Friday 28th February 2025
The Jersey Chamber Weekly Update
Dear Subscriber,
For the last decade, I've had the original Bergerac theme as my ringtone.
To anyone who could be bothered to analyse this admission, it probably says lots. For starters, it harks back to the fun times that me and my carefree friends were having and evokes the apparent sunshine and good times we were all having. The ringtone also triggers nostalgic smiles and recognised by others (and getting me forgiven) when it rings in company.
Like my personal comparisons with the then and now, the new 'Jim' world can appear a little bit more gritty, serious and unforgiving. To be fair though, the closest you got to AI, was that bloke in the pub and nothing will ever be as gritty as my first bedsit in St Helier. Comparisons are rarely fair, and we've all moved on. Except for the Triumph Roadster, which rarely moved on someone pushing it out of camera shot. Jim appears to need a taxi these days anyway.
It's all 'of its time' and as Mark Twain pointed out; Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Who would have thought, we'd all be holding our collective breath on the whims of Trump, where our environmental King and Labour PM are courting him for approval, to hopefully edge away us from economic and global chaos. Think of it as another set of tariffs.
Talking of paying the price, the media was full of good news that the 'flat rate' charges for freight would not impact food prices more than 0.4%, according to the Government. And they may well be right on this - it's complicated - trust me I've sat through the maths lesson. Before this gives you too much false hope, there are other pressures at play on the impacts of your supermarket shop. And you don't need to be Detective Jim to work it out. On April 1st we'll have wage inflation, we have energy inflation too - think of all those fridges running 24-7, there is food inflation too, plus we pay GST on food and supermarkets pay 20% corporation tax and higher commercial property rents. Next time you are in the supermarket look at the costs, there are plenty.
Staying closer to home and of some modicums of reassurance are within the results of the IoD Leadership Lens survey, which Chamber was pleased to support. It shows that the Jersey's business community remains resilient despite the economic pressures. But confidence is still fragile. High living costs, the expense of operating a business, and skills shortages strain businesses, and need addressing.
With over half of those surveyed citing government strategy and economic conditions as barriers to growth, it highlights the calls from Chamber and IoD for stronger collaboration between policymakers and industry. Chamber and IoD will be working on this together. With the right support, Jersey has the potential for renewed confidence and stability. Look out for the full results briefing from us and our colleagues at the IoD on Monday.
Talking of collaborating, theMay Chamberlunch will be the Tale of two Lyndon's, as we have the Chief Minister of both Jersey and of Guernsey speaking. It's on May 21st and you might need to move quickly to secure tickets. Details are below.
The last episode of the old Jim Bergerac was on Boxing Day 1991, and ended with Charlie Hungerford recommending Bergerac for a new position heading an expanded Bureau des Étrangers covering the whole of the Channel Islands…
'Bloomin' Ada Jim, we'll need a tunnel to get the car over to Guernsey!'
Cue the theme tune: Boing-Boing-Boing…boing-a-boing-a-bong…
I'll be in Diamond Lil's Bar on the orange juice if you need me.
Have a great weekend.
Murray,
