Clameur de Haro was, to say the least, unimpressed by the both astonishing and disturbing exhibition of presumption, going beyond the remit of one’s office, and straying into the political arena by a supposedly impartial public servant, provided recently by Mr John Rogers, the Acting Head of TTS.According to this report from BBC Radio Jersey (not always, it has to be said, the most accurate of media outlets), Mr Rogers has taken it upon himself to pronounce it “essential” that an environmental tax is introduced, and has also proposed the levying of taxes on fuel or (did he mean “and”? wonders CdeH) vehicle emissions.
Mr Rogers is clearly a devoted adherent to the Green Religion and its CO2 articles of faith, at one philosophically with the enviro-authoritarians who wish to either police us or tax us into behaving as they think we should, rather than persuading us.
He should perhaps be reminded that a unified set of policy prescriptions stemming from all-pervading Greenism have not been explicitly approved by either the States or the general public, and that candidates who have stood for election on an overtly Greenist platform have been roundly rejected by the electorate.
Were he, moreover, to pause for a few moments’ reflection in his crusade to direct us all how to live our lives, two things might just occur to him. Firstly, that adding further costs to travel and distribution in a island with poor public transport is both ineffective, inflationary, and fiscally regressive: and secondly, that positive, market-driven incentives to recycle are much more desirable socially, and much more likely to succeed practically, than illiberal coercion. A system of tax relief vouchers for regular recycling, for example, might well be far more effective, and should not cost upwards of the quoted £0.5m (plus no doubt an additional clerical “resource”) to administer.
In recent exchanges with Clameur de Haro, one senior States’ Member has unequivocally asserted to him that, contrary to popular opinion and concern, public policy in these challenging times is not made by unelected and unaccountable civil servants, but is exclusively the preserve of ministers and politicians answerable to the electorate at the ballot-box. That this should be axiomatic especially in the case of new taxes, should go without saying.
Mr Rogers however appears not have heard this, or to have unilaterally decided that this need not and does not apply to him. Perhaps his political masters can enlighten him – and ensure that his Acting status remains precisely that, and that only.
Add to del.icio.usDigg It!Stumble This
Posts
2 comments:
In recent exchanges with Clameur de Haro, one senior States’ Member has unequivocally asserted to him that, contrary to popular opinion and concern, public policy in these challenging times is not made by unelected and unaccountable civil servants, but is exclusively the preserve of ministers and politicians answerable to the electorate at the ballot-box.
Ho, Ho, Ho - choking on my full strength Yorkshire tea with full fat milk + white sugar.
The problem is most States Members cannot see that they are being led by the nose by the civil servants. The dupes think they are leading.
What happens is this - members get elected and then come to rely upon the advise and information from the existing semi-permanent civil servants. Politicians may have arrived in the States with a head full of the public's desires only to find themselves being overwhelmed by the "Sir Humphreys" who almost instantly corrupt the member into a dependant position by steering them with superior guile and experience. The member gets to rely upon their "faithful servant" without realising who is in charge.
If somebody outside with superior knowledge, like myself, crops up, the member can only do two things when faced with knowledge beyond their limitations to correctly understand - ignore it or admit it. Our "big fish in a minuscule pond" middle men almost always choose the former.
This is probably because they so rely upon their officers that they daren't upset them by thinking much for themselves, so they just acquiesce to avoid losing Department support and thereby risking losing "face" publicly by thenceforward having to rely upon their own talents, which are mostly as one would expect to find in a very small catchment area like Jersey.
Very little, if anything, that CdeH would dispute in your comment, Nick.
The numbers of politicos who, too soon after election, have succumbed to departmental capture and gone native, is very high.
That's why the senior officials, as well as the politicos, should in CdeH's opinion be required to do their Political Compass test, so that mere oiks like you and CdeH can see where they stand.
(Although some of them might have difficulty understanding some of the questions as well.......)
Post a Comment