A FEW INTERESTING QUESTIONS ON THE MANY FACES OF JERSEY 'JUSTICE'

Oh no - and not a single one on jurats happy to look the other way on evidence against friends and colleagues committing child abuse!

Having not made use of my allocation of written questions over the past two States Sittings; at readers' requests I now list below each of the up-coming questions - both written and oral - that I have lodged for the States Sitting of June 18th. Whilst also obviously not wishing to preempt the fun in any shape or form I nevertheless also give a brief bit of background to a few of the most 'interesting' ones for those who may be unaware...

Written question to Minister for Home Affairs

 

'Can members of the public be arrested by the police for alleged planning infractions and, if so, can such individuals also be legally required by the Police to report to the police station on a daily basis whilst these allegations are investigated?'

Comment

Now this really is a most fascinating question given the Jersey Establishment's increasingly rapid slide toward States indifference to regular abuses of citizen's Human Rights. Human Rights, let us not forget, that would be held as sacrosanct even in many a so-called 'Developing country'.

But in brief do you think it is right that a law-abiding member of the public can be 'arrested' by order of a member of the Planning Department and bundled into a police car - all in full view of a horrified business client? A client who not surprisingly withdrew his offer of a lucrative contract as a consequence! Me neither but perhaps we are just out of step with 'The Jersey Way'? Do you think sanctions for such a person should be more strict than would apply to an alleeged mugger? Hopefully not.

 

Written question to the Attorney General

 

'Would the Attorney General advise whether individuals who are aggrieved by the fact that Option B of the Electoral Commission (which gives greater representation to residents of smaller parishes at the expense of St. Helier) would have any recourse against the States of Jersey via the European Court of Human Rights if this Option is implemented?'

Comment

Now the man behind the despicable strategy to ensure the people of St. Helier can never have a fair and equal say in the running of the States, Senator Bailhache, (not to mention his minions Senators Gorst, Ozouf and the Constables) reckon all in relation to this Master Plan to sabotage democracy by 2014 is beyond challenge from we annoying 'little people'. Are the Far-Right 'right'? Well, I know they are not. But let's see if the Attorney General plays along...

Written question to the Attorney General

'Since police investigations began in 2007 in relation to 'historic' abuse can the Minister advise if there have been any cases investigated by the States of Jersey Police where abuse was alleged by both another perpetrator of abuse and corroborated by a victim yet no prosecution was then brought and, if so, what was the reason for this?'

Comment

Now this really IS a fascinating question! A former Deputy once observed that one should always ensure you ask questions to which you already knew the answer. Rightly or wrongly to this regard it certainly is funny how certain very telling documentation often gets delivered into the hands of a politician not afraid of the Establishment bully boys. But let's not say too much for now other than this.

The law should apply equally to all, shouldn't it?. But of course the fact is that in Establishment Jersey it does not: it depends upon who you are. Any doubters to this need only ook back to the politically motivated prosecution in 2009 of Deputies Shona Pitman and Geoff Southern for the unknown offence (in every other democracy in the WORLD!) of helping the old and disabled amongst their constituents to register a request for a postal vote.

All, of course, whilst the then Attorney General simultaneously did NOT charge those non-JDA candidates who did the same. And in the same St. Helier No. 2 district! Jusstice - its wonderful isn't it!Yet the matters underlying this question are obviously even more serious. Can it really be acceptable that whilst one abuser gets many years in prison another one - fully evidenced - does not even get taken to court? Of course it isn't - and next week sees the beginning of this sickening abuse of those who control Jersey 'justice' finally being exposed.

No wonder they want to try and shaft me with a non-ECHR compliant trial!

Written question to the Minister for Housing

'Would the Minister advise whether, in the case of the owner of a self-catering property who has re-registered the premises as a lodging house yet retained one unit out of ten as a (third party) manager's flat, all of the tenants are still classed as private tenants in law?'

Comment

Nothing that really needs to be said about this question: indeed, its actually not even in the same league as the others. But having been contacted by an elderly member of the public having problems with a dispute with a Fagin-like businessman it is still a question well worth getting an official answer to. 

And by my thus doing so, of course, saving the said constituent from being forced to cross the palms of some slimy lawyer with enough silver to secure twenty minutes 'work' that could instead fund the OAP having a nice and well deserved little holiday in the sun somewhere!

Oral question to the Chief Minister

'Following his meeting with the businessmen who raised concern at seeing the Assistant Minister with responsibility for External Affairs reading confidential documents in full view of the public on a flight, does the Chief Minister support the Assistant Minister's views expressed on 14th May 2013 that the allegations were 'inaccurate' and gave a 'fictitious' and 'malicious' account and, if not, will he now be asking his Assistant Minister to resign?'

Comment

Now if you don't know the background to this question and you live in Jersey you really must have been residing in a cave without access to the wonderful Gigabyte Jersey! But should that be you...

Basically Senator Philip Bailhache was caught bang-to-rights by a local busiessman foolishly and with his trademark arrogance reading confidential documents in full view of the public on a flight from Gatwick. These documents being to do with the appallingly typical Jersey Way treatment of abuse victim 'HG' in the Dean suspension case.

Most of us would have simply held our hands up and apologised. But not the never-wrong Senator Bailhache. I was instead accused of presenting a document that only 'purported' to be an e-mail from a member of the public. The contents were called  'malicious' and 'fictitious'. Yes, businessman and yours truly were in effect basically liars. Cheers, Senator.

But then one small problem arose: far from being put off by the bluster and the bullying the businessman demanded to meet the Chief Minister. And he even brought along... another businessman who could verify his version of events! Wow! Whoever will Chief Minister Gorst now chose to believe...

Oral question to the Attorney General

'What powers, if any, does a Court have to ensure that full indemnities awarded to members of the public at the conclusion of a court case are enforced and the injured party is not left thousands of pounds out of pocket?'

Comment

Now here, last but not least, is another gem. Wouldn't you think that if you won a court case and the judge (no les than the current Bailiff!) awarded you full indemnities you would actually get that money back? Wouldn't you think the Court could actually order a lawyer who was refusing to comply to hand it over? Me too. But then this is I repeat, Establishment Jersey.

After all you might also think that our Police are obliged to accept a member of the community filing a complaint for investigation about alleged criminal activity? They are meant to. But once again in reality it all comes down to who you are and who you are complaining about. Ayway, the fact of the matter is that this particular question I am asking is just the tip of the ice-berg in a case that, though dating back some years, is likely to be making headline news very soon.

Keep the Faith & Happy States listening.

With even my old friend and serial fence-sitter Deputy Roy Le Herissier demanding an inquiry into Bailhache-Gate could be a Question Time to even keep young Pravda Lucy away from her cookery books...

 

 

 

 

 



SNAPSHOTS FROM JERSEY - THE ROYSTON VASEY OF GLOBAL POLITICS

   

This is a 'local' democracy...

One of my old University lecturers absolutely loved the old saying that suggests - on occasions - 'less' really can be 'more'. Whilst reflecting upon what single topic I might post about this week; and being pushed for time between a raft of new constituent and corruption cases the truth of this really came home to me for some reason.

 

Of course it would be very easy and quite justified to write a lengthy, detailed post on any one of a half-a-dozen issues that have come to the fore in Jersey politics this past couple of weeks. Yet given the gravity of what some of these happenings reveal, why I thought, not instead just flag up the 'basics' of two or three in a few paragraphs on each for discussion?

 

After all, if the reader can't grasp the seriousness of all of these headings from considering just the fundamental basics of the problems then our island, you have to conclude, may well be beyond saving. Do we want to have things like justice, democracy, transparancy and genuine community as central to our way of life? Or do we just want to be the equivalent of a mad, black comedy where the only thing that matters is keeping the rich powerful and the poor powerless?

The choice as they say is yours. For if you don't DO politics, then politics in the shape of the Jersey Establishment will DO you...

 

Bailhache-Gate. Or liar, liar your pants are on fire? 

 

Now this issue all arose from my daring to bring States questions on serious concerns raised by a member of the public who stated he had been able to see damning confidential documents (revealing both the identity of HG in the Dean suspension case, and her alleged abuser). All of these being allegedly carelessly read in public by Assistant Minister with responsibility for External Relations, Senator Sir Philip Bailhache during a flight from Gatwick on March 21st.

 

As I have said, the details provided by this member of the public in contacting me revealed - beyond any question - details that are not in the public domain and could not have been faked. Yet how did Senator Bailhache respond? Was there an explanation; an apology? No. The claims were 'fictitious' and 'malicious'; the document containing them being described as 'purporting' to be an e-mail from a member of the public. In essence both this gentleman and yours truly were, by extension, liars. Ah..the 'Man who would be King' or at least El Presidente: how dare we mere mortals; we peasants question HIM? It was all a wicked Lefty plot it seems.

But... unfortunately, for both the Senator, Chief Minister Gorst and the MSM who failed to do any investigative journalism on the story whatsoever - it ISN'T. The gentleman, a successful businessman, has thus quite understandably become so disgusted and outraged by the Senator's reaction that he has now written to Chief Minister Gorst giving...even more details of this 'fictitious' event. And guess what else? The whole episode can also all be verified by the man's business partner who was travelling with him. They have even offered to meet with the Chief Minister accompanied by yours truly.

 

Misleading the States? Testicular Fortitude required I fancy. and a large dose at that. But has our Chief Minister actually got any... 

 

The alternative 'Jersey Way' reality unfolding in Court No.2... 

 

Now I spent this Tuesday morning in court again - and just for a change it didn't have anything - directly - to do with me!

That's right: I wasn't challenging a 'justice' system that had allowed former Jurat John Le Breton to sit on our defamation case against the JEP and the estate agent Broadlands even though he is an evidenced long-standing friend of one of the paper's directors. Not to mention being a man who was allowed to become a Jurat even though proven in the Sharp Report to be quite happy to look the other way on evidence against a friend and colleague who was a predatory paedophile!

Nor was I finding myself in Petty Debts Court because of holding to the ever-so-silly principle that an contract built on fairness wasn't being applied that way! No. I was there simply because of a quite unbelievable, indeed, bizarre example of the 'Jersey Way'. This being a truly staggering case that had seen a good, decent and hardworking local businessman Mr. Martin Kane not only ARRESTED but having to report DAILY to the police station - all because of an alleged breach of a Planning regulation/by-law! 

I really am not making this bizarre case up I assure you. Its true. And, though I make no claim to be an expert in the area, like others who have also now examined the case, I have to say that in my view the pursuit of this individual and his company is the biggest waste of taxpayers' money since... a cowardly, abusive, convicted petty  thug was given our money to take one of the people he himself was abusing to court!

 

Believe me, I would love to say more on this astounding 'court case'. But I won't just now. For without the full details as yet being in the public domain you would probably end up thinking I was just pitching a script for a fantasy film. A 'malicious' prosecution as is being claimed; or just a misguided mess that never should have happened? What certainly can be said even at this stage is the complex web by which it is all being held together to progress just this far goes right to the heart of 'the Jersey Way'...

And one other thing is also certain: it will all cost we the taxpayers an absolute fortune. 

 

BBC Jersey ask: should 'backbenchers' not willing to spout Establishment propaganda be allowed to talk to foreigners...

This truly bonkers issue was incredibly given the bulk of the Beeb's Politics Show recently and arose from that naughty Lefty troublemaker Deputy Montfort Fawkes - sorry, Montfort Tadier giving an interview to the French newspaper Le Parisian. His 'offence'? He didn't have permission from the Establishment Party Fueher Bunker; and he didn't espouse the party line that 'Off-Shore' (or tax havens - you take your pick) must be viewed through rose-tinted spectacles.

Now enough has been said about the damning attitude of arrogance and contempt for differing views that the swivel-eyed reaction of the Treasury Minister and Finance industry 'big-wigs' has revealed here. The angle I want to put up for discussion is just what such a reaction from within our MSM tells us? I mean, can the local BBC really believe that it is in any way compatible with a modern democracy that elected representatives of the public should not be free to speak to international journalists unless they adhere to the majority party whip on tax evasion/avoidence?

Frankly it is both embarrassing and a damning indictment of the mainstream - or State - media itself. The Bald Truth is that such a debate would be laughed out of the boardroom in just about any other jurisdiction in the world - no matter which political philosophy held the majority. It wouldn't even matter if the Deputy's views were right or wrong. true democracy guarantees his right to hold and voice them.

OK. The head-in-the-sand approach might be comforting for the MSM, the Finance industry and even our Neo-Liberal politicians alike I accept. But the cold, hard truth of the matter is that the sun is setting on the view that tax 'dodging' by big business and the super-wealthy is socially acceptable. To contend otherwise is akin to King Canute commanding the tide not to come in and drown him. The sooner the Establishment - both politicians and MSM apologists - wise up to this truth the sooner economic diversification can become more than just pre-election buzz word.

Saying sorry but really not meaning it: part 98...

Meanwhile, isn't is strange how having been exposed by me yet again as a regular purveyor of pathetic and malicious 'anti-Leftist' fake letters the Jersey Evening Pravda have still got the offending missive attacking Montfort Tadier up on their website. Complete of course, with scores of similarly fake comments using avatars of one Mad Jon the Cyber-rash - exponent of drunken death threats and scavenger of takeaway dustbins. All doing exactly, of course, what these fake letters are meant to achieve: trying to negatively mislead wider public perception...

And the moral of this post?

If the above 'snapshots' above conjure up the type of Jersey you want to live in then keep voting for the Establishment. But if such a 'democracy' is really not what you want then let me say quite bluntly here: you had better make sure you aren't one of the apathetics who just sit on their butt and moan. Doing nothing is as sure a way of ensuring this attitude to democracy continues as is putting your 'x' next to the name of an Establishment candidate on an election ballot paper. In fact it is precisely what their bullying, lies and manipulation hopes to achieve...

Keep the Faith

Trevor