Saturday 28 September 2013

Deputy Trevor Pitman speaks on Jersey so-called "Justice."


Deputy Trevor Pitman delivered a speech in Jersey's Parliament on Wednesday 25th September 2013 while debating the proposition below.

For those with an interest in how Jersey is run, and who runs it, then please listen to/read Deputy Pitman's speech and you might want to ask why none of Jersey's State Media have reported on some of the subjects contained in it?

To include, according to Deputy Pitman, a child abuse victim of Haut de la Garenne being told "if he did not drop his allegations, he would be prosecuted and could end up in prison." 

Possibly one of the most, "to the point" speeches made in modern times during a States session spelling out who holds the real power in Jersey, which as regular readers will be aware, is the alleged corrupt and politicised, not fit for purpose, so-called "Justice" system and its unelected, unaccountable officials.

VFC credit TJW for this recording.


 2. Justice Policy and Resources: Responsibility (P.92/2013)
The States are asked to decide whether they are of opinion that, within the Executive branch of Government, the Chief Minister is responsible for justice policy and resources, as clarified in the accompanying report.

2.1.11 Deputy T.M. Pitman:
It is ironic, after allowing a lot of people to be betrayed yet again, as we did earlier, here we are talking about justice and yet it is all going to be done and dusted in about 10 minutes.  The fact is, in my opinion and in a growing number of the victims of the Jersey justice system, there is zero accountability to those at the top of the justice system in Jersey.  It is a very scary, frightening fact.  I do not know if the Chief Minister kids himself, but he is not in control here.  The political power in this Island lies with the law office; it is an absolute fact, certainly as far as enforcement of its will.  As has been said, and I never used to believe this, but it is all too often a tool of oppression.  It is a great example here today of how we could be saving money and how we do not need the Bailiff; the Greffier and his Assistant are proving that admirably.  We do not need any individual in a red cloak.  I will be quite honest, the reason I did not come to the special sitting last week, I find it highly offensive to see a judge, any judge - and this is not a personal thing - as our first citizen in the 21st century.  It is absolutely ludicrous.  I supported Senator Farnham’s idea for a Minister for Justice, but this is one of those watered-down fudges, and I think he is putting a brave face on and trying to be nice about perhaps convincing himself, wishing to convince himself that this is all going to move in a positive direction.  I think he is mistaken in that.  Senator Gorst, well, I told him yesterday I was not going to support this because I voted for him, as he knows, and I have been appalled that I did vote for him.  He is, in my view - I have to say that or I will get into trouble - utterly too weak to ensure justice in this Island.  If Members ask themselves when do you hear the Chief Minister talk about justice, speak out about it and upholding it?  Practically never.  You cannot go against the rule of the Bailiff.  It is one of the most striking things when you come into this Assembly: the ridiculous and quite offensive deference that is given to someone just because he is a judge.  Let us put it quite clearly: the Bailiff deserves no such deference, any Bailiff.  He is just a judge, and yet he can interfere, he can block what elected representatives to this Assembly say and ask.  As we saw yesterday in a quite embarrassing display, the justice system in this Island is so appalling that when the Bailiff fails appallingly, you can only go and take those failings to the Bailiff.  It is a bit like déjà vu when I remember back years ago when Senator Syvret was forced out of the States for 6 months, in 1996 I think it was.  Who could he ultimately appeal to about that?  Probably the same man who many would say was instrumental in him being removed from that Assembly.  This cannot be trusted to the Chief Minister’s Department because the Chief Minister just does not appear to have the will, the determination and the courage to do the job.  He is too weak.  That might upset some people, but I have to speak the truth, that is what we are meant to do here, are we not?  Where is the judicial accountability now?  There is none whatsoever.  We have a U.K. Minister for Justice who is meant to intervene when he should but he does nothing, and you cannot go through an appeal system.  We heard a really brilliant example of how the Jersey justice system is dysfunctional when we had to hear the desperation ... if you do not get what you think you should have, you can go to the Privy Council or then to Strasbourg, like those poor victims up there today.  It is a bit late by then because you cannot challenge failings properly.  People have had their lives ruined by then.  Is the Chief Minister going to put that right?  No, because he is one of those who I believe strongly is absolutely frightened to death of the aura of the Bailiff and all that it suggests.  The Bailiff has only got that deference from people because of the dual role.  We talk about in this report from the Chief Minister that you have got to have that independence between Judiciary and politics. 
[11:30]
Does he not ever look at the individual and what that represents sitting in that chair every session, the hypocrisy and absolute comical farce of what he is saying?  I cannot remember who said it, it might have been Deputy Tadier, it might have been Deputy S. Pitman, but you would have a Minister still being controlled on issues of justice by an unelected judge.  There is no place for this in the 21st century.  I am sorry the Deputy of Grouville cannot see the problem with it; just about any other right-thinking person can see the problem with it: it is a person wearing 2 hats at one time, it is an unelected judge being involved where he has absolutely no right.  It might have been okay in the 17th century when we were all meant to tug our forelock to our betters, but it is not okay now.  Well, I could not tug my forelock, but there we go; I may doff my cap.  I cannot afford a cap, but there we go.  It makes me so frustrated to say we will happily sit here and discuss ourselves for weeks on end, we will discuss dog mess for hours or days, and justice ... hardly anyone speaks.  Let us spell out the facts again: there are only about 5 of us in here who ever stand up for justice, and we are made out to be some kind of radicals, we are out to destroy known civilisation.  No, for those of us who talk about justice, it is because we care about our Island.  The rest, and I am sorry, that is 95 per cent of the States Assembly, fall into 2 categories: people who just keep their head down, they are too scared; to protect the status quo they will say nothing.  Or, it has to be said, people who perhaps do not care about justice at all, which is even worse.  Some of those people who we were debating earlier said to me yesterday: “For too many people, it is only when an injustice happens to them that they realise what is going on in this Island.”  That is because in the mainstream media they do not report on the true facts.  Again, they have got a huge responsibility, they have more power than we have but they do not talk about the real issues: “Let us just keep attacking the 4 or 5 loony lefties who keep going on about child abuse and the dual role.”  If I am to support this, Chief Minister, what are you going to do about all that?  What are you going to do about all these issues?  As we heard, the Chief Minister cannot go against the word of the Bailiff, so how is this being under his sway, how is his control going to differ?  I was at that meeting the Deputy referred to; he acknowledged there were huge areas that needed to be changed, but would he do them?  We have Jurats elected by lawyers; that is crazy, it does not even happen in Guernsey, and some people are always mocking Guernsey for what they do.  How can you have lawyers choosing people they are then going to be pitching to win their case to later?  It is absolutely bonkers.  The Jurat Law; what stops you being a Jurat?  If you have received assistance from the 1948 Poor Law, it does not matter if you are Jimmy Savile, you are in, you are a pillar of society.  That is what it comes down to, in essence: no convictions against Mr. Savile so he probably would have been welcomed as a pillar of the community.  Sorry if some of this is uncomfortable, but it is true.  I have got so many cases now on justice, I admit - and I will use this to apologise to some people I have not even been able to get back to, because I am being overwhelmed and I know Deputy Higgins has got a huge number - they are diverse and they are shocking.  What is being done about it?  What have successive Chief Ministers done about the injustice in this Island?  Nothing, absolutely nothing.  Justice in Jersey is made up as we go ... a phenomenon which some people may not be aware of: judge-made law.  It is a great example of what happens in Jersey: rulings, decisions given by judges that have absolutely no visible link to the laws that were passed by Assemblies such as ours.  Who challenges it?  Is the Chief Minister going to challenge it?  No, because he is not strong enough, and I put my trust in him, and this is not a personal thing either.  I put my trust in him when he was making his pitch to be Chief Minister and on the key issues, justice, like for the abuse victims, he has really done nothing.  He expressed his satisfaction, his contentment with the case against former Senator Syvret.  I do not agree with a lot of what Mr. Syvret has done, but I will stand with him on justice issues.  Regularly, there is a gentleman who sits up there who can show you his many consistent statements made to the police about, as a child, being pinned down and having blood trickling down his legs after he had been abused.  The person who he alleges, and more than a dozen others allege is an abuser, is still employed by the States of Jersey, has still got access to children.  How is the Chief Minister and his legal team, who are meant to be doing redress, treating that man?  Well, he is accused of never being at Haut de la Garenne.  It is only other people who were at Haut de la Garenne who would remember him there.  Has he had sympathy?  Has he had compassion?  No.  I will tell you what has happened to him: he has been threatened by the legal team that if he did not drop his allegations, he would be prosecuted and could end up in prison.  Justice in Jersey?  Utter farce.  Yet we are satisfied for the secret court case against Mr. Syvret.  Of course, one of those people given such huge financial assistance is the very man that so many people have accused.  That same case -if we are talking justice, Chief Minister - why is it that there is a letter in existence pitching for individuals to come in and put the case together and decide how they would get Mr. Syvret?  Five people invited; one of them refused.  Proxies; are those what they were?  I happened to believe that some of them, certainly a couple, have got cases for what has been done to them.  They may have cases to answer on the accusations against them.  The best way to have done that would be before a court.  As I have said before, then Mr. Syvret could have been taken to account if what he said was completely wrong and those people could have earned justice.  But no, what do we do?  Justice in Jersey, Chief Minister, we have secret court cases.  I do hope he is going to do the decent thing and resign when we get the true figures about how much this has all cost, because the question is already in for next session.  He wants to control justice.  Why is it that data protection and this access ... and it is all very well for him to chuckle over there, perhaps it is how he usually takes  justice.  Why is it that data protection ... this assistance is not available to all?  One of the individuals who was given money - Members might not know - is the scourge of innocent people in this Island.  He has been intercepted by the police threatening ex-partners; does not get charged.  He sends out posters to decent, ordinary people about threats to women; does not get charged.  He puts hate sites up on the internet which emails stolen from one of our own Members end up on.  Does not get charged.  When I went and made a complaint about him, the senior police officer went and looked and he was shocked at the amount of complaints against this individual, so he could see it was just not me.  Put the case to the Attorney General’s office; no case to answer.  Perhaps that explains, for all his faults, why Mr. Syvret went down the route he did, because it all comes back down to this image, hardly anyone wants to risk challenging Jersey’s fluffy image as a shining beacon of democracy, as I think former Senator Perchard said.  The way you improve your image is by confronting the things that are wrong, and that is what me, and those few other Members who stand up and talk about justice, do.  Of course, we get pilloried by the Jersey Evening Post, pilloried by other Members, former judges.  There is a wonderful little clip if Members get bored: go and look at YouTube and they will see a wonderful little clip of a former chief judge in Jersey and he is giving a talk to, I assume, the Law Society or a collection of lawyers, and he laughs and he gets a huge, great ripple of applause: “When I was a judge and the law was silent, I did what everyone did, I made it up because that is what everyone else did”; is that justice?  People laugh.  A chief judge, or a former chief judge ... I must not get into trouble, I must go down the magistrate route of today, confusing individuals.  It is funny, just on the news today the former assistant magistrate is out of prison already, laughing all the way to the bank, while those people we have sent away with their tails between their legs are going home.  One of them is on to income support as a result, she was telling me.  This makes me furious, these tick-box propositions that come back pretending to do something when the proof of the pudding is that this Chief Minister never stands up for justice ever, even when it is wrong.  He is controlled by the law office, in my view.  He does not have the courage to challenge things that are wrong. Why am I not going to support this?  It is not because I do not support Senator Farnham’s original idea, I do, though I ask the question, how many in this Assembly could do that job, 4 or 5, because most - and I mean that as no offence to any particular Member - have not got the courage and the conviction to stand up, as I do, so often.  But this is just a fob, it is a fudge.  It is another one of the Chief Minister’s cop-outs.  Why did we have a Minister for External Relations when we have not even got a Minister for Children?  Far more important.  Why have we not got a Minister for Justice?  Far more important than giving someone a title to do a job that, let us be honest, Senator Ozouf has been doing a pretty good job before we even had this Assistant External Affairs Minister.  I say to Members, do not support this, force the Chief Minister to come back with something that is fit for the 21st century.  Make him come back with something which will provide justice for all.  I think it was Deputy Le Fondré who today said when would justice purely relate to how much money people have got?  Well, that happens all the time in Jersey.  Many of us in St. Helier see constituents.  If they cannot afford to pay for lawyers and they get legal aid, they really may as well give up, because you will get a lawyer who is generally completely not interested or they are so young and inexperienced, it will probably do more harm to your case.  If you are in the middle, you are even worse.  Some people would say the Jersey system is bent.  I do not say it is bent, because if you imply that, then you think it could be put back into shape.  The Jersey justice system needs a full Turks and Caicos style intervention by the U.K.  We need the U.K. Minister for Justice to fulfil his mandate.  We need the Lieutenant Governor to fulfil the powers that he has got - and I like this Lieutenant Governor, I have had some lengthy conversations with him - but if he does not step in when he should, then what are we paying a great deal of money for?  We need a Minister for Justice, but I think it should be appointed from the U.K. because it is entrenched here, it is so entwined, political power with judicial power, that it cannot be done safely otherwise.  Now I think I will sit down and let our former Chief Judge attack me, as he does so often.

45 comments:

  1. WOW, that was one of the best speeches I have heard in a long time, and nobody shouted him down !

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  2. Brilliant - thank you.

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  3. Quite agree- an excellent speech by Deputy Trevor Pitman. How many of us were rivotted from start to finish, not only because Trevor says it like it is, and he did a sound job, but also that niggle for us audience- half, even three quarters expecting acustomary intervention by the Bailiff or States Members. You know, the usual rude calling out that you'd expect to hear from someone like Sean Power, a call for Trevor's microphone to be switched off, like what they did to Stuart Syvret when he raised concerns about child abuse, that sort of thing. I'll buy Trevor a pint. Well done.

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  4. Excellent and honourable speech from Trevor Pitman, one of the very best I have heard that has eminated from the Chamber of Horrors. On a par, but from the people, is THIS SPEECH from Dean Clifford.

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  5. That was a speech to remember. Time will tell, but if that did not jolt a few complacent members nothing will.

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  6. I have to ask, what was the reaction you received?

    Will Mondays Jersey Evening Post or the BBC highlight the issues you raised? I very much doubt it.

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  7. With reference to the above "To include, according to Deputy Pitman, a child abuse victim of Haut de la Garenne being told "if he did not drop his allegations, he would be prosecuted and could end up in prison."

    On a related matter, HG would not drop her allegations, she was prosecuted, imprisoned and deported. A chilling thought.

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    1. at the time, I thought Jersey was a democracy. HG

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  8. Thank you for that. A short related piece and video on trust also on Saturday posted at A view from the West Not as forthright as Trevor or Stuart have argued, but nonetheless pointing the finger quite squarely at the same place.

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  9. VFC,

    I notice you posted this on Trevor's blog.......

    Full credit to Deputy S. Pitman for objecting to the feudal debacle that was able to take place in the States today. She pointed out exactly what was going on, in that the Bailhache brothers run the show and are accountable to nobody. Jersey is trying to promote its image on the world stage, and credit to Montfort Tadier for pointing out that the feudalism is going to hinder that. Where else in a western so-called "democracy" would you have a parliament where the (unelected) brother of a candidate seeking election is able to chair the session?

    My question is - are we likely to hear Deputy Shona Pitman's speech on your blog? I know it's a non-news story as far as the MSM is concerned. However if the precious mace went to some specialist for cleaning, or a new oil painting of an oligarch was mounted in the SoJ, well that would be worthwhile news for Jersey's MSM.

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    1. Sorry. Can't get Deputy S.Pitman'S speech although it is published on The Jersey Way Blog. The audio is not its best but well worth a listen HERE

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  10. Hi VFC,
    I just love this speech- Trevor saying it as it is- supurb. Just one technical thing. At 8.28 there seems to be a blip. Is this an edit or has this noise / interference been something that the BBC managed to do? I belive TJW has supplied this so perhaps I should ask TJW. Any info on that would be great. Thanks.

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    1. The file was sent to me, by TJW, in two parts. It's just where I joined them.

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  11. A truthful speech. Thank you Trevor.

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  12. Well done Trevor. Lets hope that the uncharacteristic silence wasn't because certain people were busy plotting how to unjustly damage you further.
    Keep up the good work. Keep the faith.

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  13. Always look forward to Deputy T Pitman speaking in the States. This speech this time though is brilliant.
    And not a Bailiff, Deputy Bailiff or States member dared or tried to hinder him.
    Deputy S Pitman also did very well.
    The pressure for them both must be near unbearable.

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  14. If only more people had the political will and sheer balls to make such a brilliant speech as this. yet you can almost picture the heads down I wish he would hurry up and finish attitude from the flock of sheep who pass themselves off as our government. A brilliant speech and one that we could do with a whole lot more of. Well done for putting it up.

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  15. Just wish I'd been a fly in the States Chamber when Trevor was making his speech. Just imagine, you get to see lots of very awkward and hopefully very shameful oligarchs and States Members. So much so, even the loud ones shut up (on both sides).

    So having buzzed around and irritated my selection, I'd then have to _hit on the mace. Let's hope there is a fly out there with such courage.

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  16. This bears repeating; from the 2nd page of comments (#215) at

    http://stuartsyvret.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/the-crown-and-newspeak-justice-part-1.html?commentPage=2

    2 October 2013 15:02
    "A civilised Jersey conservative" said...

    Mr Syvret, the magnitude of what you have done may well be lost on most of your readers. It isn't lost on the legal profession nor intelligent observers further afield. You have, as you correctly observed, 'faced down' the Jersey courts. People never, and I mean 'never', 'face down' a court. At least, not if the society is respectable and the person not a tyrant with an army at his back. Or, of course, in the case of an ordinary person like yourself, no court confident of its respectability would be 'faced down'. Our society is not respectable. And alas our courts even less so. As some 'higher external power' has finally had the good sense to recognise, it would seem. There can be no other explanation for you not being in prison. I am, incidentally, glad that you are not, and relieved, and deeply saddened at the same time. I've savoured a certain schadenfreude when discussing the situation with other lawyers & saying 'I told you so' when reminding them of the innumerable times I said 'no good would ever come of the folly of the actions against you, and it could only end in lasting damage to the island'. So it has come to pass. It saddens me that so many colleagues have been too fearful & foolish to have moved to stop this madness (and that is not an inappropriate word)when our Crown Officers embarked on the lunacy several years ago.

    Will you be a candidate in the next elections?

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  17. @ 2 Oct 2013 20:24
    ....... no court confident of its respectability would be 'faced down' ........

    UPPERCASE THAT !



    Ex Health Minister Syvret's 'offending' blog postings have NOT been taken down.



    Mr.Syvret is not spending another stint in La Moye Prison "at her Majesty’s pleasure" as perhaps Great Britain’s only political prisoner.



    The court and the authorities caved in !
    A mockery has been made of the "law"; in plain sight despite the attempt to hide it behind a PR court judgement.



    What will they try next ?


    The suited criminals and despots who run this island behind a thin veneer of respectability and a pretence of democracy will not give up their grip on power without a bloody fight – possibly ….. to the death.


    Behind this cliché and flowery language lurks a genuine warning.

    Approximately 5 years ago I discussed Health Minister Syvret's early revelations RE.child abuse etc. with someone with relevant knowledge and experience from the UK.
    They said only two things, both of which seemed odd at the time:

    1. There is always [big] MONEY behind it.
    &
    2. Mr.Syvret is going to wind up DEAD.

    The problem for the despots now is that if Mr.Syvret were to befall an 'accident' or succumb to an unexpected illness or suicide, even a genuine incident would look like murder !

    But where will they stop ?
    …… They have already shown themselves willing to sacrifice the island’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.

    Doubting readers should remember that
    "corruption" is not a thing unique to other countries and administrations.
    &
    even in the most liberal of societies [which incidentally Jersey is not] some of the more fascistly inclined are attracted to the security services.
    [whether official or ‘honorary’ in the loosest sense of the word]

    ………..



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  18. One week you have had this post up and nobody in the States has said anything. Nobody in the MSM has said anything and nobody the speech concerns has said anything. What does that tell you VFC?

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    1. That Deputy Pitman’s point has been proven we have a bunch of cowards in the parliament, the State Media knows its place, the ordinary people of the island and victims of the Jersey, so-called “justice” system really do have nowhere to turn?

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    2. I suppose it could mean that, but it could also mean that nobody is taking any notice of these gripes with the justice system, as to many it is only seen as a personal vendetta following a case that never went their way.

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    3. If you read the Hansard, or listened to the recording, you will note this issue was addressed.

      “for those of us who talk about justice, it is because we care about our Island. The rest, and I am sorry, that is 95 per cent of the States Assembly, fall into 2 categories: people who just keep their head down, they are too scared; to protect the status quo they will say nothing. Or, it has to be said, people who perhaps do not care about justice at all, which is even worse. Some of those people who we were debating earlier said to me yesterday: “For too many people, it is only when an injustice happens to them that they realise what is going on in this Island.” That is because in the mainstream media they do not report on the true facts.”

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  19. VFC it is all down to whether you truely believe it is bad like the Deputy claims.
    If you fall into the catagory of not agreeing with the Deputy then that is a right of opinion and not an admission that you are too 'scared' to do anything about it.
    I think from the zero interest by the local media and other states members in this claim that there is a case of 'no case to answer' because nobody in the Government shows any interest.

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    1. “If you fall into the catagory of not agreeing with the Deputy then that is a right of opinion and not an admission that you are too 'scared' to do anything about it.”

      So who stood up, in the States, and disagreed with him? Who had the courage of their conviction and challenged him with their opinion?

      “I think from the zero interest by the local media and other states members in this claim that there is a case of 'no case to answer' because nobody in the Government shows any interest.”

      As published above.

      “95 per cent of the States Assembly, fall into 2 categories: people who just keep their head down, they are too scared; to protect the status quo they will say nothing. Or, it has to be said, people who perhaps do not care about justice at all, which is even worse. Some of those people who we were debating earlier said to me yesterday: “For too many people, it is only when an injustice happens to them that they realise what is going on in this Island.” That is because in the mainstream media they do not report on the true facts.”

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  20. Sir Philip Bailhache has certainly disagreed with the Deputy on more than one occassion and the same goes for the CM during live debate.
    But just because people say nothing, which seems to be the usual response to blog posts such as these does not mean they agree with them.
    They may simply never read them.

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    1. Who stood up, in that particular States Sitting, and challenged Deputy Pitman on the published speech? They might not read this Blog, but they (most of them) were at the States Sitting and had the opportunity to challenge the Deputy. How many did and who were they?

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    2. Whats there to challenge?
      Its just an opinion.

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    3. It’s an opinion that an unelected judge presides over the legislator? It’s an opinion that “he (unelected judge) can block what elected representatives to this Assembly say and ask?”

      It’s an opinion “when the Bailiff fails appallingly, you can only go and take those failings to the Bailiff?”

      It’s an opinion when “you would have a Minister still being controlled on issues of justice by an unelected judge?”

      It’s an opinion “you have lawyers choosing people they are then going to be pitching to win their case to later?”

      It’s an opinion “The Jurat Law; what stops you being a Jurat? If you have received assistance from the 1948 Poor Law, it does not matter if you are Jimmy Savile, you are in, you are a pillar of society?”

      It’s an opinion where; Regularly, there is a gentleman who sits up there who can show you his many consistent statements made to the police about, as a child, being pinned down and having blood trickling down his legs after he had been abused. The person who he alleges, and more than a dozen others allege is an abuser, is still employed by the States of Jersey, has still got access to children. How is the Chief Minister and his legal team, who are meant to be doing redress, treating that man? Well, he is accused of never being at Haut de la Garenne. It is only other people who were at Haut de la Garenne who would remember him there. Has he had sympathy? Has he had compassion? No. I will tell you what has happened to him: he has been threatened by the legal team that if he did not drop his allegations, he would be prosecuted and could end up in prison?”

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    4. Well said, VFC.

      Anon asks, "Whats there to challenge? Its just an opinion."

      That was his same old Straw Man. He trots it out because he knows he's got nothing.

      Elle

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  21. In response to;

    “but it could also mean that nobody is taking any notice of these gripes with the justice system, as to many it is only seen as a personal vendetta.”

    That could be a valid “opinion” however the “evidence” does not support that opinion as published HERE

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  22. Replies
    1. The Attorney General was weak when he tried to answer 'where do you go when Jersey does not give you a fair trial?', for too long, too Brothers William and Philip have used their knowledge to control our Island of Jersey. At every stage they protect the Jurats, the Constables,Victoria College.... at every step. Which is why they control our Island. When will it end?, when both Brother's leave this world.... I hope it's during my lifetime. Jersey has two true leaders, Trevor and Shona Pitman! not William and Philip (Philip only elected by the people when he went into the States) until then he and his Brother have run this Island unelected. They know the Law, they make up the Law, They are the Law, until they go, we will never have people brave enough to discuss the injustice of the Jersey Legal System!

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  23. Trevor and Shona Pitman, how brave, how brave you both are. In life there are few leaders we meet, today having heard your speeches, Jersey has two brave leaders in you. Bless you. x

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  24. You never publish critical comments do you, nor do you try to interview the people you keep on slagging off, yet you call this journalism?
    Such hypocrisy.

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    1. “You never publish critical comments do you”

      Factually incorrect; please read the comment section and you will see a number of published critical comments including this latest one.

      “nor do you try to interview the people you keep on slagging off,”

      Factually incorrect. I have made numerous attempts to interview the “anonymous” people receiving negative comment (four proxies) but to no avail. As the proxies are anonymous they can’t have been “slagged off.”

      “yet you call this journalism?”

      Factually incorrect; Where is it stated that I call this (whatever “this” is) journalism?

      The reason some “critical” comments don’t get published is, as this latest one shows, they are factually incorrect, don’t address the subject of the Blog Posting, as this latest critical comment doesn’t.


      An example of an unpublished (now published) “critical” comment.

      “Mike Higgins and Trevor Pitman are the Waldorf and Statler of Jersey politics.”

      If you want critical comments (which are welcomed) published, please keep to subject, leave the personal insults out, and keep them factual.

      Robust debate is welcomed, personal insults (Trolling) is not.

      You now know the criteria for having critical comments published please abide by it and remain on subject.

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  25. Well said (@ 9.42 above)

    It just illustrates that the standards adhered to by the Jersey bloggers are higher than those of the local MSM, both with regard to publishing, and not publishing, material.

    Keep up the good work and the high standards.

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  26. Undoubtedly one of the finest political speeches made in the history of Jersey's government. Given its them and the truths it hammered home to the craven noddy-dogs the greatest speech ever made in Jersey's political history. How we could do with a speech like this being made now with live streaming of States sittings. How we could do with someone like Pitman big enough, brave enough and talented enough to make such a speech on all manner of the destruction and selling out of our island.

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    1. Should have said 'theme' not them I think.

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  27. Certainly could have done with a speech like this to liven up the debate this week. It has been said by many but you have to say it is true. This States Assembly is the worst, daftest and dullest in living memory. Probably the worst ever.

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    1. What a brilliant speech. If this really was made without notes then it is probably one og the best ever. One thing is for sure with things starting to look a bit like some unrest is finally stirring among the mice if Reform Jersey leader Sam Mezec wants to have the best shot possible at the next election he really should try and get Trevor Pitman on board in some way. He has the stature and dare I say it the fear factor no one else on the left has these days.

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