Pitman’s career comes to a rapid end because there are already far too few politicians in the Island who actual know what it is to be an ordinary Jersey citizen".
I think the JDA have done a lot of self harm over the past week and I still believe this vote against the Bailiff will blow back in their faces. The reason is just to limp in my opinion and it is another example of attempted destruction and not construction as was echoed in the States last week.
