Saturday, January 27, 2018

Jersey Holocaust Memorial Day 27 January 2018 - Dr Paul Sanders


Dr Paul Sanders - opening address

15 comments:

  1. Not a bad introduction to the hubris that occurred in Jersey and throughout Europe
    -EXCEPT that Dr Sanders suggests that it is poorly understood how citizens enabled or allowed that regime.

    There has been a huge amount of work on this aspect and it is very well understood:

    It was the perfect storm of

    -upheaval and economic hardship/vulnerability
    -the darker sides of the human character/condition/appetites
    -the sidelining or imprisonment of all real political dissent
    -a totally compliant or controlled media
    -no effective legal redress
    -
    -
    -I'm alight Jack rationale of those who understandable do not want to become victims

    Does he really not know this?

    An incredibly brave speech nonetheless.........

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. On reflection I have failed to give Dr Sanders credit for one point that he did actually make.

      I suggested that Paul had not covered "-I'm alight Jack rationale of those who understandable do not want to become victims [themselves]"

      This is at least partially covered by Dr Sanders' Martin Niemöller quote:

      ********************

      -First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out-
      Because I was not a Socialist.
      -Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out-
      Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
      -Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out-
      Because I was not a Jew.

      -Then they came for me -and there was no one left to speak for me.

      *******************

      This is about the moral and intellectual weakness and the cowardice the majority of Gjersey intellectuals and Lawyers following the regime's rise to power and subsequent purging of their chosen targets.

      You spotted what I did there? We should add to the "perfect storm" list:
      -the surprising gullibility of the population to the regime's wall-to-wall opinion management
      -the cultural deference to authority in Germany at the time
      [& in Jersey now].....

      Delete
  2. The great shame for Jersey after occupation was firstly that we did not push for the incaceration, at least, of disgraced Biliff Alexander COoutanche.

    Secondly, that thanks largely to the propaganda of Jersey's Evening Post we allowed the island to be occuppied by the motley gang whose successors still rule us a private club for the rich today.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Disgraced Bailiff? Is there evidence of that?
    At least, more than allegations of a cupboard containing tins of food...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wobblebot goes to GuernseyJanuary 29, 2018 at 2:03 PM

      Well, his not refusing to round up the island's jews, sending the Honorary police, instead of saying I obviously can't stop you Kommandant but use your own bloody troops for this dispicable action merits it in many people's view.

      Then in contrast you have the reported getting the States to buy the regalia of the Freemasons to keep it out of Nazi hands outlined in that book a just a few years ago. Have you read it?

      From a personal perspective I also think he should have been stripped of his undeserved titles when revealed as happily sitting on the court appearance of his stated best chum, the former Constable of St Peter after the election fixing scandal of 1960 I think it was.

      Should have gotten rid of Bailiffs then. The recent bunch are even worse.

      Delete
  4. We need strong politicians the world over to make sure such injustice and inhumanity does not win out in the long run.

    Jersey is only a global pinprick but the same holds here. Does right or left really matter?

    When you note that in a justice-based debate like today's once again the youngest member Deputy Mezec had nothing of real insight to say about combatting corruption you have to wonder.

    Higgins with a little help from Tadier were the only two worth listening to.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It would be great to hear Higgins' (& Tadier 's) speech
      I thought these were somewhere (hidden?) on the states website - can anyone find them for us?

      Sadly some content of Higgins' speech seems to have provoked a strong negative reaction in "HG" who he must have mentioned at some point regarding Jerseys failures in the rule of law:

      http://planetjersey.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4113.msg61694#msg61694

      Wow!

      HG if you are reading this, please treat yourself to a hot cuppa -two sugars :-)

      All these people, Mike Higgins, Bob Hill ...... They all do their best. Inevitably they will do things their own way and make some mistakes.

      Like you these people are a part of Jersey's mottled history (and GW, future in Higgins' case) - and you are all precious rocks that will help build Jersey a bridge to a better future.

      Look after yourself :-)

      Delete
    2. Higgins did not mention HG. Perhaps understandably it does not take much to trigger HG who was appalling treated by our former Dean and his protector, the rather scruffy PB.

      What upset the Jersey Establishment and PB in particular was Higgins telling the truth about our judiciary and the cover up culture that hasn't changed. Frankly Higgins is now all we have,as far as honest politicians prepared to put their heads over the parapet.

      Best wishes HG.

      Delete
  5. Shame Voiceforchildren seems to be defunct or the old Jersey Way blog. Deputy Higgins' speech was the best for years, certainly during the life of this lousy States. The speech deserves to be up on a blog even with all the deliberate interruptions.
    Laugh? I nearly cried and all pwerfectly true.

    PS What has happened to old Phil Bailhache? He looked like he had just woken up after sleeping on a parkbench overnight.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I live in St Saviour and can I just state I was embarrassed by our Constable Renard's antics during Deputy Higgins' speech.

    It seemed to me that the Deputy was the only one who really had the handle on how these terrible things happen and what government need to do to ensure they never happen again.

    Just imagine if our States or governments elsewhere had the same mentality with even more horrofic matters such as that which is the basis of your video and post.

    Constable, you really ought to stand down with your craven, sweep it under the carpet mentality.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "imagine if our States ........had the same mentality with even more horrific matters such as that which is the basis of your video and post."

      On that note I listened to the whole holocaust opening address and transcribed all the sections which have relevance to the behaviour of our Government and Judiciary over the decade+
      This is what I got:

      ******************

      events 70 year ago......
      creeping historical amnesia where many people don't seem to want to take any more lessons from the past

      but this is all preventing Chanel islanders from confronting the brutality that was meted out to others who were less fortunate than themselves

      some having been convicted of offences against the occupying authorities ......Four patents were distinguishable, first was genuine resistance .....included dissemination of news, intelligence gathering or arguments with members of the occupying force, sheltering of fugitives

      2nd includes economic cases

      3rd: Adolescents and the young .....[whose transgressions/ill fortune] resulted in consequences as dire as abuse or death .....brings the tragedy of the young Jersey offenders into perspective.

      4th? Another group is those who did not do anything
      those in the wrong place at the wrong time ......It is in these types of cases that the real nature of the regime revealed itself.
      while the ?prison? continued to exist for those individuals tried in front of some form of law *however unjust*

      negative aspects of human behaviour
      the frailty of life
      and also
      our own human fallibility

      exemplifies the greatest failing of modern man

      The Ancient Greeks had a name for this combination of
      Arrogance ....Ignorance ...and Cruelty -They called it *Hubris*

      Nemesis [the gods' punishment for Hubris] ......we know now that the gods cannot always be relied upon to act in time, and in the meantime -before the bad guys are taken down- they can cause maximum harm

      It is easy to be stunned by this evil and fall into paralysis where there is no redemption
      but this is not something we can afford to do

      the absolute abysmal fall from ?grace? that occurred through [that time period]

      What caused this Hubris?

      if we don't really understand why it happened then the door is open for this type of thing repeating itself again [and again]

      It is for this reason that we cannot take refuge in the idea that this [abuse] took place in some kind of time capsule
      we only have to look at the dictatorships an *illiberal fake democracies* which exist in the 21st centaury

      when they came for the Jews....etc, [as posted above]

      maintain the [account of the abuse] is one of the few safeguards we have against amnesia and [repeated/ongoing] hubris

      *****************

      Given the applicability of a lot of the above to the present day it is also ironic that CoI testimony that the only time when they felt happy and safe from rape was when the German authorities were in charge

      Delete
  7. They should make this a much bigger event. Maybe hold it in the Royal Square.

    According to my dad for years and years the only people who turned up were the island's leftwingers and representaives of the Jewish community and Russians.

    Reckon our Bailiff and Chief Minister only go now to look good.

    ReplyDelete
  8. New post please Tom. Your blog is all we have left now VFC is no more.

    Can't really count Mezec's or Tadiers as they are as dead as a Reform Jersey public meeting.

    Wish someone could persuade The Bald Truth and Rico Sorda to return and help you out.

    How about posting your thoughts on how the coming election will go?

    Personally I don't think there will be any new candidates worth voting for which is a tragedy.

    Before anyone asks yes I would stand myself if my family situation permitted.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Everybody is on Facebook, many political groups and discussion forums. Unless you don't like posting under your real name its pretty open and formal on most groups.

      Delete
  9. "Your blog is all we have left now VFC is no more.

    Can't really count Mezec's or Tadiers as they are as dead as a Reform Jersey public meeting."

    Build your own Blog then.

    ReplyDelete