“Trial by Blog”

Jersey’s Parliament was in session today and by revealing nothing, everything was revealed.

Firstly a question tabled by Deputy Bob Hill to the Chairman of Privileges and Procedures Committee, revealed the States building is only accessible to able bodied people, there are no provisions for anybody in a wheel chair, no toilets for the public, the acoustics are below standard and the Chairman of PPC Deputy Julliette Gallichan has no idea if any of this is Human Right compliant or not!

Deputy Trevor Pitman tabled a question to the Attorney General asking if any States members phones are being tapped?. The Attorney General was unable (or unwilling) to either confirm or deny this. That sort of answer can serve to convince people that our elected “representatives” phones are indeed being tapped. I’m sure if they weren’t there would have been nothing stopping him saying so.

If this is the case it would now be almost impossible to communicate with your elected “representative” in a confidential manner. If you e-mail him/her, ten Police officers can swoop in to their house, without a search warrant, take their computer and read anything and everything you have discussed with him/her. Equally they can take any letters you might have written to him/her and read them also.

Now it would appear you can’t even phone them with any kind of confidence that nobody is listening to and/or recording your conversation. This is truly frightening and leaves us, the general public left with no-one we can confide in unless it is face to face and no notes are being kept. Mind you, if you chat with Bill Ogley and he makes any notes there’s a good chance he will shred them anyway.

This doesn’t stop at your elected “representatives”. it would appear this would apply to your doctor, Shrink, Councillor, or anybody you might want to share intimate details with. Their offices or houses can be turned over any time by the Police without a warrant which will enable them to take away and read anything they like.

Just as alarming was the answer(s) (or not) that Minister for Education Sport and Culture, Deputy James Reed gave in “questions without notice”. He was asked (again) if any of his Civil Servants are under investigation for child abuse. He was asked this question and several of a similar nature by three Deputy’s, Hill, Tadier and Le Herissier. Deputy James Reed could not (or would not) comfirm or deny if one of his Civil Servants is under investigation for violent and savage physical abuse on children over a period of years.

So by giving that answer (or not) will lead people to believe that indeed one of his Civil Servants is under investigation and is still in his post otherwise he would simply deny it. With that parents, like myself, have to send their children to school, as sure as they can be that a top Civil Servant might be willing and capable to violently and savagely abuse them and be instrumental in formulating policies for them.

Deputy Roy Le Herissier made a very valid point. He said he didn’t want this issue to turn into “a trial by Blog” and believe it or not, I agree with him. My question is though, what other option is there? Personally I have e-mailed not only the current Education Minister but the former Minister, the Assistant Minister, the Civil Servant, a selection of States members including the Education Scrutiny Panel and the local BBC in my quest to get an answer to the question “is a senior Civil Servant at Education Sport and Culture a suspect in the ongoing “historical” child abuse investigation”? Nobody has been able or willing, to give me an answer.

Personally I have absolutely no evidence that might prove this Civil Servant is a child abuse suspect. But at the same time I have, to the best of my knowledge, done everything I can to discover if there is any merit in the allegations made against him and have only ever been told “the States have a duty of care to their employees” “I am unable to confirm or deny if a Civil Servant is a child abuse suspect”, besides the numerous threats I have received threatening me and my children.

So if Deputy Le Herissier, like myself and others, do not want this to turn into “a trial by Blog” please give us a viable alternative. All I want is either confirmation or denial. I want to know that when I send my children to school they are receiving the best possible care and they won’t be under the influence of a child abuser, surely every parent and child should have that as a basic right ……..shouldn’t they?. Well not in Jersey it would seem.

To sum this all up from a mere plebs point of view, we have a Majority in our Government that believe it is acceptable for Police officers to search anybody’s office or residence and take whatever they wish without a search warrant. We have an Education Minister that can not (or will not) put parents mind at ease by either confirming, or denying, one of his Civil Servants (still in post) is a child abuse suspect. We have an Attorney General who can not (or will not) confirm or deny if our Politicians phones are bugged and the PPC not versed in Human Rights and the “parliament” building only accessible by able bodied people. The same building only being of any use to people with an exceptional hearing ability with a strong constitution, or colostomy bag. If I have mis- heard or mis-interpreted anything here, I do apologise but I only have an average hearing and can not pick up everything that is said in the States correctly due to its appalling acoustics.

I know Deputy Le Herissier is a frequent visitor to this Blog so I will be very interested in hearing his viable alternative to “a trial by Blog” and invite him to give us that viable option on here.