The Chief Ministers of Jersey and Guernsey have moved to highlight the positive elements of inter-island collaboration in the wake of an ongoing row about ferry services.
Deputy Lyndon Farnham and his Sarnian counterpart Deputy Lyndon Trott made a joint appearance at this week’s Chamber of Commerce lunch and listed a series of areas in which the two Bailiwicks had worked together successfully.
The event came in the wake of public disagreement between Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel and Neil Inder over a possible inter-island service, with the duo reigniting a spat that began last year as the island’s joint tender process for ferry services collapsed.
Deputy Trott, who is to step down from politics at the end of June after voters in Guernsey elect a new States, said the two islands were much closer politically than in the past.
“Our officers are working together actively every day to protect and promote our reputation and our commercial interests,” he said.
“There is no greater example of this than our shared approach to managing the impact of Brexit and the work that followed on matters such as borders and trade agreements.”
Deputy Farnham said: “There are a lot more opportunities for us to work together to further build upon the collaboration we currently enjoy – it’s starting to gain momentum.”
Asked about the ferry disagreement between Deputies Morel and Inder during a Q&A session at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Deputy Trott said: “I am a little bit more embarrassed – early in my career I was told that there is very little in business or in politics that can’t be sorted out over a cup of tea, but also that there is very little that you will solve on the front page of the local newspaper.”
There is very little that you will solve on the front page of the local newspaper
GUERNSEY’S CHIEF MINISTER LYNDON TROTT
“A lot of the work that we do where there is robust conversation takes place in private, as it would do in businesses,” he continued.
“I expect that the two of them will have been close friends beforehand, and will be again, but I would prefer it if we attended to any dirty washing in private rather than in public.”
Deputy Lyndon Farnham, Jersey’s Chief Minister, was more sanguine.
“Welcome to the world of politics – I’m not embarrassed,” he said.
“I’m disappointed that it finds its way to the front page of the paper, but I will also point out that both Neil and Kirsten have worked extremely well together on certain areas.”
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