27 October 2015

Is Jersey a One Party State with its own Radio?

Political debate is common elsewhere, even in Legoland
So just where is the political debate? We are often told that 'choice' is what distinguishes democracies from dictatorships, but what happens when those in power refuse to engage in political debate with those in opposition?

Again, as is usually the case for the representatives of the de facto Jersey Tory Party, when asked by the BBC to join Reform Jersey in the studio for debate, they refuse. To make matters worse, the presenters of the local BBC seemed to take personal offense, this morning,  when I challenged the Ministers on their continued absence and their lack of mandate, to the point that the usually cheery and polite anchor chose to keep his head down and ignore me rather than engage in the customary civilities.

On top of that, there was an attempt to frame the debate as an 'abstract argument' which had already been dealt with in the States this month, rather than an ongoing reality, which was only now starting to afflict suffering on real people, in the real world.
BBC Jersey's Ashley Tracey and Tim Pryor

The BBC in Jersey must really up their game and shame politicians who consistently refuse to engage other than on their terms. They should offer truly insightful, incisive and interesting political discourse, rather than trite, lazy apologetics.

It is the job of any [indepedndent] media to act, as a check and balance on Government, as a Fourth Estate. In Jersey, they may as well be on the States payroll.

But the Government themselves must also interact.

I or Reform Jersey do not claim to have all the answers, but we can't always be wrong! Let's have meaningful debate and let people decide for themselves what to think.