"Police Bullying - Complaints Are Left In The Past" says Skippy Le Marquand

Police ‘bullying’ is a thing of the past, says minister

By Diane (shackles) Simon

Home Affairs Minister Ian Le Marquand
SIGNIFICANT progress has been made during the past two years in changing the culture of bullying and arrogance which affected the States police, says Home Affairs Minister Ian Le Marquand.

And the positive changes have come under the leadership of former acting police chief David Warcup and his deputy, Barry Taylor, said the Senator.

Commenting at the end of the historical child abuse inquiry, Senator Le Marquand said that there had been cultural issues in the force which were exacerbated under the leadership of police chief Graham Power and his deputy, Lenny Harper.

‘I noticed a culture of bullying in certain areas and a culture of arrogance,’ said Senator Le Marquand. ‘The message coming from senior management tended to be “We are the expert professionals and we know better than you”, and that attitude was being passed down the force.’


AND SPEAKING OF BULLYING:

What about my case Mr Le Marquand?

In 2006 I was needlessly beaten by four police officers, who then went on to perjure themselves in Le Marquand's courtroom. Le Marquand as the presiding judge, heard a tape recording of the incident at trial, then just dismissed this evidence because he said he couldn't hear it!!!
The case went to a Royal Court appeal, where Francis Hamon stated that he "heard every word" on the recording, also twice stating that I had shown the police to have perjured themselves, then just dismissed the same evidence as Le Marquand had.

I made a formal complaint to Police officer David Warcup, who along with the Attorney General William Bailhache, just dismissed my complaints of police brutality and perjury.
I then complained about Warcup and Bailhache, which complaints were reverted back to Le Marquand, the now Home Affairs Minister! He then dismissed my complaint against Warcup saying that Warcup was just following proceedure!!! Boy, was he!!!
So, I pressed on with a new complaint against Warcup, and also complained about Le Marquand covering up my complaints!!! This was handled by ADCO Barry Taylor, who after initiating investigation number three, into my complaints, came back to me a year later with the surprise news that NO POLICE OFFICER was guilty of any wrongdoing!!!

It has now been at least fifteen months since my complaint against William Bailhache and Ian Le Marquand, and not a God damned word from the Law Officers Department? Not even an acknowledgement that they have received the complaint? Let alone, are dealing with it in a fair and impartial manner!

I have today, just been informed by ADCO Barry Taylor that I must get a court order to see the report from the third investigation carried out by two ex policemen from the mainland?
What are the odds of this document being declared "NOT IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST" ???

Below are two of the letters of complaint with regard to Le Marquand and Warcup....


Mr I B Le Marquand
Home Affairs Department
11 Royal Square, St Helier
19 December 2009

Dear Mr Le Marquand
Thank you for your letter of 11/11/2009, it was most humorous. As you have probably realised by now, my next complaint will centre on your appointment to oversee this issue. You were the presiding judge at my trial, you failed to adjourn the case for a professional transcription of the recording to be compiled as you said you could not hear the recording, and you allowed four Police Officer’s to get away with Grave & Criminal Assault and Perjury, whilst fining me £500 in the process, This is not justice Sir !!!

Furthermore, there is a clear lack of impartiality or independence in your findings given the roll you occupied in this case, and, as I was advised that Mr Austin Vautier would be overseeing matters.

Turning now to your analysis of Mr Warcup’s roll, “I have concluded that Mr Warcup has simply acted in accordance with the provisions of the Police(Complaints and Discipline)(Jersey) Law, 1999, and that the correct process for dealing with your complaint has been observed.” Do I take it then, that said (Jersey) Law allows policemen to beat the crap out of people for no reason, and then go on to perjure themselves in a court of law to secure an unlawful and corrupt conviction, and indeed, to cover up their own crimes ? Truly Sir, I need a copy of this legislation.

If Mr Warcup is unable to make a distinction between proper and improper conduct (given the overwhelming evidence that was on offer) on the part of his officers, I would suggest Sir, that his position is clearly untenable as Chief of Police. I will be pursuing this matter further.

Yours Sincerely Ian Evans


A.D.C.O. Barry Taylor
Police Headquarters
Rouge Bouillon, St Helier
December 2009

Dear Mr Taylor
I must first apologise for not responding to your letter of 29 September 2009, as I had no previous correspondence with you and should have wrote in acknowledgment.
I have enclosed a copy of the letter that I sent to Mr I B Le Marquand in response to his letter to me, dated the 11/11/2009 which is also enclosed, and is self explanatory.
I wish to pursue further, my complaints against Mr Warcup which I believe have been whitewashed by Mr Le Marquand. Bearing in mind the fact that he was the judge at my initial trial, he cannot be seen as an impartial or independent adjudicator for such an important issue. Also the fact that you advised me that you had sent my complaint to Mr A Vautier for “action as necessary.”
Furthermore, I wish to lodge a formal complaint against Mr I B Le Marquand for (perverting the course of justice and dereliction of duty) a charge which is fast becoming a formality, the more that this case is covered up by the Jersey Authorities.
Mr Taylor, it is not rocket science, these police officers beat the crap out of me and then committed perjury to enable a wrongful conviction, and to cover up their own crimes. There is a recording of the incident in existence with the time and date on it, so it could not have been anyone other than the four officers that I accused ? Yet, everyone insists on informing me that there is insufficient evidence to bring any disciplinary charges against anyone ? How can this be !!! Am I the only sane person in Jersey ?
I thank you for your consideration of this matter and look forward to hearing from you at your convenience.

Yours sincerely Ian Evans

My father was so right when he said, "IN JERSEY, YOU CAN HAVE AS MUCH LAW AS YOU ARE PREPARED TO PAY FOR".

Jersey is awash with criminals,they are all in high positions of power in Government.

"They Think It's All Over ???"

A sense of relief as saga ends???

AS the New Year approaches, the Island can prepare itself to make a fresh start and to make a fresh assault on the problems which beset it. It should come as a substantial relief that those problems no longer include the historical child abuse investigation – in the sense that it has been declared closed.

However, grateful as the Island should be that such an unpleasant, regrettable and utterly extraordinary episode has officially ended, no one should imagine that it can be forgotten or that the record has been magically expunged.
First and foremost, the victims of proven abuse must remain in all our minds. Closing the files will not have wiped awful memories.

Secondly, there is another category of victim whose members have been denied what is now called closure. These are the complainants who have not had the satisfaction of seeing anyone brought to book because the available evidence was highly unlikely to lead to successful prosecutions.

The anger of these people is understandable and will not be slow to abate, though it is impossible to resist the conclusion that their hopes were raised to impossibly high levels by a police investigation which, on many levels, was fatally flawed.

We now know that as well as misleading many who complained of having been abused, the investigation developed along lines which ultimately proved to be absurd. It is also evident that the media strategy adopted led to a feeding frenzy by reckless elements of the national and international press and to the Island’s reputation being unjustly dragged through the mire.

Just in case anyone requires reminding, although crimes were most certainly perpetrated at Haut de la Garenne, there was no murder and there were no buried bodies, let alone a shred of evidence for satanic abuse or top-level conspiracy. This, alas, did not prevent the publication in the UK and elsewhere of the wildest fictions fuelled by lurid speculation encouraged by inflammatory press briefings.

In monetary terms, the cost of the investigation already stands at many millions of pounds and will undoubtedly rise.

That said, cash is a side issue. The truly serious damage occasioned by this distressing and unsavoury chapter in our history has been suffered by people – the many residents whose good names were so spectacularly traduced along with the Island’s, and the victims of abuse, both those who have seen justice done and those who, it must now be recognised, are most unlikely to share that experience.

"More From The Hospital Of Horrors"

Patient’s death: How Health failed

By Lucy Mason

JERSEY’S health authority has admitted a catalogue of serious failings in the care of a mentally ill patient who died.

At an inquest into the death of Anthony Huet yesterday senior members of Hospital staff admitted that in the days leading up to his death, the 74-year-old, who suffered from schizophrenia, had been denied his antipsychotic medication, was kept on ‘nil by mouth’ for far too long and had waited days to be seen by specialists because it was the weekend.

The Health and Social Services department issued an apology yesterday to Mr Huet’s family and said that a number of changes had been made to patient care as a result of the case.

"Cricketer Fails In His Bid For Knighthood"

OBE for former Chief Minister

By Ben Quérée

FORMER Chief Minister Frank Walker has been made an OBE for ‘public service’ in the New Year’s Honours List.

Mr Walker, who stepped down from the States after 18 years in 2008, says that he is delighted at the news, and with the citation marking his years of work as a Deputy, Senator and as Chief Minister.

He said: ‘I am absolutely thrilled, and of course, greatly honoured.
‘I have always thought that the greatest possible honour for me was to be elected Jersey’s first Chief Minister, but to be recognised in this way is also a tremendous honour.’

"No prize for guessing 2010 Jersey's Villain of the Year"

Is that a cannabis plant behind you Benny Boy?

It would not surprise me, as you must have been "ON SOMETHING" other than common sense, intelligence, logic and intuition, to come out with this lethargic fespuke!

However, we have decided to give your Ex-Readers a small glimpse of what they are not missing anymore, by posting your tedious rantings on our blog. I am sure you will appreciate this as your "rag" is in such decline that you will be reduced to posting Internet only soon, AND FOR FREE!!! Enjoy....

AS we lurch, slip and slide towards 2011 and Jersey’s first general election, let’s take a look back on the fun, pride and pleasure that our £2.3m worth of elected representatives gave us in 2010…

LOST CAUSE OF THE YEAR
(The lost cause this year was expecting the Jersey Evening Post and it's schoolboy reporters, to report accurately, and impartially)
Every year, they somehow find it: a subject that almost no one who’s not actually in the States cares about, a subject that doesn’t really affect anyone that much and that doesn’t go anywhere.

Choosing States reform is cheating, really, because it comes up every year. Going for GST exemptions doesn’t really work either, because it’ll happen sooner or later – and so the ‘lost’ part of the whole ‘lost cause’ sentiment falls down slightly.

And that’s why the Lost Cause of the Year is the suspended police chief Graham Power/Napier Report/shredded notes sagazzzzzzzz… hang on, sorry, dozed off for a moment there.

This is a cause that managed to drag in two politicians who normally show a fairly good grasp of political awareness and sense (Deputy Bob Hill and St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft) as well as a whole bunch without any into thinking there might have been either a) a point to all of this, or b) some political capital in it. There wasn’t. There isn’t. Let it go.

MOMENT OF THE YEAR

(That's easy, that was the day that the honourable Stuart Syvret went to prison for the good of the Abuse Survivors and the general public at large)

How shocking was the States decision to dodge even talking about a pay cut by using an obscure procedural device? Put it this way: Senator Ben Shenton (whose Business Plan amendment was ducked) was rendered speechless, and that doesn’t happen often.

Midway through votes on cutting school milk, funding for Durrell visits and God knows what else, to refuse to even countenance a debate on slicing their own pay did very little to improve the public standing of States Members.

They get an unnecessarily hard time now and then, but in a single morning in September they managed to justify the idea of a group of people out of touch with the rest of us, out of ideas and out for themselves.

The hysterical responses from affronted politicians to this newspaper’s coverage of the story somehow only made it worse. If there was a low-point to 2010, this was it.

SHOCK OF THE YEAR
(That T.L.S & I.L.M could find no wrongdoing on the part of any Establishment Members in the illegal suspension of Graham Power)....Just kidding on that one Benny Boy!
What do you even call a political party with one member? Well, in Jersey we’d probably call it the Jersey Democratic Alliance.

The surprising news that the three-quarters of its elected members had jumped ship not long after the other quarter – Deputy Geoff Southern – finished an embarrassing fifth in the Senatorial by-election was one of the weirder stories of the year.

While the amount of letters that party members write to this newspaper appears to have risen at the same rate that the JDA’s membership has declined, you’d be hard-pushed to call 2010 a great year for a political party that was going to take Jersey politics by storm when it was launched in 2005.

The fact that the other three members – Deputies Shona Pitman, Trevor Pitman and Debbie De Sousa – wised up to the idea that membership of the JDA was bad for their electoral health doesn’t necessarily bode well for the party’s future either.

HERO OF THE YEAR
(That dubious honour must go (jointly) to Grabwell and Weirdcop for their dual roll-playing as the "Tooth Fairy" and the "Evil Floorboard Fairy"!)
Bearing in mind that last year’s winner was a piece of stationery, this was quite a tough call.

What States Member could join Senator Alan Maclean’s ringbinder as an Official Week in Politics Hero of the Year?

If you thought that the answer was anything other than ‘none of them, obviously’ then you really haven’t been paying attention over the last 12 months.

Anyway, the winner is Advocate Mike O’Connell.

He’s the one who told the Royal Court that then-Housing Minister Terry Le Main had pestered the Law Officers’ department to drop a prosecution, and then to go easy on the bloke when they refused.

What made that a slightly bigger deal was that the bloke a) had helped Senator Le Main out with campaigns for decades and b) was accused of breaking the Housing Law that Senator Le Main was responsible for administering.

And he did all of this without any boring debates that went nowhere, with no broken promises, and no messing about.

One quick speech in the Royal Court, and a week later the Housing Minister has quit. Not only is that more bang for your buck, it also presents a slight problem for the conspiracy theorists who reckon that we’re run by a shadowy cabal of senior politicians and lawyers who protect each other’s nefarious deeds.

VILLAIN OF THE YEAR
(Hang on a second? Stuart has not named "The Rag Rapist" yet!!!)
Oh come on, who else?

Who else cranked up taxes after promising voters that he wouldn’t? Who else launched an almighty set of spending cuts and then gave one of the biggest spending departments a free pass when they said they didn’t fancy it?

Much like cowboy films, politics needs a bad guy. But it’s unusual to have someone embrace the role with as much enthusiasm as Treasury Minister Philip Ozouf.

At this rate, you wouldn’t be too surprised if in 2011 he started wearing a black cape, stroking a long-haired white cat in press conferences and finishing every sentence by throwing his head back and screaming ‘mwahahaha!’

"mwahahaha!" ??? I am sure someone will be kissing something when all this is over, but not anything that the Jersey Child Rape Party & their Sponsors will find to their liking!!!

ALL survivors of Jersey Abuse, be it mental, physical, or sexual abuse,will have their day in the not to distant future. We know we still have a way to climb, but we climb only upwards....

Below, is the link to the original posting

http://www.thisisjersey.com/latest/2010/12/30/no-prizes-for-guessing-2010-villain-of-the-year/ 

 

"Flu Jab Reminder - For The Poor Fools Who Believe Anything"

Flu jab reminder for those in poor health

By Jo Hutchison

ISLANDERS with health problems or pregnant women are being reminded to get their flu jabs if they have not already done so.

People in these groups face a higher risk of serious complications if they become infected with flu, Health has warned.

The vaccine, which costs £10 to have but some doctor’s charge for the visit as well, protects you against swine flu.

People at high risk include those with chronic heart, lung, liver and kidney or neurological disease, asthma, diabetes or impaired immunity and pregnant women.

Jersey’s acting Medical Officer of Health Dr Susan Turnball is urging everyone in these high risk groups to have the vaccine.


IAN EVANS says : "Well, thanks Dr Susan Turnball, but I will chance my luck without injecting mercury, squalene, aluminum or anti-freeze into my body, thank you very much". :o) Please click on THIS GREEN LINK to see what I am talking about.

£40 to £50 for a flu jab is a real concern to some, why is Jersey not giving the poor, a free jab? Simple, they want you to pay for your own poisoning!!! Furthermore, a healthy diet should be at the heart of the Jersey Health Departments campaign, not trying to offload ageing stocks of flu vaccine which don't work.

A good diet and Vitamin D3, has been proven just as effective, if not more so, in combating flu, than anything. Vitamin D3 & exercise is also a damn sight more effective for treating milder forms of anxiety and depression. Please click on THIS PURPLE LINK to get the bigger picture. A years supply of Vitamin D3 will only cost you around £16. I have been taking 5,000Iu daily for two years, and no problems. Vitamin D3 is also a huge booster for your immune system.

The one side effect of too much D3 is the possibility of kidney stones. You should always seek medical advice before taking D3, especially if you have liver or kidney problems, and get a 25(OH)D serum bloodtest from your doctor. You need 60 -70 ng/ml to be healthy.

Vitamin D3 can be purchased by clicking on THIS ORANGE LINK. Please Please listen to these video's VERY CAREFULLY and then make your own informed choice. OR, you can believe Dr Susan Turnball, and the J.E.P and POISON YOURSELF !!!

If you need more proof, please type in "flu vaccine" in the search bar on youtube.com or you can simply click HERE for a startling array of video's and information on the subject. BE SAFE, NO VACCINES !!!!!!!!!!!! AND ENJOY A HAPPY AND HEALTHY 2011 XXX

"Cannabis - A Good - Or Bad Thing"

A MAN who imported cannabis worth more than £12,000 into the Island has been jailed for nine months.

Grzegorz Maciej Grzyb (44) was caught with more than a kilo of the drug hidden under the back seat of a car that had just arrived on a ferry from France.

Last week the Royal Court sentenced him to nine months in prison and also recommended that he be deported back to Poland on his release.

So, is Cannabis a good, or bad thing?

Many for, and many against the argument, of that there is no doubt. The problems surrounding cannabis use are many, partially brought about by Governments that hide the problem, or seek to distance themselves from legislation on Cannabis. Yet Governments are quite happy to poison people with alcohol and cigarettes, earning vast revenues in the process.

And what of the people who indulge themselves? The sick, and terminally ill, who's only respite from pain and agony is cannabis? Or those with mental health problems who use cannabis for the sole purpose of calming themselves in extreme fits of self-worthlessness, depression, or even suicide? Using cannabis as an alternative to some of the deadly anti-depressant drugs that are destroying their bodies and minds.

Then there are the recreational user's (from all walks of life) who do not need drugs but choose them as a means of shifting reality for a short while. How much of the £12,000 stash above, would have eventually found it's way into the homes of judges, politicians, doctors, high ranking policemen, not so high ranking policemen, firemen, nurses, accountants etc, etc....

Governments must wake up to reality and legislate in accordance of those in need, and those indeed.

"The O'Bar Incident - A Vile Corruption" from my other blog!

My other blog deals solely with my own personal cases. It is known as "Ian Evans Against Jersey Corruption & Police Brutality". It provides a detailed insight into corruption within the Jersey Police Force and the Jersey Judiciary, not to mention a number of other, rather unsavoury places!

It has been going for a couple of years now, but I have had to put it on the back burner for a number of reasons. However, as you will now be aware, we are back on the go and bringing home the stories that the Jersey Government don't want you to read, and the facts that the "Accredited Jersey Media" won't let you read, unless it's in their handwriting of course.

So, follow the link in red, and see what really goes on in the Septic Isle. Happy reading :o)

"Minister Thanks Honorary Police" for roll in HDLG investigation

Jersey's Honorary Police have been publicly thanked for their role in the historical abuse enquiry - almost two years on.

Home Affairs Minister Ian Le Marquand made particular mention of their work in maintaining a security cordon around Haut de la Garenne and Victoria Tower.

In all 128 officers from around the Island were involved - putting in more than a thousand hours of unpaid work.

Senator Le Marquand says the Honorary Police continue to play a very important role, both in the criminal justice system and in the effective policing of the Island.

The Honorary Police certainly played an important roll alright, in refusing to charge alleged abusers at the Police Station, a real contribution to Jersey Justice that is? Well done Centennier Scaiffe!!!

And speaking of Jersey Police, a little something from RICO SORDA on DAVID WARCUP to stew on! Ian Evans

"Another Jersey Ex-Policeman In Court" and they call Syvret a criminal???

Former States policeman to spend Christmas in jail

By Dolores Cowburn

Mr Gallichan appeared in the Magistrate's Court yesterday.

A FORMER States police officer will spend Christmas in jail after being charged with 19 offences including making indecent photographs of a child.

Roy Charles Gallichan’s bail application was refused by Relief Magistrate Peter Harris yesterday in the Magistrate’s Court.

As well as the one count of making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph between 9 December 2009 and 4 May this year at a property in the Island, the 52-year-old faces 14 counts of making indecent photographs comprised in a film showing a child between 1 January and 5 May this year.

"New Jersey Police Authority" they've been dangling this carrot for 13 years!!!

A step closer to independent police authority

By Ben Quérée

Home Affairs Minister Ian Le Marquand, and Donkey.



OVERSIGHT of the police could switch to a new independent authority under proposals by Home Affairs Minister Ian Le Marquand.

The long-awaited proposals for a Jersey Police Authority would set up an independent body taking over responsibility for ensuring that the £22m-per-year States of Jersey Police is efficient and effective, and which would be in charge of discipline, organisation and succession planning.

But unlike the UK system, the Jersey Police Authority would have no independent power to raise revenue by increasing taxes, and might not play a role in hiring and firing senior officers.


J.E.P OPINION

"A vital check and balance"


FOR many years a succession of States Members, people with special knowledge of policing, and, indeed, many ordinary Islanders have recognised that Jersey is in need of an independent police authority.

Unfortunately, the gulf between recognising the desirability of such an authority and actually creating one has, so far, not been bridged – though that could change in the new year.

A fresh attempt has been made to draw up acceptable rules under which a police authority would operate and these will be considered by the States in February. If they are approved, the authority could be set up and begin operating in 2012.

Although there has been theoretical acceptance for a long time that a police authority is not merely to be desired but a necessity, events of the past few years have reinforced this perception.

It is probable that a suitable authority would have prevented the gross mishandling of the Haut de la Garenne inquiry. It is also likely that it would have offered advice preventing former police chief Graham Power from adopting the position which led ultimately to his suspension from office.

It would, of course, be wrong to suggest that the proposed independent authority will, if approved, be a panacea for all the complex problems which can arise even in the policing of a small community such as ours. In spite of this, at the very least it will provide an answer to a question that has been dodged for far too long – who polices our police force?

This is not to say that the new body should suddenly assume prime responsibility for the way in which the Island is policed from day to day or for the running of the force. The proposed structure – which has been devised with the assistance of the new police chief, Mike Bowron – is, in fact, subtle and layered in a way that should simultaneously ensure effective policing with equally effective levels of oversight from the Home Affairs Minister and the new authority.

Given States Members’ propensity for prevarication and for baulking at the detail of propositions, it is by no means certain that the law underpinning the new authority will be passed early next year. However, even at this stage it looks as if the Island is closer than ever before to seeing the creation of a check and balance that is not optional but vital.

"Surprise Surprise - Another (honorary) Sex Offender In Jersey"

Former honorary policeman ‘was sexual predator’

By Lucy Mason

A FORMER honorary police officer who groped two women in separate attacks just minutes apart has been jailed for 18 months by the Royal Court.

Virgilio Ferdinando Pita Mendes (35) was described in court as a ‘sexual predator’ who had preyed on two drunk, vulnerable women during the ‘unpleasant’ assaults in August.

One woman, the court heard, was left ‘petrified’ by an assault which could have been far more serious had a passer-by not intervened.

"Jersey Care Leavers Association - Press Release"

The full article can be read on VOICE FOR CHILDREN'S Blogsite.


Press Statement - JCLA.
Having had some time of reflection after the apology from the Chief Minister, and the announcement of the closing of the historical abuse enquiry we, the Jersey Care Leavers Association would like the opportunity of putting our feelings into the public domain.



Firstly, we must make it quite clear that our issues with the handling of the inquiry both by the States of Jersey and the officers who took over from Mr. Power and Mr. Harper, are absolutely nothing to do with compensation matters, revenge or anything else. Indeed it is all related to justice, which ultimately there was very little of. There were one hundred and fifty one suspects, out of which thirty may now be deceased. That leaves one hundred and twenty one, from which seven were prosecuted, not to mention two cases which were dropped at the eleventh hour.


No-one wishes to see people either in, or approaching old age locked away in prison, but to have known that some who were never brought to trial could have been found guilty would have been reward enough for those whose suffering they caused, not forgetting that some of these people still hold high positions in the States of Jersey.


Lame apologies are all very well, even when they do not come across as sincere, but survivors feel very, very let down. Since Lenny Harper and Graham Power left the States of Jersey Police Force, confidence that the inquiry would progress further was seriously in doubt. These two officers and their team treated us with respect, sympathy and in a most professional manner. We were kept informed at all times of the progress of our cases and felt comfortable and at ease with the team. The manner in which the survivors were treated when they were no longer handling the inquiry did not instill a feeling that Gradwell and Warcup were committed to resolving any more cases, and indeed when cases were dropped, no one even had the courtesy to inform all of the abused. No small wonder that it is still questionable as to why these two officers were brought to the Island.


Now we learn that the inquiry is effectively over, we have still had no personal contact from the Police or any other authority to officially inform us. The victims become the victims yet again, treated in a most contemptuous manner as if we did not ever exist. Indeed, it has come to our attention that not all victims and witnesses have even been officially told that their cases have been closed let alone the enquiry! That rather speaks volumes about the way we have been made to feel, and no small wonder that we still have reservations.


The Mainstream Jersey Media, we feel, have been instrumental in marginalizing the abuse survivors. Everybody’s story has been told by the media, everybody’s, that is, but the survivors. Only last Saturday David Warcup was presented by the media as a, or “the”, victim in the Historic Abuse Enquiry. None of the Mainstream media have ever asked us survivors for an in-depth interview like they have Mr. Gradwell and Mr. Warcup. We all have a traumatic story to tell but we are not afforded the same press privileges as some. Mr. Warcup being presented as a victim encapsulates the way this horrible affair has been portrayed by certain parts of the media from the outset.


We, the Jersey Care Leavers Association, have only distributed this Press Release to a number of “Bloggers” because we don’t feel confident that the mainstream media will publish it, or publish it in its entirety. We hope it does get picked up by the mainstream media and published in full but our confidence is low.


There are still more questions than answers, questions that we would still wish to be answered, and also the whereabouts and findings relating to some of the evidence taken from Haut de la Garenne. We as survivors were given strict legal guidelines on 'contamination of evidence', but it appears over the last two years the police have not adhered to this policy in any way, shape or form.


We can only hope that for those in care at present and in the future, very large and important lessons have been learnt. However, for those of us for whom it is too late, we were badly let down by the States of Jersey when we were children, and in the hope that as adults that very same Government would believe us and be able to bring us some closure on this matter, we have been let down very badly once again.


We would like to thank Graham Power and Lenny Harper, not only for the way they, and their team, treated us and the enquiry, but for restoring our faith in the Police Force. A faith that, for the most of us, diminished with their departure.


We have shown patience and restraint under very difficult circumstances. For us this will never go away.


Carrie Modral


Chair....Jersey Care Leavers Association.

"Man badly burned in incinerator accident"

The accident happened at the La Collette site yesterday.

A BUILDER has suffered horrific burns to his face, neck and shoulders after being hit by a jet of scalding steam while working at the new incinerator.

The steam blasted from pipes at the La Collette site with such velocity that Igor Fernandez was hit with shards of debris that pierced his skin.

The 25-year-old was taken to hospital straight after the accident and was due to have surgery this morning.

"Sinead O'Connor (child abuse campaigner) - A Letter To The Pope"

An Open Letter to Pope Benedict From Sinead O'Connor on behalf of all victims of child sexual abuse by catholic priests, on behalf of all catholic people, and all honourable catholic clergy, on behalf of every media outlet under the sun and on behalf of The Holy Spirit.

Sinead O'Connor.Com


Sir,

Some burning questions arise from the following statement you made in your christmas address to your cardinals on December 20th regarding how it came to pass that the house of The Holy Spirit became a haven for criminals of a sexual nature.

"In the 1970's paedophilia was theorised [by the church] as something fully in conformity with man and even with children."

Please deign to respond to this letter directly and personally and put aside all the pomp and titles and so- called 'proper channels' all of which belong not in the 21st century but the 12th and are unbecoming of Christ.

Exactly who held the theory that paedophilia was fully in conformity with man and with children? Please give us their names.

Exactly when did they hold this theory?

Exactly when if ever did they cease holding the theory?.

Why was this information not given to victims?

Why was it never given to any commissions of enquiry or civil authorities?

Why in all the years since these scandals broke out was yesterday the first mention of this information?

It is highly disrespectful of the victims that you would throw this out as an aside remark and not present yourself for questioning on such a very serious piece of information which would be key in the potential recovery of the church.

The Holy Spirit requires you to familiarise yourself with honesty and respect if you retain any desire to salvage the remains of the church which has been ruined by its being allowed to live by its own laws and not God's

Sinead.

"Grand Plans Need Action" but these three couldn't run a bath?

FEW people would find fault with the idea that the welfare, development, health and education of Jersey’s children should be high on the list of governmental priorities.

It is also likely that, on first principles, a majority of Islanders will welcome the new Children’s Plan which has been drafted and is now available for public scrutiny and comment.

Although it is evident that children being brought up here enjoy privileges unheard of in so many other parts of the world, there has in recent years been serious concern about our community’s ability to do the best for each and every one of its young people.

If those doubts had not existed, there would, for example, have been no need to invite childcare expert Andrew Williamson to report on the nature and possible shortcomings of our child protection services.

The new plan now on the table stems in part from the Williamson review, but it encompasses not only child protection but also just about every other facet of life that might be considered relevant to the up-and-coming generation.

It has something to say on subjects as diverse as diet and obesity, patterns of offending and youth employment.

However, although the Children’s Policy Group, whose members are Health Minister Anne Pryke, Home Affairs Minister Ian Le Marquand, and Education Minister James Reed, have quite clearly put together a comprehensive document – which, with a slightly suspect hint of jargon, they describe as a ‘strategic framework’ – the truly hard work remains to be done.

Drawing up a plan is comparatively straightforward; putting that plan into action is where the difficulty lies.

Devising overarching strategies has become hugely fashionable among Island politicians in recent years. Equally fashionable is the practice of exposing these strategies to public examination in consultation exercises.

There is nothing fundamentally wrong with either of these approaches to framing policy, but our policy-makers must bear in mind two vital points – writing down a series of desiderata and pious hopes is no substitute for action and consultation is of questionable value if the public’s suggestions are simply ignored.

The Children’s Policy Group could well be aware of the dangers of authoring plans and then consigning them to gather dust on some obscure shelf.

The group might also be aware of the fruitlessness of consultation that leads nowhere.

That said, the Island faces a long wait before it can assess just how worthwhile the new grand plan for its children is going to be.

"Jersey Horror Hospital" here we go again!

Surgeon on restricted duty faces legal probe

By Dolores Cowburn

A FILE has been passed to Jersey Law Officers’ Department to consider whether a surgeon suspended from the Hospital after a patient died in 2008 following an operation should face charges.

The patient, understood to be in his 70s, died before Christmas 2008 after being admitted to Accident and Emergency and following two operations within days of each other. The States police were informed of the death and started an investigation.

The surgeon was initially suspended, but is now believed to be on restricted duties instead. That means he is no longer suspended, but is banned from operating without supervision and restricted from carrying out other duties.

"Paedo's (bit of fluff) Stands By Him" and so does the JEP

Incredible how some in Jersey will flock to support Paedophiles, including Jersey's only NEWSPAPER!!! Between Helen Bailey (paedo's missus) and the Jersey Evening Post, who knows what may be achieved on behalf of The Beast Rapist?

In a sane island, this money would, and should, be distributed amongst the victim's of Leonard Vandenborn for their pain and suffering, and for the many years of torment lived since, and yet to come! Ian Evans.

Rapist’s fiancée: ‘I’ll fight for my home’

By Richard Heath

Helen Bailey, the defiant fiancée of a convicted paedophile has vowed to stand by her man – and fight crippling court costs which could force her out of her home.

Earlier this year, Jersey accountant Leonard Vandenborn was jailed for 12 years after being convicted of a series of sexual assaults against two girls in the 1970s and 1980s. And last month the 63-year-old was ordered to pay £190,000 in court costs after losing an appeal against his conviction and sentence.

Speaking publicly for the first time, his long-term partner, Helen Bailey, said: ‘Justice should be about treating everybody equally, regardless of their background or wealth.’

"Here's One For Mr Syvret To Comment On !!!"

Let’s not throw out 800 years of history and good governance.

From Reg Jeune.

YOUR excellent leader (JEP, 8 December) entitled Who Else Will Take on This Role? is exactly my summing up of an unconvincing report.

In my judgment it gives us no compelling reasons why we should make haste to change a system which continues to run smoothly in a small jurisdiction such as ours.

It leaves many questions unanswered, and it appears to me that if ever there was a situation which can be described as ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, then surely this is it.

We are given no compelling reasons, especially if you compare it with 800 years of this Island’s history, and the reality of the situation to a great extend based on the steadying influence of successive Bailiffs, for whom the Crown and the Island have had considerable respect.

As the panel acknowledge, it is difficult to find any criticism of the manner in which successive Bailiffs have served that office.

I was a member of the States Assembly for 35 years and I cannot recall one single occasion when I considered that the Bailiff had exceeded his powers or tried to influence any debate.

Over the years I have attended many conferences of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and either formally or informally I have never heard the position of the Bailiff, in relation to the States Assembly being questioned or discussed.

Former powerful reports, like the Privy Council Commission after the last war and the Royal Commission under Lord Kilbrandon, were cited to the panel. However, it appears to me that the panel concentrated on the worldwide image of today, which could be described as an issue of ‘perception’.

Our sister Island of Guernsey has a Bailiff occupying the same position, and the matter was considered by a Guernsey panel similar to that which produced the Clothier Report.

In that report the duality of the role is discussed and particular reference is made to the European Court of Human Rights, and the McGonnell case which had come before it.

The judgment of the European Court of Human Rights affirmed, and I quote, ‘there is no legal basis for contending that there should be a separation of the judicial and parliamentary roles of the Bailiff’ and it goes on to say ‘the panel notes that following the judgment in the McGonnell case that concern is no longer an issue’.

Surely, Mr Editor, if this matter is taken any further by the States of Jersey it should be only after discussions have taken place with our sister island.

If the States were to agree a change, the question arises as to who would take over the role.

The most obvious is an elected member of the States, but the available pool of States Members with adequate experience of proceedings of the States is likely to be comparatively small, and there may be a lack of willingness on the part of the more able States Members to accept such office as an alternative to a ministerial role.

Although it might run smoothly under the experienced hand of the Bailiff or Deputy Bailiff, the role can be quite demanding, and left in the hands of a Member of little experience, the result could be chaotic.

The suggestion that an outsider could be appointed is, I would consider, completely unacceptable, and I do not believe that this has been adopted by any other Parliamentary Assembly in the British Commonwealth.

The Island, at this time of recession, must also consider the cost of setting up a new speaker’s department. It would require not only a speaker, but one or more deputy speakers, and possibly a small staff, including someone with legal experience.

The Lord Carswell Report encouraging the separation of powers indicates that the Bailiff could continue as both judge and chief citizen.

When I questioned this unusual combination, Lord Carswell did appear to agree with me. It seems to me that it would not be long before difficulties could arise between the Chief Minister and the Bailiff.

If the States were so misguided as to want to change, I trust that they would give the opportunity for the Island to have its say by way of a referendum. In no other way should we throw out 800 years of history and good governance.

"J.E.P Opinion - A Laughing Stock"

A role for a new minister.

THERE is a growing body of opinion in political circles that Jersey should create its own foreign ministry.

It is an idea given added momentum by recent dealings with the UK and Europe over tax matters and, unsurprisingly therefore, now endorsed by senior professionals from the finance sector.

Is it a good idea? The answer is ‘yes’, with certain very important caveats.
Firstly, ‘Foreign Minister’ would be an overblown title for the politician whose duties would include formal contact on behalf of the Island with the administrations of much larger jurisdictions.

We are, after all, a community of fewer than 100,000 and, although we undoubtedly have a legitimate place among the community of nations, we risk derision if we give ourselves too many airs and graces.

However, if the toned-down title of International Relations Minister, or something in a similar vein, were employed, a senior figure charged with overseeing foreign relations and generally flying the flag for Jersey around the world would play an important part in what has been described as enhancing the Island’s international personality.

In the future, we must be recognised and understood not just by our near neighours but also by the appropriate representatives in India, China, the Americas and other key areas of a changing world.

It has been suggested that, had an International Relations Minster already been in place, the present furore over the zero-ten tax formula might have been forestalled. However, a second warning must be sounded at this point.

What the Island most emphatically does not need or want is a plenipotentiary whose sole duty would be to advance the interests of the finance industry. We already have Jersey Finance Ltd, a highly effective marketing and lobbying organisation, to fulfil this role, not to mention a number of very senior civil servants whose duties extend into this area.

It is reasonable to expect that the politician in the international relations hot-seat would sometimes work hand in hand with those promoting the Island’s principal industry, but it would be folly to allow him or her to become primarily identified with it. The brief would, without a shadow of a doubt, have to be much wider if the minister were not to be dismissed as a mere apologist for vested interests.

Jersey is not the finance industry, although it is the home of that industry.
It follows that anyone with responsibility for encouraging harmonious relations between the Island and the rest of the world would have a story to tell that would go far beyond funds, banking, trusts and their support services.

Our community is a developed democracy with a long and colourful history, a unique heritage, a fascinating relationship with the British Crown and a track record of paying its own way that is second to none.

The new minister, if there is to be one, must be a person with a clear track record of demonstrating pride in those attributes and support for Jersey’s sporting, cultural and environmental achievements as well as its commercial interests.

"Burmese Campaigner To Find Jersey Not Unlike Burma"

A young Burmese campaigner for democracy is due to visit Jersey.

22-year-old Waihnin Pwint Thon is recognised as an authoritative speaker on the need for the respect of human rights in her country.

Her father is currently serving a prison sentence of 65 years for his leading role in the call for democracy, in defiance of Burma's military dictatorship.

Waihnin will be at the Town Hall for an evening public meeting on Monday 17 January.

Earlier in the day she will speaking at a joint session of Amnesty International's Jersey Youth Groups, at Jersey College for Girls at 4pm.

Waihnin is a Campaigns Officer at Burma Campaign UK and the daughter of Ko Mya Aye, one of the Generation 88 student leaders, who is currently serving a 65.5-year sentence in Burma for his part in the 2007 democracy protests.

Waihnin has sought to raise awareness of her father's detention and the plight of the more than 2,200 other political prisoners currently held in Burma.

Collette Crill, Chairman of Amnesty International Jersey Group said: 'We are honoured to welcome Waihnin here to Jersey, to help islanders understand more about the plight of those suffering under the repressive regime in her country, including her father, and to hear her thoughts about the recent release of Aung Sung Suu Kyi (the rightfully-elected leader of Burma who was in prison or under house arrest for most of the last 20 years).

'Amnesty International is currently running a Burma Radio Appeal, to raise funds for sending radios into the heart of Burma. Due to the military's heavy censorship and restriction of information, these radios the often the only source of information from the outside world.'

"Incinerator Will Be Under Strict Control" unlike our Government

THE States will be under strict controls to make sure the environment is protected during the operation of the incinerator.

Transport and Technical Services, who will operate the energy-from-waste plant at La Collette, received a waste management licence this week.

This brings the operation of the plant under the regulatory control of the Waste Management (Jersey) Law 2005, for which the Planning and Environment department is the regulator.

"Caring Jersey"

Concerns for elderly as cold snap returns

By Dolores Cowburn

A PENSIONER was found stranded on his kitchen floor after falling while trying to keep himself warm in front of his oven.

Paramedics discovered the man, in his 80s, in Grands Vaux after he had fallen in front of his cooker.

He had been standing with his knees in front of the open oven door open because he could not afford to heat the rest of his home.

"A New Dawn - Let The Light Shine Through"

‘Criminal conspiracy forced me out’

By Dolores Cowburn

A CRIMINAL conspiracy by States officials trying to cover up child abuse forced former Health Minister Stuart Syvret out of his job, he claimed in the Royal Court yesterday.

The former Senator, who describes himself as an unemployed investigative journalist, claims that he was removed from his position as Health Minister in 2007 because of the conspiracy.

Mr Syvret has launched a civil claim against the Chief Minister, the States Employment Board, the States of Jersey and the Attorney General, saying that they are responsible for damages to him because of their actions in the conspiracy, which forced him to resign.

Solicitor General Howard Sharp, representing the four defendants, is trying to get the case thrown out.

A little more indepth outlook from Channel TV below.

One of Britain's top barristers will be presiding over former Senator Stuart Syvret's civil action in the new year, Jersey's Royal Court heard this morning.

Jonathan Sumption, QC, has been involved in a string of high profile cases, most notably, he represented the UK government in the Hutton inquiry into the death of David Kelly, the arms control expert; and in a class action brought by shareholders of Railtrack, the collapsed national railways infrastructure company.

He has also represented the Queen in a case against the Mirror following the paper's undercover expose of life at Buckingham Palace.

Sumption has been described as the cleverest man in Britain, with a "brain the size of the planet."

A directions hearing under Mr Sumption will take place on 19th January 2011.


The case

Mr Syvret is suing the Chief Minister, the Council of Ministers, The States Employment Board and the Attorney General for the processes that led to what he claims was an unfair dismissal from his role of Minister for Health and Social Services in 2007.

The Civil Action was filed in the Royal Court on 19th November and Friday would be the deadline for the defendants to respond to the allegations contained within it. Today's hearing, however, was about whether or not to grant an extention to that deadline.

The Solicitor General argued on behalf of the defendants that Friday didn't give them enough time to prepare a substantial evidence based response and that whilst they were intending to bring a strike-out application in any case, any response would be pending the outcome of that application.

A successful strike-out application, would mean the case wouldn't go to a full trial.

Mr Syvret was adamant that the judge presiding over today's proceedings should not hear the strike-out application or the full trial, if it were to go ahead, as he in Mr Syvret's opinion didn't meet the test of objectivity, being a close friend and acquaintance of several of the people subject to his Order of Justice.

Julian Clyde-Smith granted the extention, saying it was a procedural matter only.


What next?

The directions hearing on the 19th will determine the next steps both in relation to the strike-out application, and deadline within which the defendants will have to respond to the Order of Justice.

Mr Syvret is also the subject of another directions hearing in January. This one relates to his appeal against data protection charges for which he was sentenced in November. He was sentenced to 10 week's imprisonment but released on bail pending his appeal.

"Mrs Muggings & Son's"

The robber family

By Jo Hutchison

A 44-YEAR-OLD mother rewarded her children with money after they had helped her to rob a drunken man outside his home.

The woman and her 14-year-old son rained punches on the victim before stealing his wallet and throwing it to her youngest son – who was only 13 – and telling him to run. The Royal Court heard yesterday that the 14-year-old brandished a two-foot-long piece of wood to aid their escape.

The 44-year-old mother, who admitted robbery, was sentenced to 240 hours’ community service – the equivalent of 18 months’ jail and was ordered to pay the victim £400 in compensation.

Her 14-year-old son was sentenced to 12 months’ probation. At a previous hearing in the Youth Court, the 13-year-old was bound over to be of good behaviour for three months.

"Letters Of Complaint To My Appeal Judges"....Guest Posting....just left click on the pic to read it

"The Pot Calling The Kettle!"

States caught up in a culture of blame, says Chief Minister

CHIEF Minister Terry Le Sueur has attacked civil servants and fellow States Members during a hard-hitting talk to business leaders.

The Senator accused middle-ranking public-sector workers of failing to make decisions and criticised some States Members for being too concerned with finding someone to blame when things go wrong.

At an Institute of Directors lunch yesterday he said: ‘‘Sadly, at the present time we have a culture within the States in which nobody wants to make a decision. Doing nothing, or passing the responsibility to a higher authority, means that one cannot get blamed.’

"Easy To Spend What Is Not Your Own"

States ‘are still wasting money’

By Ben Quérée

LESS than a week after across-the-board tax rises were approved by politicians, a report has found that there are still serious problems with financial management in the States.

The latest report from the Public Accounts Committee has again raised concerns about the way in which the States manages its money, citing a lack of accountability and central authority and a lack of powers for senior civil servants.

Committee chairman Senator Ben Shenton said that after five years of ministerial government, the committee still had concerns about a lack of accountability and departments operating ‘in silos’.

"Jersey Criminals Should Be 12 Years Old"

Major new plan for our children

By Dolores Cowburn

RAISING the age of criminal responsibility from ten to 12 is one of the suggestions in Jersey’s first draft Children’s Plan released today for public consultation.

Banning public access to the Royal Court when a youngster stands accused of a grave crime has also been recommended in the draft document, open for consultation until 15 February.

Islanders will get the chance to say whether they agree or disagree with the suggestions put forward by the ministers for Health, Education and Home Affairs, in their role as the children’s policy group.

"Case Closed"....my hoopajoop It's closed

Case closed

By Diane (I lied, shackles) Simon

A major part of the investigation focused on allegations at the former children’s home Haut de la Garenne between 1960 and 1986.

JERSEY’S historical abuse inquiry is officially over, acting police chief David Warcup announced today.

The investigation – the longest and most expensive in the Island’s history – has been officially closed after States police ruled that all lines of inquiry have been exhausted. The final cost will be in excess of £10m.

During the inquiry – named Operation Rectangle – officers investigated 533 offences, took 1,776 statements, collected 9,874 documents and seized 4,620 exhibits. And a total of 192 victims were identified during police inquiries.

"Mental Health Patients Get Shafted!!!"

Incredible....Those who need help the most, get shafted first!

After the recent spate of suicides in Jersey (that Jersey's media have not informed ANYONE about) over the last few months, Anne Pryke decides to hack the budget. I will be doing a special posting on the recent suicides shortly. Ian Evans

Health patients braced for first round of cost-cutting

By Dolores Cowburn

THE full impact of States spending cuts were revealed yesterday, with new mothers and mental health sufferers among those to be directly affected by reductions in Health services.

New mothers will soon receive physiotherapy from midwives instead of trained therapists after three physiotherapists took voluntary redundancy, while GPs will have more responsibility for mental health patients after two posts in that area were also cut.

Health Minister Anne Pryke said yesterday that she could not guarantee that removing the mental health posts would provide a better service, but said that more savings still needed to be found.

"The Ex Bay-Leaf On 0-10"

Zero-ten: ‘UK, not Europe, the problem’

By Andy Sibcy

Sir Philip Bailhache says it is the UK Treasury and not the EU who want zero-ten amended.

IT is the UK Treasury and not Europe which is determined to undermine Jersey’s economy, a former Bailiff has claimed.

In a letter to the JEP which sheds new light on the relationship between Jersey and Westminster, Sir Philip Bailhache says that the Treasury has been ‘hostile and unfriendly from the start’.

He says: ‘‘From information received from our European advisers, it is an open secret that the pressure to amend zero-ten is coming not from the EU but from the Treasury itself, which is driving the opposition to the zero-ten policy.’

The letter comes days after a rift between Treasury Minister Philip Ozouf’s department and their counterparts in Whitehall was revealed over the ongoing dispute about the Island’s zero-ten tax regime.

"Haute De La Garenne" The Statistics

A big THANK YOU to Ozzy for the GOVERNMENTS (alleged) FINAL STATISTICS on the Haute de la Garenne COVER UP!!!

And to those who are clinging to power in Jersey by their fingertips, "Nothing Is Over, Nothing" you don't just turn it off!!!

Stuart Syvret
Voice For Children
Rico Sorda
Cover Up Jersey
Ian Evans Against Jersey Corruption & Police Brutality
Pie N Mash Films
NO MORE, In Jersey!!!
Aangirfan
The Jersey Way

These are but a few sites to chew on, there are many more.

"Jersey Baby Beater Get's Only 18 Months"....justice the Jersey Way

The picture to your right is not an x-ray of the baby in this particular story, but IS an x-ray of an abused child from the past. I have posted it to give readers some dimension to this atrocious episode. Ian Evans

Jail for father who broke his baby’s leg

By Lucy Mason

A FATHER lost his temper and fractured his six-week-old baby girl’s leg after she woke him up in the early hours of the morning because she was hungry, the Royal Court has heard.

The 22-year-old, who kept his head down for most of the court hearing on Friday, was jailed for 18 months for inflicting what the judge described as a ‘terrible’ injury on a helpless infant.

His baby daughter was kept in hospital for almost six weeks after the incident and was given morphine and diazepam to ease her pain, which was assessed as ten out of ten by a triage nurse.

"Is It Bye Bye Phil Over 0-10"

Call for Treasury Minister to resign over zero-ten

By Ben Quérée

Ted Vibert says that Senator Philip Ozouf should resign.

TREASURY Minister Philip Ozouf should resign over the zero-ten row, according to former Senator Ted Vibert.
He says that given the EU’s insistence on changes in Jersey’s corporate tax system that Senator Ozouf had claimed was safe, he has no alternative but to quit.

Mr Vibert – a long-term critic of Senator Ozouf’s and president of the Jersey Democratic Alliance – says that the Senator has consistently defended the tax system and has accused him of ‘spin, obfuscation and totally misleading statements’.

"Closer Links With Jersey"

Steps under way 'for closer Jersey-UK links'

Steps have got under way at Westminster to forge closer links between the Channel Islands and the UK Government, a UK minister says.

On his first visit to Jersey, Lord McNally, minister responsible for Crown Dependencies, said he had already made moves for this happen.

He said he wanted to cut red tape so Jersey legislation, which needs UK royal assent, got through faster.

He also promised to look at plans for a new reciprocal health agreement.

The island lost its health agreement with the UK in 2009, which meant that islanders have had to pay for some medical services while in the UK, and vice versa.

A new agreement is expected with the UK in 2011.

"Do We Need 0-10 ?"

…and we do need zero-ten change, says UK

By Ben Quérée

JERSEY has been told that the UK government will not stick its neck out to protect the Island over its ‘zero-ten’ row with the EU.

The UK politician responsible for the relationship between the coalition government and the States says that Jersey has to make its own decisions, but that its bigger role on the world stage includes taking responsibility for itself and for keeping its neighbours happy.

Lord McNally has been meeting politicians and senior figures in Jersey this week on his first official visit to the Island since taking on the role in May, and says that with the opportunities of standing on its own feet come challenges and responsibilities.

"Stiffed For 5% GST"

GST heads for 5%

By Richard Heath

GST looks almost certain to go up to 5% next June, with no exemptions.

Proposals to exempt food and domestic energy were narrowly defeated yesterday by a 26–24 margin after a marathon States session forming part of the Budget debate.

That decision leaves GST almost certain to go up from 3% to 5% next June after all alternatives were either defeated or withdrawn.

Only by taking the ‘nuclear option’ of rejecting the whole of Treasury Minister Philip Ozouf’s Budget could the rise in GST now be stopped.

"Jersey Politicians sign up to be Real Men" my oh my, will you be signing up MARIO?!!!

The island's politicians have joined the fight to battle domestic violence.

The Real Man campaign promotes the idea that a Real Man does not hit, abuse or control and that domestic violence is never acceptable.

Just before the budget debate kicked off politicians were asked to give their support to the campaign and signed the forum's manifesto.

Jersey States' members are following in the footsteps of UK politicians such as Ed
Miliband, Ed Balls, Alan Johnson and Jack Straw.

'Real Man' ambassadors have chosen to support the campaign and have been photographed in 'Be a Real Man' t-shirts.

"Zero-Ten" is only Ozouf right?

Zero-ten tax policy in disarray

By Harry McRandle

A tense-looking Treasury Minister Philip Ozouf arrives at the States for the Budget debate
JERSEY and the UK Treasury appear to be completely at odds over the future of the zero-ten tax regime.

A rift has developed as a result of press statements issued by HM Treasury yesterday following a meeting of European finance ministers on Tuesday at which zero-ten was discussed.

Zero-ten is a controversial tax system which taxes companies and shareholders differently dependent on whether they reside in the Island or not.

The HM Treasury statements effectively said that Jersey and the Isle of Man should be prepared to amend their controversial tax systems because they were considered ‘harmful’ by Europe. Guernsey has already publicly committed to move away from zero-ten.

But Treasury Minister Philip Ozouf is adamant that the UK interpretation is wrong and that nothing has changed.

"Doris Ropers, Our Jersey Paedophile From Yesterdays Post"

Doris "Dolly" Ropers, likes young boys and sentenced to two years for Paedophillia. Aren't we lucky here in sunny Jersey?

"Another Paedophile In Jersey" and plenty left to be convicted!!!

Woman jailed for sex abuse of young boys

By Lucy Mason

A FORMER childcare worker who plied young boys with alcohol and cigarettes before sexually assaulting them during parties at her home has been jailed for two years.

Yesterday, the Royal Court heard how 37-year-old Doris Ropers, who is also known as Dolly, ‘sexualised’ children as young as 12 during the parties by playing pornographic films, dishing out lollipops in the shape of genitalia, playing risqué party games and baring her breasts.

On one occasion the former childcare worker, who was the only adult present at the parties, performed oral sex on a 13-year-old boy in front of other teenagers during a game of spin the bottle.

Chief Minister Apologises To Victims Whilst Still Concealing The Truth"

Victims of child abuse given a formal apology

VICTIMS of child abuse received a formal apology from the States yesterday when Chief Minister Terry Le Sueur admitted that they had been failed by the system.

Reading a statement at the start of the session, Senator Le Sueur said that with the historical child abuse inquiry now concluded, it was time to extend sympathy to the Islanders who were affected.

He said: ‘On behalf of the Island’s government, I acknowledge that the care system that operated historically in the Island failed some children in the States’ residential care in a serious way. Such abuse has been confirmed by the criminal cases that have been before Jersey’s courts.’

This is how Terry Le Sewer APOLOGISES.

This is how a "Real Man" APOLOGISES.

"Will Jersey Say Bye Bye To King Birt" ?

‘End the Bailiff’s dual role’

By Andy Sibcy

Lord Carswel

THE States should remove the Bailiff from his position as President of the House to save Jersey the embarrassment of being forced to make the change by the European Court, says one of the UK’s most eminent judges.

Speaking yesterday following the publication of the review into the roles of the Crown Officers which he was asked to lead and which recommended that the Bailiff should cease to be President of the States, Lord Carswell warned that inaction could damage Jersey’s reputation.

The former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland explained that the review panel, which he chaired, had sought the advice of an eminent London barrister on the legality of the dual role of the Bailiff as President of the States and head of the judiciary.

The lawyer, Rabinder Singh QC, said that while he thought Jersey might be able to successfully defend a challenge to the Bailiff’s role in the States in Europe now, the position was likely to be less tenable in ten years.

"We Have Set The Right Course"....for what though?

Budget: ‘We have set the right course’

By Ben Quérée

ONE of the most significant Budget debates of recent years has begun.

By the end of the debate, Jersey’s politicians will have decided whether to approve Treasury Minister Philip Ozouf’s plans to increase GST to 5%, introduce a 2% Social Security surcharge for higher earners, levy inflation-busting duty rises and raise fees paid by the finance industry.

The Budget – the second of Senator Ozouf’s tenure as ‘chancellor’ – seeks to fill part of the looming £100m annual deficit in public finances as Jersey starts to climb out of recession.

But the pressure of making the right decisions in terms of the deficit and the economy – and of balancing campaign promises on controversial subjects like GST and cuts, and election prospects next October – have led to a series of amendments from Members who say that the Council of Ministers is heading in the wrong direction.