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Friday 1 February 2013

JERSEY IS PERFECT - A REBUTTAL TO YANK TROUBLE-MAKER LEAH McGRATH GOODMAN

A guest posting by Jersey resident Sir Hilary James Jon Le Gallais-Ecobichon-Pinochet


Now look here. Americans are trouble-makers - always have been, always will be. You only have to consider when they most unreasonably threw my British ancestors out of their country, ungrateful blighters. Wanted 'independence'! Pah - you would never hear we Jersey elites such as our esteemed Foreign Minister, Sir Philip talking about nonsense like that now, would you? Ridiculous notion.

We ARE British - its just that we top people really don't want to risk the said British ever saying 'enough corruption is enough' and finally interfering with a well merited Turks & Caicos style investigation!

Anyway, after all the nonsense of the past few days I would like to thank the owner of this 'blog' Deputy Trevor Pitman (quite nice chap for a damned Lefty - in fact almost a shame to use our courts to stitch this one up really) for giving me the opportunity to talk to you peasants - sorry, ordinary working people - on the Internet about this awful Leah McGrath Goodman woman.

Seems she has been saying some very untrue things about my- sorry, OUR - Island on the television. So to put Johnny Foreigner straight I'm going to do a short rebuttal using the example of just a handful of key headings such as:

  • Yachts
  • Champagne lounges
  • Secrecy 
  • Freedom of speech

Trust me. When I have finished you will know without a shadow of a doubt that Ms McGrath Goodman has a whole raft of misconceptions about how we better people run Jersey and - like they say in that advert - none of them are true. So here we go. Goes without saying, of course, that all of the views expressed here are my own. Well, apart from a few suggested by the Communications Unit to 'sex things up' a bit...

Yachts


Now Ms McGrath Goodman goes on about we in Jersey enjoying yachts, champagne lounges and the like. This first one is very  easy to deal with.  Utter poppycock! I mean, have you ever heard such nonsense? If we wanted yachts here we would probably have built an iconic, world-class Waterfront to moor them next to, wouldn't we? But we haven't.

No, our fine, right-wing  and feudal Establishment Party government has sensibly been very careful to ensure we miss that opportunity completely. I.e by only having a bloody ugly shambles of a half-finished building site with a cinema complex and leisure pool that the taxpayer has to subsidise, and a handful of fast food outlets on it! Oh, and a Carbuncle award-winning sea-front hotel without any balconies. Mmmm, until recently we even also paid the chap charged with developing all of this more than the American President himself just to ensure things all 'went to plan'. 

As for the fact that not so long ago our first Chief Minister was posting back a 'travel blog' as he and his lady wife sailed around the world sunning themselves on their own massive luxury yacht this is just pure coincidence. Look - I haven't got a yacht and I'm loaded thanks to the insider knowledge I picked up when we were setting up LVCR! Sold it to buy a couple of waterfront apartments I rent to Jersey people who can't afford to buy. That's right - doing my bit to help the worse off arf, arf! But that's another story...

The fact is our Council of Ministers DON'T want yachts here. Period. Because yachts might mean tourists and we've been trying to kill off our tourist industry for decades. Yes, we're a proud Right-wing monoculture now and contrary to the spin nothing must distract from us being a whiter-than-white Off-shore finance centre. Like that film 'Highlander' when it comes to industries 'there can be only one' and if it just happens to involve tiny little grey areas like cheating developing countries out of tax they desperately need but were too slow to gather - then that's their fault! This is the gospel of Ozouf and Oxera; and Amen - we're sticking to it, brother!

Champagne lounges


Now this one really does show what a damned sensationalist this American journalist is! Okay, so it is certainly true that throughout the life of the last States Assembly the small bunch of elite politicians who made up what Deputy Mike Higgins (another Lefty trouble-maker) calls the 'Kitchen Cabinet' and their 'advisors' did use to meet and make key policy decisions via their weekly meeting at the Champagne Lounge at the lovely Grand Hotel. I don't deny this at all.

Well, I can't - because Deputy Pitman has told me he used to see them there every week whilst attending the hotel's gym. But the links to what Ms McGrath Goodman is saying are as tenuous as they are coincidental. Yes, this venue is called 'the Champagne Lounge'. Yes it is in a beautiful, luxury hotel where a bottle of wine can cost hundreds of pounds. Yes, alright so these meetings did also only have the inner circle of those politicians at the very apex of power and some 'business people'. But does that mean secrecy or that there was something to hide? 

Let's be practical - you can't have 51 democratically elected representatives of the people (States Members) all crowding in to a meeting in a champagne lounge. Not only would the public start to notice but some of the poorer people who have sadly managed to infiltrate local politics based on hard work, intellect and ability - rather than the traditional way of inheriting loads of cash; or having had an ancestor who once grew a prize-winning cabbage in the Trinity Parish fayre would likely not even be able to afford to buy a drink! Really, we're just thinking of their feelings by this exclusion.

Yes, if pushed I'll concede that some people might find some of this a bit worrying. But let's face facts: in the 21st Century even Lefty scum like Deputy Pitman are sometimes allowed to walk through such establishments to make use of money-making facilities like hotel gyms. We must surely give the appearance of being a democracy? And as for some of the non-political figures at these secret meetings I'm sure people like Mr Rankin Riantz and other 'movers and shakers'  had just popped in for a drink by chance. If they were not to sit down for a chat, a drink and to red biro the paperwork it would surely appear just rude.

Secrecy 


In my opinion this secrecy claim by Ms McGrath Goodman must quite possibly be the silliest and most far-fetched of all. I ask you: is Jersey the sort of place where our government elite abuse the 'justice' system to silence, generally intimidate and if at all possible try and ruin people? Well, yes okay it is. But we do this only for the greater good.

If we didn't who knows what might transpire. Hells bells, we might even find ourselves with a real democracy on our hands! Before long people in the island all might even acquire equally weighted votes to use at elections. Think about it - all Senator Bailhache and his Electoral Commission's efforts in coming up with Option B to take us back to the Dark Ages could be wasted!

Honestly, after hundreds of years of feudalism and a good seven decades of time consuming, co-ordinated oppression involving the law office, the State media and the wealthy one could hardly expect us to risk that type of thing, surely? Does Ms McGrath Goodman really think that having gone to such lengths as to have the local newspaper refuse to allow the democratic movement after the war to promote its manifesto - even as a paid advert; and in tandem with we feudal overlords carrying out character assassinations on every left-wing politician to put his head above the parapet in the years since we could stand for that? Of course not!

Ms McGrath Goodman really needs to take a reality check. It takes a lot of time and effort to create a 'justice' system where only the rich and powerful can hope to obtain justice. Whether this is by means of allowing totally inappropriate, disgraced school teachers happy to look the other way on horrifying child abuse to become Jurats; employing 'independent' lawyers who have actually been working in the system for seven years to review bizarre Attorney General decisions; or even establish 'investigative' journalism of a quality on a par with the Sunday Sport, or the political prejudice of a modern 1930s Volkisher Beobachter.

Even fake letters attacking Left-wing politicians don't just write themselves, you know!

Freedom of speech


Now this final criticism is just too laughable for words. Dear international readers - and potential Off-shore clients - tempted to take Ms McGrath Goodman's concerns seriously here just because of trivialities such as her being an acclaimed and highly respected international journalist and best-selling author. Simply ask yourself these questions: is Jersey the kind of place where we do things like send ten police officers around to illegally raid a politicians' home; even for some strange reason going through a teenage girl's underwear drawer?

Are we the kind of secretive, utterly corrupt jurisdiction that would allow a close friend of a powerful defendant to sit in judgement on their case as a Jurat (local lay judge)? Pah - I've never heard of John Le Breton or the Jersey Evening Pravda! Are we, indeed,  the kind of island where we would make selected Left-wing politicians 'criminals' for helping a few elderly or disabled people to complete an application form requesting they might be 'registered' to eventually receive a postal vote? Worse still, whilst letting Establishment candidates do the same but without prosecution?

Is Jersey really the sort of place where the government Speaker might illegally throw an elected representative out of the Assembly for six months; knowing his only route of Appeal would be to the island's Chief Judge - who just happened to be the same man?

Come on now - is Jersey really the sort of place where we would hand over hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money to four individuals - including at least one convicted petty thug - to drive a former local politician from the internet and even refuse to answer current States Members' questions as to how much taxpayers' money was being utilised -

Oh bugger! The truth of the matter is that... we are!

Crush a grape! Never mind my joining hate sites created on Facebook by internet trolls - just because of a slip of the journalist's grammatical tongue my then confusing the banning of 'a' book with all books - perhaps we had finally better start looking into why some of our senior Senators and local media don't want an in depth, independent inquiry into the institutional child abuse at Haut de la Garenne? How it is that so many of the records from this hell hole have vanished? Maybe we should even start asking who looked after Jimmy Saville and the political owner of a lovely big yacht that regularly used to be moored at Bouley Bay a couple of decades ago?

Maybe we actually need the services of a determined and internationally respected international journalist...

And I didn't even mention how in my younger days we were not allowed to dance on a Sunday thanks to the Bailiff! or how we banned classic, award-wing comedy 'the Life of Brian'! Perhaps we aren't quite perfect after all?

But who cares - these little eccentricities have made jersey a very good place for we 'better people' to live for generations. Democracy? File it in the bin with justice and equality...

38 comments:

  1. Fantastic stuff! But Trevor, can you please try and get Sir Hilary Pinochet to stand for election in 2014? He sounds like just the guy to finish off the establishment once and for all.

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  2. A travel lover like me can I enjoy it, but I am also a food and beverages lover and hence I like beer, pizza, seafood and sometime wine too, bars in jersey has all, I guess. I m going there soon, so would love to enjoy each moment of my long trip of 15 days.

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  3. Hilary Le Gallais, friend of Hanning, friend of Stella is a prized chump....

    Great posting.

    James Rondel has been left for dead by the young Mezec.

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  4. I'm sure it isn't some kind of 'Establishment Party' skullduggery but another post I tried to publish vaninshed. Anyone else get these problems?

    Just for clarity it wasn't the one clearly from the fictitious James Le G calling me a 'coward'but posted as 'Anonymous'.

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  5. Deputy Pitman. I am not a troll but I am coming off that facebook group mainly thanks to you. You put things in perspective with this guest posting.

    There were genuinely annoyed people on the facebook site too - like me - upset over the lack of clarity about the book banning issue. But checking it also became clear that some people on it were accounts that had only just been set up. Trolls as you rightly suggest.

    Regards to Sir Hilary.

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  6. I don't know about Ms Goodman but you should write a book yourself. Excellent stuff.

    My own thoughts are that, as you say, Ms. Goodman should have taken a bit more care so that what she was saying could not be taken out of context and thus used by the enemies of democracy. But the reaction by a minority have made Jersey look like the insular, something to hide community that they protest about being so labelled.

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  7. I have tried to post many times on your blog (nothing controversial) and they vanish!!!!???? It does not matter which device I use.

    I'm certain it's skulduggery!! You must be doing something right for them to go to such lengths.

    Coincidence that most posts have 30ish comments?

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  8. You are too kind.

    As for your assessment of the situation - I think that you are pretty much spot on. That other old saying about reporting that 'never fool yourself that the media camera is your friend' is very appropriate here.

    Leah did leave herself open to criticism and attack. But only the foolish and those with other agendas would try and distort this error to try and undermine everything a person says.

    Jersey is my home, a great place and I love it. But pretending we are perfect or that there are not some very serious democratic deficits here is utterly ridiculous.

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  9. Update on the Troll, another illegal police raid, two more sexual assaults (perhaps on minors), and a month of CORRUPTION REVIEWS

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  10. It's funny how the LMc G haters have adopted the old tactics. Picking on one small irrelative point and repeating it. "Books are banned". Haven't we seen this before with the "coconut shell" and Lenny's overpriced "Prawn cocktail". It's pretty lame and a bit school playground ish.

    Any other examples anyone can think of?

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    Replies
    1. John de Carteret's lobster dinner springs to mind. A high price to pay to lose a young outspoken politician.

      Delete
  11. Brilliant !!

    One small unintentional error (9 by 4 miles), and an extra "s" (book(s) in Leah's interview and she gets ripped to bits.

    Years of deliberate misreporting by our State media and no-one bats an eyelid.

    Funny old world isn't it..
    Richard

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  12. It will not help the reputation of Jersey if the public and state media outrage over a journalist's vague communication about book banning, wealth, etc., overwhelms the concerns over journalistic mistreatment and banning, or even the banning of that previously published book about HDLG. If there is truly a sizable segment of Jersey without any concern for these issues, that will go much further than Leah McGrath Goodman has yet, to prove the point of willful self-delusion and defensive self insularity.

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  13. Experiencing problems as the non-existent Establishment Party try to shut down interest in the truth; stop me from replying to people etc by tampering with the site.

    Never mind. Good news is that having gotten away with bullying women, threatening to kill people etc - blimey, even now setting up sites pretending to be me and with material owned by me, Jersey's saddest geek appears to have finally lost the one can he had left out his six-pack.

    Laugh - I nearly cried. As they say - pride comes before a fall...

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  14. And my advice to anyone wishing to remain anonymous, do not comment on pro establishment blogs. They will see your IP address, which OS you are using, which site you came from and where you exit too. That's why i view CITV website first or after reading, VFC, RS, SS, TP, etc. Just to let them know they are not the real media on this rock. I'm convinced that these fake sites are set up just to gather info about us. JT owned mainly by SOJ still? Very easy for them to manipulate internet traffic.

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  15. Sorry to be partly off-topic but I have often wondered why Jersey's youth aren't more vocal? Is it down to general apathy, no modelling from older generations, Jersey's social engineering, the fact that A'level government and politics is not an option in Jersey schools, TJW (i.e. be silent or you won't make it), is it due to right-wing parents or the fact that the Jersey society is very insular? I ask you because your time as a former youth worker might help shine some light on this. I will also ask Jeremy Macon, Sam Mezec and James Rondel for their views on this as they're exceptions of the rule.

    I've often wondered why Jersey youth are so quiet on political issues compared to youth in all other 'democratic' states. But with the number of young people who via facebook, you tube or twitter, seem to hold very establishment-type views for people so young, it just doesn't seem to stack up with the general experience of youth. I'm thinking in particular of those young people doing the U tube p*** take video on LmcG-G's comments on books. Also Soffy on Twitter- Are these people being financially influenced or lending their accounts perhaps?
    If young people have considered the issues broadly and objectively and hold such views, that's fine, they're entitled to their oppinion. But if they're being manipulated, I find it very concerning like the general 'lack of young voice.'
    Your thoughts would be appreciated when you get a sapre moment. Thank you.

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  16. I agree with what you say in this post, though the point was hard to make out buried beneath all the sarcasm. I think what you're trying to actually do didn't come across very well in this – as I'm still not quite sure whether you're trying to reason with people who have misjudged the situation, or you're trying to humiliate people for the cheap thrill of a few laughs at their expense.

    It is obvious you are irritated by the people who this post is intended to be about (and rightly so, they have totally overlooked the point), though the method of witty criticism will probably have a negative response towards the people who you are trying to address. From looking at the comments it seems that only people who had already agreed with you still agree with you, but it hasn't helped to change anyones perspective.

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    Replies
    1. Luke

      Hello. Long time no see. Hope you and yours are well. 'Irritated'? No. Sad perhaps - but the response was never to be unexpected.

      A huge difference between people genuinely and understandably miffed at a lack of clarity in a part of what a journalist said - and the few odd balls hiding behind their Avatars who just want to feign outrage to either spread their message of hate. Or try and distract from the real issues.

      As so many messages have commented we have seen this strategy before and will see it again and again as those with something to hide/fear get more and more desperate. Little different from the AGs office not wanting any decisions being looked in to within the COI in my view.

      As for Sir Hilary's guest post. sadly I actually can't take any credit. Apart from making my exellent blog available to promote it. But to me it is just an excellent use of satire highlighting some of the hypocrisy being spouted.

      But if any mix the dry humour of his spoof with a bit of sarcasm then not the end of the world.
      They say sarcasm is the lowest form of wit so being that the people on the end of it include the non-exisent 'James Le Gallais and 'Jane Care' - latest manifestations of the loon's split peronality perhaps it has been pitched at a level 'they' will understand?

      Then again possibly still too high?

      The fact is the piece dismantles some of the nonsense spouted. Jersey is a great place but we are not perfect. It is up to those of us who really care to be brave enough to challenge what some would sweep under the carpet in time honoured fashion.

      Delete
    2. I am well thanks Trevor, I hope you are doing ok also.

      I must apologize first of all. I addressed my comment to you but you didn't actually write the post – a lazy mistake on my behalf. I guess I don't understand the concept of 'guest posting' yet. Though my point still stands.

      I understand what you're saying with the dodging and weaving of actual problems. I guess I just didn't quite know who the post was intended to be directed towards. I must admit I myself picked up on the 'books are banned' even before the video was being discussed. I was a bit confused about what she actually meant by it, but I didn't take it as far as to discredit everything she said because of one (arguable) error.

      The satire was entertaining no doubt, though it might have gone over some peoples heads, that was my initial point.

      Delete
  17. It's funny how the LMc G haters have adopted the old tactics. Picking on one small irrelative point and repeating it. "Books are banned". Haven't we seen this before with the "coconut shell" and Lenny's overpriced "Prawn cocktail". It's pretty lame and a bit school playground ish.

    Any other examples anyone can think of?

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  18. Message to Lee. Thank you for your thoughts.

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  19. Trevor.

    Disciplinary judgement in the Curtis Warren car bugging case leaked to, and published exclusively by BLOGGERS

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  20. Only one way to deal with government corruption...."ACTA NON VERBA".

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  21. Don't know who Sir Hilary is but this piece changed my mind. Clear to see that the anti Leah group on Facebook is nothing more than a high-jacked troll fest desperate to distract and try and intimidate the lady. Thanks for showing the true picture.

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  22. This super injunction scam needs blowing out of the water Trevor. Can you shed any more light on what is being done with our money? Not just that but the fact that we, as tax payers, are not even allowed to know who is being given this or how much?

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  23. Trevor.

    The plot continues to thicken after this latest "exclusive" from Former Jersey Chief Police Officer, Graham Power QPM, tells us THE EVIDENCE DID NOT COME FROM ME"

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  24. With the problems in our economy largely, but obviously not entirely caused by our council of ministers you would think that the troll-folk would have better things to do than attack a journalist just because they don't like something she said? Almost makes you feel ashamed to be a Jersey person when a minority react in this way. The lengths some sad individuals will go to to spread their bitterness is quite incredible.

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  25. With regard to the comment on the economy. I would enlarge upon this to say that if ever there was a reason for the progressive element in local politica to work together it is surely this.

    The free market brigade are leading us to ruin. We need a left-leaning government or else we are scuppered for who knows how long.

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  26. I think it best that each time anyone comes across negative views of Leah because she said 'books' instead of 'book', the name of the book banned should be named and the link to the download included. This should be done in response to every attack on Leah, and ask the questions, why was it banned?, who instigated the ban and why?

    Put the focus back on the issue Leah was making!!

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    Replies
    1. That would also put the focus on why there is less outcry against the ominous banning of books by the authorities than against someone accurately, if not articulately, saying they did. More than one book has been banned in Jersey - but only one journalist.

      Delete
  27. In the Rag it said the book was banned for legal reasons that it might prejudice an on-going case and affect any trial, but that the embargo has since been lifted. Sounds reasonable, no?

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  28. we also need to find out why I T V asked Garfield Bennet not to publish her book on child abuse.

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  29. Trev, just saw your tweet "Wonder if any of the apologists for the Establishment bullying/belittling victims in Jersey ever stop to think of people killing themselves"

    May I suggest to Jersey's biggest troll and his cronies that they sit down and calmly read the following article http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/feb/08/sexual-abuse-victim-killed-herself-trial

    Francis Andrade gave evidence. Her abusers were found guilty. She felt as if she was being abused all over again. She killed herself, leaving behind a husband and four children.

    Meanwhile, brave keyboard warriors, such as Jersey's biggest troll, continue to abuse and denigrate victims of abuse in Jersey.

    That guy needs to take a long hard look at himself and really question the motives of what he is doing. He's a father himself, isn't he?

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  30. Lack of empathy may be a congenital trait and it is his most notable characteristic.

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