Comment: How can any responsible politician...approve such a policy?

Monday 18 December 2017

The number of people living in Jersey has consistently ranked as one of the top issues concerning voters - and now, after years of waiting, with six months to go before the election, we have a migration policy. But does it really suggest anything new? Express columnist, Kevin Keen, takes a look.

"Immigration is obviously a real political hot potato, so it was always going to be impossible to propose a policy to please everyone - so I guess the best that could be done was to try and please someone.

"I have to say I am not that someone. I believe we deserved a more complete and thoughtful piece of work, given the crucial importance of the issue, and after such a long wait.

"A few populist proposals are thrown in, such as immigration should be less than it has been over the last 16 years, criminal record checks need to be done, and photographs should be included on registration cards, which as I recall, were all deemed impossible or unnecessary when back-benchers called for them in previous debates.

"No doubt there are now lots of people humming, "election day is coming...election day is coming," as they pace the corridors of Cyril Le Marquand House, and rushing to at least look like things are getting done.

"In spite of the new migration policy being promised for years, what is up for debate and adoption before the election is not finished, because the proposition calls for further reviews of how policies will affect new migrants, and for the Chief Minister to bring the outcomes of long term population modelling to the assembly sometime in 2018 - but after this policy is adopted. Really? How can any responsible politician be expected to approve such a policy?

"There was ample time for the work that is still outstanding to have been completed, and for a proper and informed consultation with the community to take place on what is a very important issue, because of the ageing demographic, the need to increase the diversity of our economy and, of course, having sufficient people able and willing to deal with the day-to-day, routine, demands of residents and visitors alike.

"Jersey is a lucky place, most things have gone our way in the past, but we are now in a very different environment. We still don’t really know how our bit of the world is going to look, post Brexit; technology will continue to disrupt our major industries, and potential immigrants have more choices. The idea that we can attract the best people to work in our Island, and then simply kick them out after 4 years, just feels wrong to me on so many levels.

"Although I have no argument with the importance of managing our population, I think we need a much more thoughtful and complete approach than this policy. We need proper research to back up the policy, and we need consultation.

"Most importantly we really need a much better measure of the value of people, and the work they do, than GVA per capita, or the tax they pay. For some, the idea of an island populated only by high-GVA bankers, lawyers, accountants and civil servants may be a utopian dream - but for me it is nothing short of a nightmare."