So, what was 2012 like for you?

Now that we’re safely into 2013 I thought I’d look back and see what progress Guernsey PLC has made over the past twelve months.
 
Let's start up north and work our way down.
 
Lots of wind and water to Chout but we’ve only just sort of got around to maybe looking at the viability of considering the possibility of perhaps using alternative energy sources at some unspecified time in the future.
 
Speaking as one who usually decries the use of consultants I do think this is an area where the island lacks the necessary expertise and where we should commission a specific report detailing what, where, how much, and to what benefit over what period. The trouble is, someone might then have to do something about it.
 
A bit further on, we have Mont Cuet still filling up at an alarming rate. More talk about island wide recycling but the latest proposals have as many holes as the recycling car parks themselves. Most of us want to do it, but those that be want someone else to pay for it, and someone else to sort out the fine details. So we carry on as usual.
 
Down to the Bridge where Leales Yard still hangs in the air, threatening the future of the existing shops as is already seen by the ghosts of businesses past which now rattle their chains as charity shops.
 
At least we can drive down the road and find a decent and well run supermarket at last. It might be another nail in the coffin of the small grocers (if such things ever made it into the 21st century) but at least it is a proper coffin nail and not the pretenders we’ve had to put up with in the past.
 
Still no cinema to Les Banques but maybe the promise of one if a whole new shedload of offices can be built. Well, perhaps promise is too strong a word. Maybe just something to be considered as viable until the plans are approved and then maybe quietly dropped, again.
 
By now we should be to Town but of course the traffic as usual is slowing us up a bit. Still, as we’re to the bus sheds, let’s reflect on what a good job the new contractors have done with the bus service. Well, that didn’t take long did it?
 
More complaints, late and missing services, and the ongoing threat of strike action. And all of this from a company which was going to be almost like a co-operative with the Island in its sunny future. I wonder just how much money that deal saved us?
 
Back to the roads, the traffic jams, and the closures. It’s amazing how so many roads can be closed all at the same time and how we can have so many cars and vans generated by a population of 65,000 or so.
 
That “or so” by the way could be 10,000+; nobody knows, as we felt it prudent to duck out of the last census. Might have been too revealing. After all, being part of the EU (?) we’ve got to let in all and sundry, and, provided they live in open market “accommodation”, we don’t seem to care too much.
 
Not only can’t we keep undesirables out, we can’t even get rid of them when they prove to be exactly that. Thank goodness we now have our own little tank to sort them out if they get really shirty.
 
Before we get into Town, let’s divert to what should be the crown in C&L’s portfolio of responsibilities; Beau Sejour. This potential hub of the community is so valued that they are still considering farming it out to private enterprise to save money. Somehow they can’t figure out that if a private company can run it cheaper and still make a profit then so can C&L. Perhaps with the skatepark is on its way, the minister can now focus fully on the day job and we’ll see a popular result for the people.
 
Talking of community, I see that the Arts Commission is on its third or fourth Community officer in as many years. Must be a tough job to go through people at such a rate.
 
Anyway, let’s move into Town and count the number of still empty shops; now to be joined by one or two more, given recent announcements. Retail has been changed forever by the internet but that shouldn’t stop us from developing a town which actually attracts people.
 
Once upon a time Guernsey’s market shone leagues above anything Jersey could provide. What a good redevelopment that turned out to be. A dead market, a library now marooned in a pedestrian area far from the nearest car park, and a beautiful performance space seldom used.
 
At least the business world continues to thrive and has plenty of space to expand into, thanks to our forward looking developers who are able to cater for those sectors of our society with sufficient wealth to buy their fabulous creations.
 
The property market generally continues to bloom, unless of course you’re young, and/or less than wealthy; someone who doesn’t count that is.
 
Talking of counting, things have gone rather quiet on the Education front again. After all of that unnecessary fuss, a few faces have changed, some quietly shuffled off to other duties, and the post Mulkerrin report update seems to have wandered off into the long grass.
 
Perhaps everyone is too busy trying to achieve all of these savings FTP is supposed to produce. Not very likely given that the post of Chief Minister seems to be becoming ceremonial. Kings used to be able to lock people in the Tower; now their descendants open things or hold garden parties.
 
Nobody likes being told what to do but we desperately need someone to pick up the reins of government and crack the whip over more than a few heads. We need real savings and real efficiencies. In a time of austerity, we need to fund the basics and lose the “nice to haves”.
 
Our business community, and especially our internationals, seem to have little problem in cutting their cloth; why do we?
 
Transparency and accountability are held by all to be good things, at least in political manifesto puffs. Once the seat hits the bench, they become something which everybody else should aspire towards at some future date.
 
Take that £2.5m lost to a simple fraud. Did the civil servant concerned get sacked for cutting corners? Or weren’t the corners there in the first place; in which case, why are those who should have put suitable checking procedures in place still warming their chairs. More to the point, why isn’t our investigating press following up the story. Oh, I forgot, we don’t appear have one.
 
Putting aside the extra money it’s now costing us through that fraud, the airport project seems to be going rather well with minimal disruption. The massive amount of materials seem to be flowing well, and the tractor drivers appear to be more professional that the bus drivers if public opinion is to be believed. But let’s wait for the end result before passing judgement. Let’s see just what we get for our money and how much more air traffic we receive from better, up to date aircraft and budget airlines.
 
Moving into the country, the farmers appear to be holding their own, at least in supplying the local market for dairy products. Shame we’ve never really got the idea of marketing and export sorted out but why bother when now neither the demand or the supply is there.
 
Down to the coast, where the sea keeps reminding us who’s really in charge. After the hole in the wall incident was repeated a couple of times, the States actually commissioned a report on our sea defences. Unfortunately, that report suggested spending something like £50m over a long period of time to try and keep the sea in check.
 
Now, which politician is going to start spending that amount of money when they can put it off until post election? They did say a long period of time didn’t they? Surely that means it can wait a while then?
 
Ah, King Canute, where are you when we need you?
 
One would think that defending the island would be right up there on the To Do list for all politicians and civil servants but it doesn’t seem to be the case. Maybe they all live in the higher parishes?
 
So, another year of missed opportunities and botch ups. Another States, just as forward thinking as the last one.
 
Maybe this year will be different. Maybe this year will be the one when a true political leader will emerge to lead us out of the wilderness years.
 
Maybe.