VOTE Daniel Wimberley

Quality of life for all has to be the goal. This will mean marrying the best of traditional Jersey with new and creative approaches to face a completely new situation. I want to see Jersey become the first jurisdiction in the rich world to say goodbye to the age of excess and embrace living within the limits of our planet home. This journey should be fun.

“The only thing to fear is fear itself”
Roosevelt.

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Population
Decide on a population ceiling and stick to it.

Hold island wide debate within overarching realities of peak oil and inflation, climate change, and the ageing population. Honest debate, no spin. We cannot go on and on building.  More . .

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Environment
Tackle waste, cut carbon, lift our urban areas.

Living and working in an environmentally responsible way will give us peace of mind. Implement a carbon savings scheme. The cash saved and invested will make it simple to do the right thing and will encourage all of us to do so e.g. by funding a vastly improved bus service, insulation of all buildings etc. Make our urban areas desirable instead of second best.   More…

NB Most of these environmental policies will save the community money, and thus are an important part of any fight against inflation. They will also make us feel good and that will make us more contented and more healthy.

Quality of life
target and measure quality of life for all residents as the main goal of States policy instead of economic growth

Materialism-only is bad for Jersey and bad for the planet. It is now essential to meet our real needs as economically as possible, needs such as community, good health, fulfilling work. Move away from being a throwaway society.  Develop new indicators to track our progress towards this new goal.  More . . .

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Social Policy
Ensure adequate income and equal opportunities for all.

Build a fair society because it is right and because it is part of making a society which can stand up to the challenges ahead. Access to parenting support, pre-school education, decent housing, good public amenities, healthcare – are all part of this. More…

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Democracy
promote democracy and citizen involvement

Democracy and citizen involvement are vital for the strength and cohesion and even for the fun of our society.  Re-establish trust, overhaul our elections, promote democracy and participation in our schools, find better ways of involving people in fashioning their future. More…

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Community and self-reliance
Strengthen the communities within Jersey society

Support and develop all communities in Jersey, be they the geographical units of the parishes, or ethnic, religious or voluntary groupings. All communities within Jersey society should feel at home, and no-one should be excluded. Defend local small businesses, and promote all forms of self-reliance, especially at Parish level.  More . .

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Economy
Adapt our economic life to the well-documented threat of global warming, and the fact of peak oil.

Government and business have to work out how to move to a zero-waste, low carbon society. This will take imagination, foresight and flexibility.  Build up a parallel informal economy as a safety net. More . .

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Fiscal and tax
Fair, transparent and environmentally useful

Our tax system provides the cash for public expenditure. Taxes should be progressive, inclusive, transparent and can be used to influence behaviour, e.g in the direction of reducing carbon emissions. So scrap GST and replace with a carbon levy to fund the carbon savings scheme. More . .

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Global
Live in a way that restores the planet and promotes the welfare of all

Aiming for quality of life whilst consuming less conserves our planet and allows the poorest to have more. Overseas Aid, public procurement policies and States investments all to be part of a States ethical package. More . .

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Public expenditure
Support worthwhile public expenditure in line with the above policies

Always a hot potato, but I will not be defensive about this. Public expenditure is what we all spend on providing for all of us, and I cannot see what is wrong with this in principle. It also is the leading weapon in the fight for equality of opportunity. I will however demand value for money, no featherbedding, and accountability, and many of my policies will save a lot of money. We need to start to think about how these amenities and services should best be provided in a lower-consumption society. More . .