Whilst we understand and appreciate the very real concerns which have led the ‘pause and reflect’ requête to be passed in the House this week, we firmly believe this decision underlines a pressing need for a review of the States Machinery of Government and, in particular, the capital approval and implementation process.
Multi-term complex infrastructure projects will continue to prove very challenging and, in cases where there is a divided House, impossible to implement until this issue is addressed. Irrespective of your views on the ideal model, the flaws in the current process have been clearly exposed and it is ultimately the students who will suffer because of the delays.
‘Machinery of Government’ is a dry subject but, when these events occur, it is clear how critically important this topic is: a flawed system causes real-life impacts. We strongly urge all prospective candidates to have this topic as one of their key priorities so this can be one of the first actions of the new House.
Guernsey will suffer over the long term if the status quo prevails. It’s not just the students who will suffer but the island will also have deep-rooted issues.
Last year, the IoD highlighted a number of incremental changes that could make a big difference to the efficiency of the current consensus-based government.
You can view the blog here.
At our mid-term event in March we will be discussing the subjects our members identified as key priorities for the next political term, which include education, economic diversification, air and sea links. You can find out more here.