From the Summit of the Moral High Ground

AS a wholehearted supporter of Option A in the recent referendum, it now concerns me that certain supporters of Options A and C, may try to block, delay or divert the States of Jersey from implementing the preference of the people of Jersey in time for the elections which are due to be held in 2014. Gone are the days when all people living in Jersey experienced the same lifestyle and the differences in experience and values were represented in the results of the referendum. But to imply that the values and opinions of the people who supported Option B should not be valid because they differ from the views of some European bureaucrat who may or may not even know where Jersey lies, is regrettable. The notion put about that Option B is not an equitable resolution and would not comply with the demands of the Venice convention is questionable. Under the current system, people living in different parts of the Island vote directly for a varying number of Members from ten in St Mary to 13 in S...

The Fall of Rome Back in December 2011 I did a few posts looking at where lessons could be learnt from history, such as the one on Rome . On the theme of Roman history, particularly the problem of inflation and its impact, my analysis is based on the premise that monetary policy cannot be studied, or understood, in isolation from the overall policies of the state. We are now at the 'end of empire' stage for the US dollar and so it may be interesting to look at some of the methods employed by the Roman state to deal with the consequences of an inability of the State to transform itself. Monetary, fiscal, military, political, and economic issues are all very much intertwined. And they are all so intertwined because any state normally seeks to monopolize the supply of money within its own territory. Monetary policy therefore always serves, even if it serves badly, the perceived needs of the rulers of the state. If it also happens to enhance the prosperity and pro...

William Bailhache presided I was privileged today to be able to assist a lady in bringing an application for leave to appeal out of time. I shall of course be discrete with some of the facts and identities of the persons involved in the case as they related to a child. The lady in question was involved in a troubled relationship during which she suffered some violence and as a result turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism. At a time when she was gathering the courage to move on from the relationship and as a result of other factors which caused a high level of emotional and mental distress she found herself unable to cope with the responsibility of looking after her four year old daughter. In a moment of extreme need she turned to the States of Jersey Police for assistance in ensuring the safety of her child. The response of the Police was to imprison her under the Mental Health Act for fear that she would harm herself and after a night in the custody sui...

The Europe wide disillusion with the mainstream political parties based upon the old social class societal cleavage continued yesterday with a number of gains for both the Green Party and the Libertarian UK Independence Party. The final results were: Conservative 1007 Councillors Liberal Democrat 366 Councillors Labour 360 Councillors UKIP 131 Councillors elected yesterday, 144 in total Green 22 Councillors elected yesterday, 141 in total Plaid Cymru 6 Councillors elected yesterday (Isle of Anglesey only) Mabyon Kernow 4 Councillors elected yesterday (Cornish National Party) Independent/Other 161 Councillors elected yesterday The Labour traditional urban strongholds such as London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Leeds etc. were not contested so one should not read too much into Labour's apparently poor showing - these elections were in the more rural areas of the nation.

Whether this is just a 'misunderstanding' or a land-grab to make up for Japan's Senkaku actions, the Indians are claiming that a platoon of Chinese soldiers have crossed the so-called 'Line of Actual Control' in the Indian-held Ladakh region. They have remained there for two weeks and even as India complains, the Chinese deny, saying that they are "firmly opposed to any acts that involve crossing the Line of Actual Control and sabotaging the status quo." Indian officials fear that if they react with force, the face-off could escalate into a battle. But doing nothing would leave a Chinese outpost deep in territory India has ruled since independence. "If they have come 19 kilometers into India, it is not a minor LAC violation. It is a deliberate military operation. And even as India protests, more tents have come up," said one analyst but the Indians are rattling other sabres. China is India's biggest trading partner, with bilateral trade heav...

It has been an interesting day and one which home-owners in Jersey should be taking notice of Zero-Hedge  and the Daily Mail  pick up on the under-reported news that a bank has increased the mortgage rate on the very day that the ECB has cut interest rates. Bank of England base rates may be unlikely to go up, but that does not prevent the retail banks from raising the mortgage rate and increasing your monthly repayments. And on the same day warnings have been issued to interest-only mortgage holders to work out how they are going to repay the capital. But the most exciting news is that Jim Willie, the Golden Jackass , has scribed his latest public offering, so without further ado... The Fascist Business Model came into vogue in 2001 . The merger of state with the largest of corporations, primarily the big banks, the big defense contractors, the big news media networks, and the big pharmaceuticals, has created a chokehold around the neck of the nation, without 5% re...