States Meeting Transcript - 07/04/2006

STATES OF JERSEY

OFFICIAL REPORT

FRIDAY, 7th APRIL 2006

FAREWELL TO AIR CHIEF MARSHAL SIR JOHN CHESHIRE, K.B.E., C.B., LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR........................................................................................1

The Bailiff : .....................................................................................1 Senator S. Syvret: .............................................................................1 The Bailiff : .....................................................................................3

His Excellency Air Chief Marshal Sir John Cheshire:..........................................3 The Bailiff : .....................................................................................6

His Excellency Air Chief Marshal Sir John Cheshire:..........................................6 ADJOURNMENT...................................................................................6 The Bailiff : .....................................................................................6

The Roll was called and the Dean led the Assembly in Prayer.

FAREWELL TO AIR CHIEF MARSHAL SIR JOHN CHESHIRE, K.B.E., C.B., LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

The Bailiff :

On this very special occasion when the Assembly has gathered to say farewell to His Excellency and Lady Cheshire, I call upon the Senior Member to address the Assembly.

Senator S. Syvret:

Sir, it falls to me as Father of the House today to express our appreciation of the service of His Excellency Sir John Cheshire, and to wish His Excellency and Lady Cheshire well as they depart today. I do so most warmly on behalf of Members. Five years ago the former Senator Pierre Horsfall welcomed His Excellency with these words: "I know that I can speak for all Members when I say that we will all be delighted if he is able to attend during some of our regular Tuesday sessionswe do hope to see His Excellency from time to time." Sir, if I may respectfully say so, His Excellency has exceeded all reasonable expectations - and not only on Tuesdays, but often on Wednesdays and Thursdays too! It is entirely typical of the interest that he has shown in all the affairs of the Island as a whole that he should have made such a commitment to his duties in this Assembly. It has, of course, been an especially interesting period - the publication of the Clothier Report and the extensive debates which have led us to Ministerial government and the introduction of the Scrutiny system have coincided with His Excellency's tenure. In addition to witnessing what have been arguably the most fundamental changes in our government in the history of the Assembly, His Excellency has seen us deal with difficult economic affairs, reform our tax system, tackle changes to the structure of the Civil Service and many other pressing issues. Externally, responsibility for the Island's affairs at Westminster has passed from the Home Office to the Lord Chancellor's Department, or as it is now the Department for Constitutional Affairs, and we have also seen Jersey take a more prominent role in international affairs. The Assembly has had to deal with a number of difficult issues since the beginning of 2001, but I believe that I speak for my colleagues when I say that the States, and indeed the Island as a whole, is the stronger as a result. Today, however, I would like to take this opportunity to recall something else about the 5 years that have passed with Sir John as Lieutenant-Governor. In 2004 Jersey celebrated the 800th anniversary

of its links with the English Crown. I think it is fair to say that there was comparatively limited awareness of the importance of this anniversary until shortly before it arrived. But the celebrations which took place undoubtedly helped to reinforce the sense of the Island's unique identity and to lay the foundations for the development of an international personality which is now of considerable importance to Jersey on the political stage. It is a good thing to learn more about history. His Excellency has always been very aware of its importance. Apart from anything else it explains why The Queen's personal representative in the Island should sit on a seat below you, Sir, today in this Assembly, a fact His Excellency has always taken with good grace - or at least so it has appeared. But things were rather different in the time of King John and His Excellency will doubtless have read the book published by Professor Holt and Dr. Everard to mark the 1204 anniversary with some enthusiasm. It records a royal mandate of February 1223, to the effect that: "if any of the knights of our islands of Jersey and Guernsey should remain away on the mainland for more than eight days, the Governor (or Ward en as he then was called) was authorised to take his lands into the king's hands immediately and keep them until further order from the king." Today, Sir, the monarch has fewer knights in Jersey. I know, however, that you generally take a break of at least 2 weeks for your summer holidays. I wonder whether His Excellency from his seat below you has felt a tinge of disappointment, especially in July and August, that the Royal Mandate is no longer extant? It is appropriate to refer to the 1204 anniversary and also the 60th anniversary of Liberation last year because both were occasions on which the Island celebrated its loyalty to the Crown, and the Crown for its part recognised the symbolic links with visits first by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, and last year by Her Majesty The Queen herself, following the visit She made in 2001. I believe that the honour of entertaining Her Majesty at Government House twice during His Excellency's tenure is unparalleled in the 800 years of our relationship with the Crown. But it is not just the happy public occasions for which His Excellency's period in Jersey will be remembered. What has been even more notable has been the time spent with scores of local organisations, the opening of Government House for charitable functions and the welcome given to hundreds of Islanders from all walks of life. Many people will remember with particular affection the annual Christmas tea party at Government House for the charities with which His Excellency and Lady Cheshire have particular links. It was entirely characteristic of their time at Government House that they should have introduced such an event into the calendar. Sir, in this connection I would like to pay particular tribute this morning to Lady Cheshire who has truly won the affection of so many people in Jersey not simply for providing the support one might traditionally associate with the wife of a Lieutenant-Governor but also for the warmth and encouragement she has given so many charities and individuals in her own right. One could gauge this affection from the genuine concern that Islanders felt when she elected to attach herself to the superstructure of a small aeroplane and suspend herself several hundred feet above St Aubin's Bay. Her efforts raised some £22,000 for the Royal Air Force Association charity but, oddly enough, wing-walking has not overtaken the charity walk as the most popular means of fund-raising among the rest of the community. Sir, I have had responsibility for Health and Social Services during Sir John's time in Jersey. That fact has given me many opportunities to see at first hand the real interest he and Lady Cheshire took in both clients and staff during their many visits to the hospital and other caring institutions. I know I speak on behalf of all involved in Health and Social Services when I say how appreciated their interest has been and how popular a Lieutenant Governor Sir John is. Indeed, without wishing any slight upon his illustrious predecessors, nor making the task of his successor seem more onerous, I repeat a view that has often been expressed to me that: "Sir John and Lady Cheshire will be a hard act to follow." I hope that His Excellency and Lady Cheshire will today feel the extent of the goodwill towards them that their period in Jersey has generated, and the sadness that we all feel that it has come to an end. [Approbation] Sir, there must have been occasions on which His Excellency wished that he had a red light on the desk in front of him with

which to attract your attention to respond to a member who had frustrated him during the course of a debate. Although I am confident that I have never been one of those members, it is an honour to pay tribute to His Excellency today when, by convention, he does have the opportunity to address this House. I ask all members to join with me in wishing Sir John and Lady Cheshire well on their departure from Jersey.

The Bailiff :

I call upon His Excellency to respond.

His Excellency Air Chief Marshal Sir John Cheshire:

Mr. Bailiff , Chief Minister, Ministers, Members of the States, ladies and gentlemen upstairs. Mr. Bailiff , firstly may I thank Minister Syvret for his generous remarks about Sam and me. I am particularly grateful for those about Sam because, in military circles, wives very rarely get the credit and recognition that they justly deserve. Be assured we are both very touched by the goodwill and the gratitude that has been shown to us by so many members of this house. We have had a fabulous 5 years here and, from our point of view, it is us who should be displaying gratitude and not the other way around. And yet life is all about teamwork and we like to think that our small contribution to Jersey has benefited from the fact that we have operated as a team. Of course, we have not been the only players in our team. The whole of the Government House staff has worked exceptionally hard to ensure that our challenging programme always ran like clockwork and in the very best interests of Jersey. Since many of that team are in the gallery this morning, Mr. Bailiff , may I take this opportunity to thank them publicly for the exceptional support and service that they have provided for us and for the Island during our time here. [Approbation] When Sam and I attended the special sitting of the States on 25th January 2001, Senator Horsfall made mention of the very special Jersey welcome. That welcome (and the friendship that goes with it) has been the bedrock of our happiness here for the whole or our 5 years. Before coming here we were inveterate travellers, having moved 30 times in 35 years to all corners of the earth. And, at the risk of repeating myself - because I have said this in many other for a - Jersey is in a league of its own as the most friendly place in the world in which we have ever had the privilege of living. Nowhere else has come close to demonstrating the warmth of welcome, the depth of support and friendship, and the genuine help and kindness that we have found so evident here. For that unqualified support and friendship, we thank you Mr. Bailiff and Lady Bailhache and all the people of this beautiful Island - we shall never forget it. When I say all the people, I really do mean all. In our 5 years here we have endeavoured to get to know and to learn from every quarter of Jersey society. Of course, we would not claim to have met everyone - that would be a gross exaggeration. But what we have tried to do is to meet everyone who has wanted to meet us - for whatever reason - and to offer our help and support to those individuals and organisations that have sought it. Our particular emphasis has been on those charities and organisations whose fine work, for many reasons, receives little public profile or acknowledgement. But despite, and in some cases because of, their low profile, those same organisations provide an essential lifeline for many individuals who face serious challenges here. Why do I rehearse these thoughts in the States? For two reasons: first, because, I am concerned that our modest efforts may have helped the various organisations to treat the symptoms of some of the Island's more stigmatic and therefore obscure social problems. But, I fear, we have done little or nothing to overcome the root causes of those problems. I say that because considerable political backbone will be required even to acknowledge the existence of some of those root causes. And then the very difficult political decisions will be needed in this house to actually overcome them. I do, of course, fully recognise the complexity, the difficulty and the social implications of each of those issues. And I would not want anyone to believe that their

resolution just requires the States to change or shed the mantle of the ostrich and replace it with that of the lion. Sound bite jingo of that sort is far, far too simplistic and merely demonstrates a total lack of understanding of the issues at stake. It would also misrepresent in my view the current attitude of the States which is very far from ostrich like. I said there were two reasons why I used this opportunity to focus on just one aspect of our support for Jersey charities. The second reason is actually even more fundamental than the first and it is this. Earlier, I quite appropriately characterised Jersey as a beautiful Island where the people are exceptionally welcoming,

supportive, friendly and helpful and kind. To those qualities I would also add that the social conscience, the community spirit and the voluntary endeavour of this population is also without parallel anywhere else in the world. The combination of a beautiful place occupied by an inherently honourable, honest and friendly population, suggests to me that Jersey comes close to being the theoretical utopia - and indeed it does. But, for good or ill, we actually live in a real rather than a theoretical world. And, in the real world, Jersey is inevitably exposed to and suffers from many of the ills experienced by other nations. And it is those ills that are the root cause of some of the problems that I mentioned earlier. Ills that are here, are inescapable and will keep utopia at bay for as long as they remain untackled, but I am sure that until they are tackled, many dedicated Islanders will doubtless continue to treat the symptoms of those problems with the great dedication and humanity that they always have. My next point is that on 25th January 2001, I confirmed, in this house, that I had a duty to represent, with balance and precision, the views and attitudes of this Chamber. As a consequence, I had an obligation to become a good listener at as many States sittings as possible. I do regret not actually attending all sessions of every sitting, but, it was a simple question of priorities. A balance had to be struck between attendance in the States (in a mute role) or on the other hand, supporting myriad organisations around the Island – but, in an active capacity. The compromise I struck was to attend every day of all major debates (Clothier, the budget and so on), and to attend at least the mornings of all your routine Tuesday sessions. With that sort of limited attendance, you could reasonably comment that I missed the tail-end of a number of significant debates. And you would be right. But that was the inevitable consequence of compromise. That said, I do hope that, throughout my 5 years, I have reflected the political views of this house with balance and with precision whenever I have been asked for them. Be assured I have tried to do so. This may be an appropriate moment to re-emphasise that the Lieutenant- Governor is required to be apolitical. That is an obligation which pensioned-off military pilots like me are only too happy to honour. Paddling in the political pond is best left to those who feel comfortable in that world - and I, for one, do not. But, after listening to your debates for 5 years, I believe you would expect me to express some (apolitical) and balanced comments about what I have seen and heard in this Chamber. In fact, there is only one observation that I feel compelled to make - and I make it with the very best of intentions, albeit with some trepidation. As I was attempting to commit it to paper, I became very aware that it could be regarded merely as a reflection of my political naivety. With that in mind, I should perhaps admit that my previous attendance at political debates has been limited to London, Moscow, Oslo and HQ NATO in Brussels. And, with the exception of Brussels, the frequency of attendance was, by comparison with Jersey, even more limited. So, what I offer actually to you now is the apolitical observation of someone who has attended States sittings (albeit in a mute role) for longer than 29 of the current States Members. Mr. Bailiff , you might also be wondering why I have ducked the easy option: and that would be to pretend that all has been sweetness and light and just disappear into the sunset, saying nothing. The answer to that is very simple - my conscience tells me that I owe it to you, to this Assembly and to the people of the lovely Island of Jersey to give an honest view of the only aspect of States activity which has caused me serious concern during the last 5 years. The start point of that concern is to refer back to my earlier assessment of the inherent qualities of the people of this Island. That is to say they are a uniquely friendly, tolerant, harmonious, disciplined as a society with an enormous social conscience and unparalleled community spirit. In short they are team Jersey at its very best. That being so, I reasonably expected the elected members of that

society to exhibit, in this Chamber, at least some of those self same exceptional qualities and traits. I was wrong. For a significant part of my term of office, few if any of those sitting in this gallery at the moment (or those listening to the debates on Radio Jersey) would have used adjectives such as friendly, harmonious or tolerant to describe what they had heard and felt. Even though I acknowledge that I come from the school of thick-skinned warriors, I was nothing short of staggered by the levels of vitriol, character assassination and of personal invective that ricocheted around this Chamber. But it was not just the words, which are on the transcripts and are therefore irrefutable; what really surprised and upset me was the mood and the atmosphere of antagonism and personal hostility which permeated this Chamber. The more so since it had actually been created by those who claimed to be of the Island and for the Island - and elected by the Island. In short, it seemed to me that, some Members of this Chamber, far from emulating and enhancing all that is fine about the character of Jersey and its people, were, on occasions, getting close to destroying the fine reputation of the society they had been elected to represent. They were also beginning to undermine the Island's long-standing and hard-earned reputation for political stability. Mr. Bailiff , I recognise that those are very harsh words and that some of those who perpetrated that behaviour are no longer States Members today. But others, who are also erstwhile Members of this Chamber, have told me that one of the main reasons for refusing to stand for re-election, was that they could not tolerate any more personal attacks of the sort to which they had been subjected. Mr. Bailiff , I should add, very quickly, that since this current house assumed office, those unseemly days vanished and this Chamber has, once again, started to reflect many of the character traits that make Jersey society so very, very special. I therefore very much hope that those dark days have now been consigned to history, and will never, ever be repeated. [Approbation] May I conclude with a very short and personal assessment of Jersey's future. It is a question I am often asked and I believe it is appropriate to declare my hand with those who will ultimately prove my predictions to be right or wrong. I should emphasise that they are the views of an optimistic realist. I am an optimist, because my instinct has always been to look for solutions to problems, however daunting they may seem at first glance. Indeed, I have considerable trouble with those whose first and natural instinct is to complain and then to spend valuable time telling me why things cannot be done. But I am I think also a realist, and I like to think that, as a general rule, I do have a reasonable feel for the art of the possible in both practical and political terms. So, as an optimistic realist, I will declare that I am hugely encouraged when I assess Jersey's future. Indeed, if I was in your position, and had to play the cards that will determine the course that Jersey takes in the future, I would be delighted with the hand that I had been dealt. The more so when I compare it with the hands that most other nations have to play. I see a robust, expanding, capable, efficient, resourceful and highly competitive finance sector which underpins the Island's economy. I also see an increasingly harmonious, understanding and therefore successful relationship between the finance sector and those who provide the political and regulatory oversight over it. So, short of an unforeseen and calamitous external event, over which Jersey has no control, all the indications are that the finance sector will be profitable here in the foreseeable future. In addition, I see an extraordinary level of enterprise and entrepreneurial endeavour being generated in Jersey which is creating new and successful businesses outside the finance sector. Some of these may have the potential to provide Jersey with a second or a third string to its economic bow in the future. Last, but by no means least, 5 years here has demonstrated to me that this society is an exceptional environment for developing leaders of the highest quality. It has an education system (in its widest sense) which must be the envy of many nations. Not only does it inspire individuals to gain the highest academic standards that they are capable of achieving. It also identifies, cultivates and develops the leadership skills which the youth of Jersey seem to exhibit in abundance. And, in concert with extramural organisations and family traditions, it also engenders the social and the moral conscience and the community spirit that is frequently found lacking or decaying in other societies. All that is in addition to the ability of this Island to identify and develop sporting, musical, theatrical and artistic talent of the highest order. It is that rounded education, when coupled with the inherent discipline, determination and drive, which are so evident in the people of Jersey that convinces me that there will be no shortage of exceptional leaders to run this Island in the future. One of the tasks of this Chamber, I suggest, is to ensure that your pool of young leaders is inspired to return to the Island and take up the reins when you surrender them. I wish you every possible success with that and your myriad other tasks. The challenges are indeed great, but, from the perspective of a realistic optimist who has had the immense privilege of being part of team Jersey for the last 5 years, none of those problems is insurmountable. My instinct, my experience and, of course, my heart all tell me that beautiful Jersey will continue to be both beautiful and hugely successful in the years ahead. Sam and I thank you all for the support, help and friendship

that you have given to us. We could not have asked for 5 happier and more fulfilling years. I know you will give the same welcome and support to Andrew and Valerie Ridgway when they arrive in June. But, for our part, we are very sad to be leaving. Be assured that we shall leave a large part of our hearts in your Island. Mr. Bailiff , I thank you and all the members of this Chamber for allowing the mute to mutter, just once, at a States Sitting. [Approbation]

The Bailiff :

Your Excellency, I know that I speak for all Members in thanking you both for the warmth of your expression, but also for the stimulating and thought provoking message which you have delivered to us. But for the constitutional matters which you yourself mentioned, I would almost say that it is a pity that we had to wait 5 years to hear it. Traditionally Sir this is the moment when the Bailiff concludes matters and passes to the Lieutenant Governor a small gift on behalf of the Island, but unfortunately I am unable to do so this morning. The reason for that is that the choice has been made to give His Excellency and Lady Cheshire, with their approval, a white marble fire surround engraved with the Jersey crest - the 3 leopardised lions which were first sanctioned by gift of the Seal of King Edward I in 1279, and that white marble surround in something we are told which will adorn their new home in England. So Sir, I am unable to pass it over to you, taking up the symbolism which the Senior Member mentioned a short time ago, perhaps I could offer you a small piece of the white marble and express the hope that it will give you and Lady Cheshire great pleasure in your new home and remind you of happy times in Jersey. [Approbation]

His Excellency Air Chief Marshal Sir John Cheshire:

Mr. Bailiff thank you, and thank you very much to this House and all the people of Jersey for their very, very generous gift. It will of course take centre stage in our house in Batcombe in Somerset. It will always be a constant reminder of the generosity and friendship of this beautiful Island and we look forward to any or all of you coming to inspect your fireplace whenever you feel disposed to hit the wild west of Somerset. Thank you very much indeed.

ADJOURNMENT

The Bailiff :

Well I am sure that Members will wish to adjourn to the Royal Square to take their final farewell of His Excellency and Lady Cheshire and in the meantime the States stands adjourned until 25th April.