If only Jersey Cows could talk....

The Jersey agri-community gathered At La Mare Wine Estate for this year's annual Farming Conference on 28 November.
Its very much an event for agri- people plus a few politicians and planners to get together and pretend that Jersey has a "sustainable" agricultural economy. Its a bit of an exclusive affair because the general public is not generally invited and hardly attends. It seems that what goes on north of St Helier does not really concern them.
This year's theme was  hopelessly optimistic since it was "Growing the Rural Economy".
What a dream!

Like the previous conference I only managed to stay for the morning session until the sarnies were served.
Twelve months ago there were enthusiastic speakers on robotic tractors and GM potatoes and a dose  of tub-thumping for a bright future from a few in the audience. The tub-thumping is still here.
But the underlying message that agricultural activities are dying in Jersey does not seem to be one that this audience wants to accept - and there was some vigorous selling of optimism from Senator Farnham (Minister for Economic Development) and two salesmen from the now UK controlled Jersey Royal Potato Company...

Scott Meadows "Assistant Director of Rural Economy and Head of Plant Health" had more or less buried the Royal's future when he outlined that the fight to control its pests was all but lost and the ground could not take any more chemicals - even if the EU was prepared to allow it.
(This was of course already spelled out by the Jersey Water Company recently...)

Last year's message about GM spuds was also buried in answer to my questions (the audience is remarkably silent when it comes to asking questions) - GM Royals are dead so far as Jersey is concerned because of public perceptions. In spite of the fact that this would probably solve the pesticide problems...besides which they would lose the protected Royal name.

This loss of the name "Royal" might not be so bad because only a minority of UK customers actually recognise it and the competition from other early brands is beginning to bite...but this is an Island desperate to preserve agri-activity because it is a part of the mysterious "Jersey way" and "protects the countryside"...but why is this so important in an economy dominated by Finance and the pollution problems are just simply ignored year after year....

Cows didn't feature in the morning and it would have been good to hear what young Becky Houze had to say about this since she is from one of the 20 or so dairy farms left in Jersey....who will carry on?...where is the workforce with knowledge to keep this industry sustainable etc etc? Bearing in mind that spuds are worked  by 2,000 or so mostly Polish men and women. Where is the "local" skills base there?

Jemma Batten from Wilshire gave an interesting talk on how farmers in that county are being encouraged to share their land ( or 25,000 acres of it) with twitchers and butterfly fans etc from outside - even townies - and I tried to raise some issues relevant to Jersey. Such as how will Jersey green fields aver be truly opened to those with no working role in the agri-industry unless they own a £3millions mansion.... she uniquely would not let me video record her presentation ( I know not why).

But really the much advertised initial guest speaker from the UK - Robin Page - should have been afforded the whole day exclusively. This angry old man despises the BBC (who sacked him from "Countryfile") with almost as much anger as he hates the RSPB and other Taliban "conservationist" bodies and he described many - such as politicians - as spivs and much worse...
Of course this audience loved him for his entertainment value but if they had had the time to consider and discuss the issues he was raising on an all day basis they might have been less enthusiastic to receive his sombre warnings...

I managed to record all of his presentation. The sound is ok but farmers obviously prefer to work in the dark so the image - like his message - is very gloomy and runs in total for about 25 minutes. It is presented here in 4 parts. They are of unequal lengths because the editing suite refused to help me at all...

Robin Page Part 1 follows below...

Robin Page Part 2 below

Robin Page Part 3 below

Robin Page Part 4 below

....Well, that's enough baloney about farming and protecting the "countryside" now lets discuss how and where we might build housing accommodation for ALL those in need but especially the 10,500 working adults in Jersey who do not even have the right to rent or buy proper living accommodation at all....

Bath Spa - Aquae Sulis - the Roman City with "Tip" - but no Romanians....

Following my visit to Brasov in Romania recently I just happened by chance to be in Bath Spa for a few hours this week....
I was struck by the many similarities of the two cities. Both of ancient and historic origin, about 100 miles from the capital, sitting in basins of relatively flat land and surrounded by hills and both having busy tourism sectors...
Bath has a population of about 89,000 - so much smaller than Brasov's 250,000 - and I assumed that Romanians looking for work opportunities would have discovered Bath too. But it seems that I was wrong - no doubt there are some living and working in Bath, but during my brief visit I could find none or anybody who knew of any.
So no chance to ask them what they thought of England...or to compare notes on my impressions of Romania...

but I did find "Tip" the Big Issue seller from Manchester and he gave the interview below.
He is one of about 60 sellers of this magazine in Bath and has met a few Romanians selling the publication too but not the numbers that might be imagined from reading the Daily Mail or similar media outlets...

Not a very scientific study but the best I could manage.
Thanks again to "Tip" for his time.

First video - some views of the city of Bath below....

Second video - an interview with "Tip" - about 10 minutes - below...

Some years ago I did enquire about creating a Channel Islands edition of the "Big Issue" and the magazine publishers in the UK were keen enough. But alas local interest was mostly centred on the problems - so nothing came of it.
Perhaps its an idea worth looking at again...

Brasov, Romania ...the city, Mihal, two "Gypsy" girls, Miriam, the revolution, its politics and more...

Brasov, Romania is an ancient city of 250,000 people. It was formerly Kronstadt during its Hungarian era and is within Transylvania, about 100 miles from Bucharest and 230 from the Black Sea.

It is somewhat like an eastern version of Bath Spa and has a thriving tourism sector.

Many of the Romanians living in Jersey are from Brasov or nearby.

Some of my videos were lost due to a faulty memory card...

First video below shows mostly the city...

Second video is a two parts interview with Mihal with some vaguely relevant images added...
Part One below

 

Part two below

 

 

 

 

 

Interview with two "Gypsy" girls

 

 

Interview with Miriam below

 

White Poppies are available too....

Peace Pledge Union - renounce war - death in battle is not glorious.

Wear a White Poppy instead of or alongside  the Red one...

Humble pie - main course on the States Members' Octoberfest served at St Mary...by permission of the Bailiff

In true traditional style H.M. Bailiff of Jersey decreed that there should be a bean feast this evening (23 October) for retiring and not so retiring Members of the States and that the generous public should pay....

Fortunately, some members of the public - such as Sandra Bisson - were not amused and started a petition against it. They also proposed a demonstration of their discontent and so turned out this evening to confront the diners in the dark lanes of St Mary...

The Bailiff did not meet the demonstrators to answer to their grievances but several States Members did....

Video one below...the demonstrators captured for the historic record and a short interview with Sandra Bisson;

Video Two below...Chief Minister Gorst being grilled;

Video Three below...Senator Ozouf's humble fayre without relish;

Video Four below...Constable Le Troquer...serving the States before his Parish;

Romanian Ambassador Dr Ion Jinga and team in Jersey....8 September 2014...

Following a suggestion from Andreea Ghisoi and with support from Senator Philip Bailhache and his staff, the Romanian Ambassador in London - Dr Ion Jinga - and his diplomatic team visited Jersey this week.

There were several meetings - including an open one held at the Town Hall - so that matters of mutual interest could be discussed and explored in public.

Below are some video recordings of the public part of the proceedings posted here so that local residents, whether Romanian or otherwise have a chance to know what took place etc.

It is hoped that an Association might now be formed in Jersey to further promote the links with the London office of the Romanian Embassy etc. This could be useful in the encouragement of all sorts of links between Romania and Jersey and the eventual appointment of a local Honorary Romanian Consul....

The public meetings commenced with a lively discussion in the overflowing Committee Room of the St Helier Town Hall....

Part one

Part two

 

 

Dr Jinga and Constable Crowcroft introductions in the Town Hall

 

 

Interview with Cosmin

 

 

 

Interview with Gabriel a visiting Romanian Orthodox Priest

 

 

 

 

ANDIUM HOMES - rents still going up even when the lifts do not...aspects of Jersey "social housing" ....

This is a picture of the Lifts at Ground Floor level in a Le Marais High Rise block now administered by ANDIUM HOMES with a UK based Chairman who takes £40,000  for just 30 hours work per annum.
There are others on the  board who takes similarly inflated payments for very few hours too...

Only one of the two lifts here is currently working.

As we all know, ANDIUM have taken over the so called "social housing"  portfolio from the States Housing Department and plan to turn this into a money generating asset as part of the Ozouf Master Plan with the one dominant objective of USER PAYS....all rents are being increased across the board to achieve 90% parity with "Private sector" rents although we all know that there can be no such parity...

These lifts are essential in a high-rise building of 14 floors and it is inevitable that they will be out of action briefly on occasions for repair etc.

However, due to long term lack of maintenance under the late Housing Department, the lifts are now undergoing major rebuilds over several months.

Here the "odd floors" lift has been sealed off for about two months and is not now expected to be back in service until 8 September.
The "even floors" lift is therefore having to carry all passenger and goods traffic until it too is taken out of service for repairs which will probably take several months too.

Obviously this activity causes  inconvenience to residents - especially those with disabilities or their disabled visitors who are currently forced to use the stairs if their floor is an "odd " one.

Deliveries  and removals of large items of furniture have also been disrupted... YET... ANDIUM have just announced a 2.35% increase in rents for the flats at Le Marais (and presumably other properties in its care) from 6 October.
Service charges are also being increased  (heating, hot water and water) in line with utility company rises.

It seems that the interruption of lifts provision is not considered a SERVICE by ANDIUM .

Would a private landlord be able to increase rents in such circumstances? Does inconvenience to tenants have no price?

In theory, Jersey still has a Housing Minister in Deputy Green - but he has already declared his plan to become a Senator and seeks the Health Department Ministry after the election.

It is very likely that the Housing Ministry will be scrapped in the near future too (and absorbed into the Population office under the CM) with ANDIUM being given almost total control over the 3,500 "publicly owned" social housing units of accommodation entrusted to it...