How many people in Jersey can spell Auschwitz or Holocaust?

The first “open to the public” Scrutiny hearing of 2012 and the newly elected States of Jersey took place on Friday 27 January.

This also happened to be world-wide Holocaust Memorial Day and the scrutiny panel hearing with the Minister of Health, two Assistant Ministers and several most senior civil servants of the Health Department did not have human rights on its collective mind.

In fact, although the whole hour of scrutiny talk was taken up with discussions about the latest external report to condemn Jersey’s Children’s’ Care services nobody mentioned international obligations such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

This was especially strange, not just because this was Holocaust Memorial Day and most of the politicians present were keen to finish the talking in order to attend the ceremony on the quay – but such international safeguards as the Convention on the Rights of the Child have featured so prominently in previous reports...not to mention strategies. Besides which, the letters HDLG may yet be concealing an even greater Jersey scandal concerning the welfare of children and those who should ensure it.

So we had another hour of talk and promises of action from Deputies Pryke, Martin and Constable Refault for the Health Department supported by their painfully complacent officers whilst Deputies Moore, Hilton and Reed asked  predictable scrutiny questions.

Deputy Tadier sat in the public seats along with a couple of bloggers to witness the proceedings but no other elected States members were there and neither was the accredited press.

Probably a couple of hundred people turned out on the cold quay to remember the fallen of the Second World War and to catch a glimpse of special guest Michael Portillo.

Another 98,000 Jersey residents neither attended the scrutiny hearing nor bothered to pay their respects at the ceremony to the 50 millions who perished in the war.

Interviews with Deputies Moore and Tadier appear here.

Words and images from Michael Portillo and Chief Minister Gorst can be seen and heard HERE where pictures of wreaths and flowers must speak for the rest.

Submitted by Tom Gruchy.

Jersey Deputies Hustings T. Pitman/Shaw

Hustings speeches Trevor Pitman, Keith Shaw. St. Helier District No1.

Jersey Deputies Hustings Le Main/S. Pitman

Hustings speeches Terry Le Main, Shona Pitman.

Jersey Senator Hustings 2011 Colley, Farnham.

Hustings speeches of Rose Colley and Lyndon Farnham.

Jersey Senator Hustings 2011 Cohen, Richardson.

Hustings speeches of Senator Cohen and Mr. David Richardson.

COMMITTEE OF ENQUIRY 1

The latest on the "Committee of Enquiry"

Just a quick post

This COI is so important that it must not be nobbled like every other report our ruling elite get their hands on

Team Voice want to keep you up to date on any developments concerning the TOR's

In the statement released by the Chief Minister on the previous Blog Posting the Chief Minister said that his department had now engaged with an independent facilitator with expertise in the field of public enquiries; this person is Ed Marsden from Verita. 

Now, my own concern about this is that Ed Marsden has already carried out work for the States of Jersey. Having said that, the Verita Report was  damning -  is he what you would call independent if he's now picking up work so easily? These are just my views and I would hope that others will express theirs.

As far as I know, no Abuse Survivors have had any input into the setting up or TOR's of this COI. 

Let me ask the readers what you think the Terms of Reference should include. If it was me I would want the local Media included, they really have been a disgrace 

Who sits on the COI?

Who would you like to sit on the COI

Lets start getting some feed back concerning this COI 

Team Voice

COMMITTEE OF ENQUIRY

On March 1st 2010 the States of Jersey voted for a Committee of Enquiry 

Things are moving about as fast as a Massy Ferguson with One Wheel

We will now be keeping a close eye on this and posting updates on"VoiceforJersey"

Let us now look at the Statement released By the Chief Minister this week. I have highlighted in Red where I see problems with this statement.

Statement by the Chief Minister

Historical Child Abuse: Committee of Inquiry Terms of Reference

On the 1st March 2011, the States’ Assembly agreed by 37 votes to 11 that there should be a Committee of Inquiry to investigate some unresolved issues in relation to historical child abuse in the Island. The States also approved four points that the Committee of Inquiry should consider and asked the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers to establish such a Committee.

During that debate, and indeed since then, there have been representations from interested parties about the need for further consultation on the terms of reference for any inquiry given the different opinions as to the purpose of the inquiry and what the investigation needs to achieve. The Council of Ministers have wrestled with this issue and the imperative for the inquiry to have a clear purpose with clear terms of reference. I have no doubt that whatever terms of reference are finally agreed, that some parties will not be satisfied as their views on the purpose will be different.

I discussed this matter with Senator Le Gresley and Deputies Hill and Tadier who had brought successful amendments to the Council of Ministers original proposition not to have a Committee of Inquiry. I am pleased that we all agreed at this meeting that we needed some independent expert help from an external body to seek the views of interested parties and recommend terms of reference to the Council of Ministers with various options on how an inquiry of this nature might be conducted in Jersey. It needs to be made clear here that under the States of Jersey Law, it would be for the Committee of Inquiry to ultimately determine how the investigation would be conducted.

Senator Le Gresley attended the Council of Ministers on 16^th June and reported back on the meeting. The Chief Minister’s Department has now begun to engage with an independent facilitator with expertise in the field of public inquiries in the UK, and with the benefit of knowledge of the Island, to take this idea forward as a matter of urgency. I hope that this initial piece of work will take weeks rather than months and given States business is unlikely to be debated until the autumn.

As you can see we have a problem with all of it.  I don't know what we do if im honest. Yes, there must a Committee of Enquiry but we don't trust this present Government one little bit.

I fully trust Senator Le Gresley and Deputies Hill & Tadier  but lets not forget how the Chief Minister shafted Deputy Hill concerning the Napier Report. Deputy Hill was meant to have oversight and we know what happened to that.  

Just look at the bit concerning the terms of reference. Since when has a minor problem like TOR's concerned this present lot? Remember part D of the Napier Review and Verita they just dropped and changed as they pleased.

This expertise must have some knowledge in Child Abuse Enquiries 

This is just the first posting of many concerning the "COI" and I hope people will leave their views on the comment section. This COI is so important to so many people it cant be sabotaged like everything else

 Roughly 40 members of  This Government & the ruling elite don't give a damn about the Abuse Survivors you can see this through their voting over the last couple of years.

What pro-active steps have they taken in helping the Survivors ? 

They were dragged towards this COI

We must watch them like a Hawk

Team Voice