Still wondering who runs Jersey?

As a follow up to my last posting,  I noted this  Population policy delayed until after May elections As though the ministers didn't know the date of the coming elections, or that policy might need scrutiny.  All very convenient for the don't change the near enough non existent population policy line up of the Chamber and IOD.

Another long time proponent of  immigration and growth is Mark Boleat.  He appears as a research fellow for the newly rebranded/relaunched  Jersey policy forum  I was intrigued to read they are registered as a charity.  I can quite understand such an organisation being a not for profit.  But its  difficult to see how they would meet the  usual criteria of a charity. I don't know any of the 3 executive officers but I am acquainted with a few of the board members.  A fairly typical selection of what elsewhere is termed the great and the good.   Comfortably middle class and  well off for the most part.  Also I did a quick call to a few other acquaintances who run what you might call informed politically aware organisations - the sorts who respond to  States consultations.  Not one had ever had any communication from the Jersey Policy Forum. All the more intriguing when the web site states "

Our values

We believe that working together in a diverse and democratic society is best achieved when people have an open mindset and are focused on achieving common purposes. We work to encourage civic engagement from all people who live, work and play in Jersey to listen to each other’s voices and create a better future together. We adhere to the following values and principles in our approach to our work and invite you to join our Knowledge Partnership:"

If you still aren't convinced about the magic circle effect of these 'independent' bodies, look at the invited speakers for their forthcoming conference. 
Senator Ian Gorst - Jersey's Chief Minister,
Charlie Parker - Chief Executive for the States of Jersey,
Deborah McMillan - Jersey's first Children's Commissioner,
David Goodhart, author of The Road to Somewhere,founder of Prospect magazine and Head of the Demography, Immigration and Integration Unit at the Policy Exchange think tank based in London.


You might not know of David Goodhart, but this piece should leave you in no doubt about where he comes from politically.   Populist revolt future politics Does that look like a balanced, programme to you ? Pure coincidence of course that while the Chamber, IoD and even the Chief Minister  refuse to discuss population policy ahead of the election, the one person given a platform is David Goodhart aka the liberal Powellite.