On a day when the radio this morning mentioned the decline of Jersey's Trust Industry and the 2000+ unemployed are growing in number all the time, I vaguely remember back when Stuart Syvret started blogging in 2008 that he forecast the collapse of Jersey, mass unemployment, etc.
I have found it hard to find the real foretelling of doom, it may have been on other forums or website comment sections, but it's worth re-reading his earliest blog entry -
http://stuartsyvret.blogspot.co.uk/2008/01/introduction-to-microcosm-it-seems.html
.. and others -
http://stuartsyvret.blogspot.co.uk/2008/01/growing-problems.html
http://stuartsyvret.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/in-your-name.html
http://stuartsyvret.blogspot.co.uk/2008/10/jersey-election-special-7.html
"an island so wrecked, expensive, and economically knackered that your children and grandchildren all emigrate."
So far we haven't had a total collapse, but one has to wonder just how close are we to a runaway "tipping point"?
Far too many people are out of work, and finding it impossible to find any, facing the loss of their home and the slide towards the state of having almost nothing left - the point at which Income Support may finally help you; once you've finally lost your home and seen your savings dwindle to 20% of sweet F.A. and need a States flat because you're out on the street, but sorry there's a waiting list as long as St.Catherine's breakwater.
All this, while reading in the paper that there are bucketloads of jobs available if only you were qualified enough to tick all the many boxes on the forms pushed around by the HR dept in question, and apparently jobs are easy to come by if only we weren't so lazy and were prepared to do those menial seasonal jobs that the European imports are so happy to do.
All very well doing a 'summer job' .... what happens in the autumn then? What use is that to someone with a mortgage to pay? Everyone I know says they are struggling, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.
So I'm wondering, how much of Stuart's Doom and Gloom was correct, 5 years ago, and can anyone provide any links to support their views?
Fire away!
4 comments:
In my view, if there are hundreds of locals under-qualified for the so called many jobs available, then surely this points to bad planning by education to ensure that school leavers are suitably educated for today's work place.
They also appear to fail to educate schoolchildren in the reason why they should vote when they become eligible, although not all children, some of the privileged are allowed a day in the States and an interview on CTV.
I can remember many many years before Stuart started blogging he said that one day we would look at the finance industry as the goose that laid the golden egg. Love him or hate him he does seem to have foresight that is sadly lacking in so many of our political leaders.
Stuart writes so eloquently and speaks so articulately. He's so sharp and spot on. I'm not suprised his predictions are correct. Thank you for prompting us to them.
Perhaps Stuart's biggest challenge is due to his being so far out ahead of everyone else. So many of his pessimistic predictions about Jersey's judicial corruption, political maneuvers and suspicious ties to law firms are supported now by more evidence. When reading his older blog postings, he seems to have been more right than anyone, just too soon to be accepted by some.
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