The Civil Service Illusion
Why Our Deputies Keep Believing the Bureaucracy Guernsey’s political structure allows the Civil Service to dominate policymaking, despite repeated failures. Senior Deputies, even those who should know better, continue to…
Public Trust and Authority: A Lesson for Guernsey
Public trust is the cornerstone of a functioning society. In Guernsey, where government and community often intersect closely, breaches of this trust have amplified consequences. When those in authority manipulate…
Exposing the Truth: How Legal Privilege Hides Injustice
The recent revelations at the Post Office inquiry have highlighted the dangers of using legal privilege to conceal the truth1. Paula Vennells, the former Post Office chief executive, attempted to…
Guernsey Civil Service: who holds the privilege?
There is an assertion often made by our Civil Service in Guernsey that the privilege attaching to legal advice given by the Law Officers belongs to the Law Officers and…
Strategies Used by Civil Services to Avoid Accountability in Reviews
Civil services often employ various strategies to avoid accountability when commissioning or conducting reviews of their conduct. These strategies can significantly undermine the transparency and effectiveness of the review process,…
Ethical Governance. Suggestions from 2015.
Nine years ago, I was asked by the then States CEO, Paul Whitfield, to make suggestions about transparency and ethical conduct in Guernsey’s public sector. My reply highlighted critical areas…
Why We Need a Public Services Ombudsperson in Guernsey: A Simple Explanation
Imagine you have a serious complaint about a public service in Guernsey, but the system to resolve it is slow, complex, and doesn’t really listen to you. Right now, if…
Public Services Ombudsperson, disclosure obligations & the role of a Review Board
Expanding on point (3), in my post about a Public Services Ombudsperson and about “Disclosure Obligations,” the consequences of the current lack of disclosure obligations from the Civil Service during…
Detoured Purpose: Planning Services and the Deliberate CLU Labyrinth
(This story is illustrative of the Planning services’ conduct when issuing a Certificate of Lawful Use) Landed at Guernsey airport at noon, I caught a cab to town: four miles…
The Necessity of an Independent Public Services Ombudsperson
Proper oversight of our civil servants. Context The Policy & Resources Committee’s proposal to reject the idea of a Public Services Ombudsperson (PSO) for Guernsey is made in a detailed…