St. Clement Deputy Susan Pinel is a guest on State Radio this morning discussing the topic of "Women in Politics." The Deputy is clearly a favourite of BBC State Radio because this is, at least, the third time this (election) year she has been invited on as a guest.
She has been a guest on "The Sunday Paper Review" (approx. one hour) a lunchtime guest discussing her painting restoration business (approx. one hour) and today on the alleged "politics" Hour.
Three hours of air-time, from the BBC, in an election year is pretty good going I'm sure readers would agree?
Of course the BBC wouldn't just keep inviting her on its shows if she wasn't such a major player in Jersey politics and has really made her mark in the political arena. The BBC wouldn't be asking her on (again) as a guest to discuss women in politics unless the Deputy was a great ambassador for that cause would it?
No because the BBC is more professional, and ethical, than that. If Deputy Pinel had been one of those politicians who turns up to States Meetings once every two weeks, doesn't utter a word (unless it's an election year) religiously votes the way she has been told to by the Establishment, doesn't submit written/oral questions, propositions/amendments then the BBC would be exposing her as an Establishment lap-dog and everything that's wrong about women in politics wouldn't it?
I mean Senator Sarah Ferguson isn't worthy of an invite by the BBC to discuss women in politics because Senator Ferguson is merely the women's Representative for Jersey in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. According to the States website is a member of Privileges and Procedures Committee (PPC), the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Chairmen's Committee, Corporate Services Panel and Lime Grove House:Failure to Complete Transaction. Senator Ferguson doesn't rock any boats like Deputy Pinel by exposing Treasury Minster's "antics" in the Lime Grove Fiasco and such like!
Deputy Pinel is the obvious choice for the BBC to invite on (three times in an election year) to be the voice of women in politics because of her huge contribution in forming the direction the Island is going in since she was elected in 2011.
With that in mind we list the MASSIVE contribution Deputy Pinel has made to Island Politics (below) and why she is the obvious choice to be the voice of women in politics and serial guest on State Radio. (in an election year).
Written questions submitted to the Island's Parliament since election;
Oral questions submitted to the Island's Parliament since election;
Propositions submitted to the Island's Parliament since election;
Amendments to propositions submitted to the Island's Parliament since election;
I might have missed some questions/propositions/amendments and if this is the case please send them in and I will try and fit them onto the list.
The more cynical reader might want to believe that the BBC keep inviting the Deputy on because she's a good little girl who does what she's told, by the Establishment, so gets favourable press in order to aid her re-election. To those cynics I say "nay" the Deputy's record (above) speaks for itself and so
DOES the
BBC's who gives everybody a fair chance to
SAY THEIR PIECE.
Why such a nasty post towards Susan Pinel?
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing nasty in that post whatsoever towards Susan Pinel, it is simply stating that she does not appear, on the face of it, to do very much and that the BBC would surely have done better to invite someone who does. If it is nasty then it is nasty towards the BBC. But I think you know that.
DeleteDeputy Pinel will rightfully be losing her seat at the next election to a credible female candidate who won't be sucking up to the Bailhache and Ozouf gang.
ReplyDeleteWhy has Suzy Pinel been singled out becuase she is deadwood. Did she ask questions about the excessive Hospital waiting lists like the well researched Ferguson NO, did she ever offer any follow up questions supporting Deputies wanting to get the truth NO. Did she ask questions of any minister NO, Is she inactive YES except to push a button when told.
ReplyDeleteOf course like so many sleeping dogs in the States she will want your vote in October. Nothing personal but only 51 people have a vote that can affect our quality of life, so it is not about her as a person it is about the day of reckoning as a useless politician.
Good blog VFC as we head towards the day of the boot.
This blog is just siding with one kind of politician again.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely right. It is quite shameful that VFC is clearly outing politicians that do not table\ask questions in the House...
DeleteThe Beano is not the Rag
I can now vote for Deputy Pinel if I so choose. But I obviously will not. I sat through her performance at the St. Clelemt Parish Assembly called by rates payers who were concerned about Philip Bailhache hijacking the Electoral Commission. This voted overwhelmingly against Bailhache and his Option B scam. yet Pinel like our Constable went against the people's view. She is in my opinion just an olly dolly. No depth and certainly no commitment to the ordinary person. An Establishment button pusher - which is why she was given an Assistant Ministerial bag carrier's job. I would rather vote for Gerard Baudains and believe me that is really saying something!
ReplyDeleteI was at that Parish Assembly too where 100% of those who voted were in favour of Deputy Roy Le Herissier's amendment to Deputy Daniel Wimberley's P5/2012.
DeleteDeputy Pinel, and the Constable, ignored the vote of the Parishioners and of course we know the Electoral Commission went on to be hijacked by Philip Bailhache and we ended up with a Gerrymandered debacle.
Apologies it was PPC's P5 and not Daniel Wimberley's.
DeleteNot wishing to say too much about her, given her tragic circumstance, but another establishment button pusher was Deputy Kristina Moore who has an equally unimpressive record as Deputy Pinel (before she had to take a leave of absence) and said not a single word in the States in support of women's rights, yet was constantly interviewed in the media as if she was the automatic go-to person.
ReplyDeleteEach of the two new St Helier deputies have done more in their few months since being elected than half of our members have done in close to 3 years!
So what if people follow the establishment line?
ReplyDeleteSome of the radical proposals put forward by progressives have hardly been worth voting for.
I don't know some people cannot accept the peoples choice in these elections especially when Bailhache got the highest Senatorial number of votes ever.
Looks like you weren't reading the blog properly. The primary complaint is that Deputy Pinel has done NOTHING with her time in the States, yet still rakes in £45k a year from taxpayers for the honour.
DeleteWho cares what her politics are, she's a total waste of space.
'I might have missed some questions/propositions/amendments and if this is the case please send them in and I will try and fit them onto the list.'- brilliant!
ReplyDeleteJust caught the end of the politics hour today, that was when young Deputy Rondel was praising Senator Ferguson and Deputy Vallois for being influential female politicians, and good on him for saying that.
ReplyDeleteDeputy Pinel voted with Bailhache re Plemont last time and doubt can be relied upon to do as she is told next week too.
DeleteThe BBC could have done worse...
ReplyDelete...they could have invited Sadie Rennard.
lets not forget or censor the fact that Ferguson went out of way to support the crooked businessman exposed by Lenny Harper....
ReplyDeleteYes - she did - along with then Deputy Colin Egre - both of who received frankly unlawful support from then Attorney General - sole prosecuting authority in Jersey - William Bailhache.
DeleteThis is a lawless feudatory - and one day soon people might wake up to that fact.
Stuart
Have you noticed how JEPand Channel will only allow certain comments - those that fit their own agenda???
ReplyDeleteYes, you're absolutely right anonymous. I can confirm that I have had many comments of my own not published, particularly on the CTV website. I should strongly point out that I am referring to comments that are not in any way potentially defamatory, insulting to any individual or factually inaccurate. Quite simply these comments usually challenge the reality of what CTV or the JEP has just reported or they include well-sourced facts that may be embarrassing to States Departments or Ministers. Another trick they have used is to delay publication of my comment for two or three days, by which time nobody bothers to read it. Since the revamp of the JEP's website, I no longer even bother reading it because it contains no in-depth news- just the bare headline. The few times that I have submitted comments since the revamp, they have not been published, so it would appear that there has also been a clampdown on dissent to coincide with the revamp. If you have had comments not published, ideally you should try to alert us on blogs like this. Tell us what your comments were and what article you were responding to. If everyone did this then we would get a much better idea of the scale of the censorship involved.
DeleteIt's good that you've highlighted the BBC's generous support of Pinel's campaign but it should be noted that this type of favouritism is not confined to the BBC newsroom, nor is it only government patsies who are being favoured (although most of them usually are).
ReplyDeleteFor example, I can reveal that a complaint was made in March to OFCOM about an ITV News CTV report broadcast on 15 January 2014 which was ostensibly supposed to be about young people's attitude to voting but was actually a vehicle designed to give a minute's free airtime for declared St Helier No 2 political candidate Sam Mezec to promote himself in a positive light. It was broadcast after the St Helier No. 2 By-election had been declared by the Royal Court (therefore impartial reporting of anything involving potential candidates in that election should have been of the highest priority), but before the nomination meeting. Three other candidates were later nominated for the vacancy along with Mezec. The only airtime that ITV News CTV gave to each of the four candidates was eleven seconds each in a report on the by-election dated 20 February. Unlike Mr Mezec, the other three candidates were not given an extra minute's airtime and the station only linked Mr Mezec with the legitimate aspirations of young voters. Mr Mezec consequently won the election and the complaint was lodged.
The result: Steven Turner for OFCOM informed the complainant that the complaint "did not raise issues warranting investigation under the Broadcasting Code." It is also worth mentioning that OFCOM did not bother to reply to the complainant to confirm that no action had been taken against CTV until the complainant contacted OFCOM more than three months later to enquire on progress.
The result of this means that CTV has received the green light to continue promoting its favoured candidates ahead of the nominations in the Autumn. Partial or favourable reporting of certain known or suspected election candidates over other candidates is not a matter that OFCOM wants to get involved in. I'm not sure about the BBC as I believe they may be separately regulated but I'm sure this decision will nevertheless come as a major boost for Matthew Price and co as the election draws ever closer . No surprise then that after a break of a few months whilst this complaint was being investigated, CTV has now resumed its long-term support for its most favoured States Member- Senator Lyndon Farnham. Watch this non-political report broadcast this week designed to show Farnham in a positive light, taking part in a charity boxing match (ahh- nice bloke!):
http://www.channelonline.tv/channelonline_jerseynews/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=511719
It also hasn't gone un-noticed with me how much airtime the BBC has been giving to (so far undeclared) election candidate Russell Labey, who just happens to be a former BBC onscreen reporter on Spotlight Southwest....!
Russell Labey has been sniffing around the vacant St Ouen deputy seat. He has parish roots but the grey bellies like candidates who have put something in to the parish. All the BBC coverage in the world couldn't get him elected. Andrew Syvret and Dan Richardson are the names to watch.
ReplyDeleteI hope Russell Labey doesn't stand in St Ouen as I'd not get the opportunity to vote for him. Ideally I would like him to stand in St Clement and oust Susan Pinel. Failing that I would like to see him run as Senator. If I get the opportunity to vote for Russell Labey I will.
DeleteI know Russell and he'd be a great candidate and a great States member. I very much hope he does run in the elections - and I think Senatorial constituency would suit him well.
ReplyDeleteStuart
Hi VFC.
ReplyDeletePut up the audio from the states Questions without Answers, You can listen HERE
TJW
On the other side of the ineffectual member debate it could be said that some of our states members talk at every sitting - just to be heard - indeed some talk a lot but say nothing!! It could be that Pinel works her little socks off for her constituents ???
ReplyDeleteOthers become very vocal in the months leading up to re-election....
But others are not serial guests on State Radio. Others are not afforded three hours air time (so far) in an election year by State Radio like Deputy Pinel is.
Delete