Politicians playing "Ponzi" with population

Tuesday 28 June 2016

The Council of Ministers approach to population has been compared to a giant Ponzi scheme - a fraudulent investment in which returns are paid out of capital from new investors rather than legitimate profit.

But instead of money, Jersey's scheme involves people, according to a backbench States Member. Deputy Sam Mézec believes that ministers are offering unsustainable returns and - like a Ponzi - their 'get rich quick' scheme will unravel.

Deputy Mézec is highly critical of the Council's admission last week that it had abandoned its interim population policy - which allowed a net increase of 325 migrants a year - after figures showed that this target had been smashed in 2015, when net migration was 1,500: more than a five-fold increase.

Today, he and other backbenchers will ask questions of ministers to find out why the policy has failed so badly and what they intend to do about it.

"Firstly, I want to know the justification for ignoring the policy because maybe I'm missing something," he said. "Secondly, I want to know why we don't have a permanent population policy in place. The problem, as I see it, is that ministers have been swayed by some influential people who think that growth is good at all costs and Jersey should be the Hong Kong of the Channel Islands.

"I have no doubt that Jersey would do well if that was the case but I don't think anyone wants to be like Hong Kong: we value our countryside, our open spaces and our way of life. The trouble is that the Council of Ministers appears to be ideologically determined not to raise the 20 per cent rate of income tax and the only way they can make it work is to bring in more people. It is complete and utter madness."