Bring back P145/2009

In early March 2009 Senator Alan Breckon, Deputies, Roy Le Herissier Trevor Pitman and Geoff Southern formed a Scrutiny Sub Panel to look into the “care” of vulnerable children administered by our States.

The sub panel soon become aware that not all was well, and in particular there were, how shall we put this? “failings” “misgivings” “malpractice” “short comings”? perhaps incompetence, cover up, corruption, and total neglect of our children might be too strong a phraseology but perhaps shouldn’t be ruled out.

So concerned were the sub panel that after some 18 - 20 weeks of taking testimony and collecting data that they felt it necessary to bring a proposition to the States (P145/2009) asking for a committee of enquiry to look into the management at Health and Social Services. They believed our most vulnerable children had been “avoidably” horribly failed by these people. But guess what? THIRTY of our States members didn’t want this to happen, that is THIRTY people who believe they are voting how we, the electorate, would like them to vote. I shall list the THIRTY below. Needless to say the proposition got defeated.

Subsequently the Jersey Child Protection Committee (JCPC) conducted a Serious Case Review (SCR) on a particularly troubled family. I believe, and stand to be corrected, that the SCR was forced upon the JCPC by the family’s Lawyer, Advocate Tim Hanson. The report that followed was nothing short of DAMMING and SCATHING of just about every department, and more, that deals with, not only “vulnerable” children, but children in general - as well as our Law Offices and one, as yet unnamed (unaccountable) Judge.
The full JCPC SCR report can be read here, and again it is another one of those documents that doesn’t make for comfortable reading.

Senator Alan Breckon must be encouraged to submit P145/2009 again, the people (highly paid Civil Servants) and others, that so tragically failed this family, and possibly many other families must be held to account.

Below is an interview with Senator Breckon, although it must be remembered that Deputies Southern, Le Herissier and T. Pitman also put the best part of twenty weeks work into trying to unearth who or what allowed this tragic, unforgivable and avoidable chain of events to occur.

Although, as things stand it looks like our elected “representatives” and in particular Education Minister Deputy James Reed and H&SS Minister Deputy Ann Pryke, are not going to hold any of their Civil Servants to account. So we as voters, must make sure these elected “representatives” are held to account at the Ballot Box in the next elections.



Senator Terence Augustine Le Sueur
CONTRE


Senator Paul Francis Routier
CONTRE


Senator Philip Francis Cyril Ozouf
CONTRE


Senator Terence John Le Main
CONTRE


Senator Ben Edward Shenton
CONTRE


Senator Frederick Ellyer Cohen
CONTRE


Senator James Leslie Perchard
CONTRE


Senator Alan John Henry Maclean
CONTRE


Senator Bryan Ian Le Marquand
CONTRE


Connétable Kenneth Priaulx Vibert
CONTRE


Connétable John Le Sueur Gallichan
CONTRE


Connétable Daniel Joseph Murphy
CONTRE


Connétable Michael Keith Jackson
CONTRE


Connétable Graeme Frank Butcher
CONTRE


Connétable Peter Frederick Maurice Hanning
CONTRE


Connétable Leonard Norman
CONTRE


Connétable John Martin Refault
CONTRE


Connétable Juliette Gallichan
CONTRE


Deputy Robert Charles Duhamel
CONTRE


Deputy John Benjamin Fox
CONTRE


Deputy Judith Ann Martin
CONTRE


Deputy James Gordon Reed
CONTRE


Deputy John Alexander Nicholas Le Fondré
CONTRE


Deputy Anne Enid Pryke
CONTRE


Deputy Sean Power
CONTRE


Deputy Kevin Charles Lewis
CONTRE


Deputy Ian Joseph Gorst
CONTRE


Deputy Philip John Rondel
CONTRE


Deputy Daniel John Arabin Wimberley
CONTRE


Deputy Edward James Noel
CONTRE








　
　
　
　
　

A credible fictitious story?

Today Sunday the 14th March 2010, our Chief Minister, Senator Terry (P9-26) Le Sueur, along with Deputy of St Marin Bob Hill were “live” guests on our local weekly Radio Show “Talkback”.

The subject matter was “who is running Jersey, the Civil Servants, or the Politicians.”

One member of the public who phoned into the show was a member of Team Voice. Where he put it to Senator Terry (P9-26) Le Sueur that the Civil Servants are running the island, and in particular, the Head Civil Servant Bill Ogley.

The Team Voice member went on to explain, that no less an authority than our most Senior Police Officer, had sworn an affidavit claiming that Mr. Ogley had been involved in engineering the dismissal of a democratically elected member of our parliament namely the (then) Health and Social Service Minister Senator Stuart Syvret. Indeed CPO Graham Power had this to say in his Affidavit.

“I attended a meeting of the Corporate Management Board (C.M.B.) This is a body which brings together the heads of the islands public services to discuss policy issues and provide collective advice to Ministers.

T he feeling in the room was tense and there was general talk about the questions asked by the Health Minister and the need for some sort of action in response. I had the feeling that “something was going on” to which I was not a party. After the meeting the Chief Executive, Bill Ogley, asked me to stay behind. Also remaining were the head of States H.R., Ian Crich, the Chief Officer of Health, Mike Pollard and the then Chief Officer of Education, (Tom McKeon who has since retired.) The Chief Executive said that it was anticipated that the Council of Ministers would tomorrow be asked by the then Chief Minister, Senator Frank Walker, to pass a vote of “no confidence” in the Health Minister and that this could result in his removal from office. I was then told of measures that had apparently been put in place to facilitate this. I was told that the islands Child Protection Committee (C.P.C.) was due to meet at the same time as we were meeting and that arrangements had been made for it to pass a vote of “no confidence” in the Minister. It was then suggested that as the heads of the relevant public services we should do something similar and that this would give support to the proposal that the Chief Minister would bring forward the next day.

I was shocked by this and initially did not know what to say. I eventually made two points. Firstly I said that the Minister was entitled to ask difficult questions. As I saw things that was his role and it was our role to provide a response, and secondly, even if that was not agreed, what was being proposed was civil servant and police engagement in political activity. I stated clearly that I did not see that as acceptable and that I would have nothing to do with it. At this point the Chief Executive asked me to leave the meeting which I did. I then made contact with a police colleague who had been at the C.PC. and discovered that this colleague had also had left their meeting for similar reasons. Shortly afterwards we both made brief notes in relation to what had happened. This was my first noteworthy experience of the formation of an “inner circle” of politicised senior civil servants loyal to the Chief Minister. The Chief Executive and the head of H.R. subsequently played a significant role in my suspension.”

Let us remember, this is a sworn affidavit submitted voluntarily, should there be any falsehoods contained in it the Chief Police Officer risks a perjury charge.

The Team Voice member went on to explain to our Chief Minister that contained within the same affidavit was an allegation from CPO Power that the Chief Executive Officer Bill Ogley had stated if “they” (presumably the police?) wanted to “get” a fellow Civil Servant who was a suspect in the ongoing historical child abuse investigation, (and remained in post, not suspended as a neutral act) then they would have to “get him first” (Bill Ogley). Chief Police Officer Graham Power had this to say in his affidavit.

“The third example I have chosen relates to a Strategic Planning Workshop held at the St Pauls Centre on Friday 24th October 2008. The Workshop was attended by a number of senior public servants including myself and the Chief Executive. At the commencement of the workshop the Chief Executive asked for silence and said that he had an announcement to make. He named a senior civil servant who was present. The person named is a suspect in the abuse investigation but has not been suspended. The Chief Executive said that the suspect had his total support and that “if anyone wants to get…….(the suspect)…….they would have to get me first”. This announcement was applauded by some but not all of the persons present. I took it as a further indication of the “in crowd” closing ranks against the “threat” of the abuse enquiry. The Chief Executive later played a significant role in my suspension.”

The Chief Minister replied by saying he hasn’t seen any evidence to prove any wrong doing by his Chief Civil Servant, and his Chief Civil Servant has denied the claims, and he (the Chief Minister) has every confidence in Mr. Ogley.

So this is how things work over here in good old Jersey. Our most senior ranking Police Officer, swears an affidavit that the most Senior Civil Servant has been involved in, what most would consider to be “illegal” and anti-democratic activity. The Senior Civil Servant denies it and that’s good enough for our Chief Minister. No investigation or inquiry into the claims made in the affidavit, there’s no need the Civil Servant has denied it, nothing more needed.

I believe it was Lenny Harper who first used this quote and it sums it up really and that is you couldn’t make up a credible “fictitious” story with this stuff.
For those who would like to view Chief Police Officer Graham Power’s Affidavit in its entirety click HERE