The next campaign by the Establishment.

As time goes on, bit by bit things are being revealed in the media that are showing the Establishments true agenda, and their tactics are becoming clearer.

I saw this article on the JEP website a few days ago - http://www.thisisjersey.com/news/2012/03/23/clash-with-the-uk-looms-over-passports/
Followed by this on the BBC today -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-17547127

The article predicts a future clash over the decision of the UK to rescind Jerseys right to issue passports. Instead they will all be issued from England and, although the cost will not go up to islanders, they may have to wait a bit longer for their passports to arrive.

If one examines this news objectively and without that silly instinct to automatically defend Jersey that I mentioned in a previous post, there is nothing particularly wrong with this decision. The UK public sector is facing a lot of cuts at the moment and so various departments are being shuffled about to make them more efficient and so the UK has obviously decided it's cheaper to centralise it. On the face of it, I can't see much wrong with that decision. I mean, who cares right? It's not exactly a big deal where our passports are printed. It doesn't materially affect us in anyway really.

The hysteria is astounding. The media are acting as if this is somehow an attack on Jersey and our rights. But this is a non-issue, for a start, Jersey has no right whatsoever to issue our passports for us. Jersey does not provide us with "Jersey citizenship" we are British citizens and that is provided to us by the UK government. Therefore, it is the UK government which possesses the right the print them. We should be grateful that we are actually British citizens rather than what some overseas territories have which is the inferior "British Dependent Territories Citizenship".

If you go to section 6 on the Notes section in your Jersey passport, you will see that the very first line says "This passport remains the property of Her Majesty's government in the United Kingdom". Our passports are the responsibility of the UK government, not the Jersey government.

But the rhetoric I am seeing on various websites about this whole thing is really worrying. People are taking it as an attack on Jersey and our right to be a people (I've even seen some idiots use the phrase "Jersey citizen" as if such a thing exists...). People are really wound up about this, even though there is absolutely nothing to be wound up about. The media have been using words like "fight" to suggest that the Jersey government will be standing up for us, and evokes imagery of noble battles and patriotism to turn the issue into something unquestionable.

When you couple this up with the whole LVCR debacle, it's clear that a really "anti-UK" sentiment is building up. Despite the UK acting reasonably on both counts, the media and various politicians (Senator Farnham in the case of the passports) are playing on this and fuelling the fire. The UK is being used as a scapegoat, to draw peoples attention away from the failings of our own politicians. Dr Geobbels would be proud! I've even seen some people blaming immigrants and using racist rhetoric to argue for the work permits scheme.

The more I notice these little things, the more obvious the agenda of the islands Establishment becomes. Their agenda is to consolidate their power for the benefit of international finance. It always has been and it always will be. That is why the electoral commission was usurped, because a true democracy in Jersey would ruin this for them. The next objective for them, is to do what they can to sever ties with the UK. Because at the end of the day, the British government retains the right to ensure the good governance of the British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. They have even gone so far as to completely suspend the government of the Turks and Caicos islands and impose home rule on them until they can solve their corruption problems. If the UK government really looked into Jersey, they would have a field day. If the UK interfered in Jersey, to impose basic democratic principles (the rule of law would be a nice start, followed by a proportionate democratic system) it would not benefit the Establishment at all.... unless they could utilise propaganda and spin it into somehow an attack on the Jersey way.

This is why they want to silently build up a feeling of antipathy and resentment towards the UK so that when someone comes up with the idea of declaring independence, it will have some public support. And who better to launch such a campaign than our very own poll topper Senator Bailhache!

I can literally think of nothing worse for Jersey than independence.

The States of Jersey are totally incompetent, they do a bad job of running Jersey, they are incredibly unpopular and the system itself is undemocratic. How could anyone think having these fools in charge without the watchful eye of a higher authority (not God, although if he's available I invite him to stand for election) would be a good thing? The fact that we have a big country like the UK to fall back on, who leaves us alone when we are doing well, is a great thing that we should treasure.

Imagine going on holiday and getting into a spot of trouble and needing help. Where would you rather go to? A Jersey Embassy or a British Embassy? It's a no-brainer. The diplomatic weight of the British government is a force to be reckoned with (not always a good thing if you're Iraq or Iran, but good for holiday makers in trouble) that Jersey folk should really not take for granted. If Jersey were independent we would also find ourselves as a small, unpopular jurisdiction in the middle of a European Union that is hostile to us, and no longer has a UK to defend us. We wouldn't last long at all until the EU banned their businesses dealing with Jersey. Independent small countries like Lichtenstein, Monoco and Andorra are going out of fashion, and we would be fools to jump aboard that sinking ship.

But as usual, some in Jersey either don't have the foresight, or just plain don't care, and are willing to do what it takes in Jersey to look out for the few above the interests of the many.

People of Jersey, I implore you, don't fall for this propaganda!


Sam