Flashback to... 2010

Sunday 22 December 2019

As not only the year, but the decade, draws to a close - there's a lot to look back on and forward to.

Hard as might be to believe the 20-tens – the second decade of the 21st century – is slowly drawing to a close. But, how much of it do you remember?

In a series of ten short features, Express is turning back the clock to review the decade year by year. First in the series: 2010...

Economically it was a tough time. The world was experiencing one of the most protracted and deepest financial depressions since the late 1920s, and Jersey was not immune.

Pictured: The world was gripped by the most severe economic depressions since the 1920's and Jersey was no exception.

In the previous year, the island’s economy had suffered a six per cent slump, one of the biggest drops in recorded history, and Finance Minister Senator Philip Ozouf was left struggling to balance the books. He was eventually forced to "eat his own words" after he felt he was left with no option but to break his 2008 election pledge "to robustly oppose any attempt to increase GST".

He put it up to five per cent. His actions prompted immediate calls for his resignation, but only 200 people attended a union-organised protest rally at Fort Regent in November and the Minister remained firmly in place.

In March, the island’s unemployment figures reached an all-time high of more than 1,300. Almost one in ten of them had been unemployed for more than a year. Youngsters were particularly hard hit, with more than a quarter of those out of work being aged 16 to 19. But for some States’ workers austerity seemed to just a word. Figures showed more than 500 employees had earned more than £70,000 in the previous financial year.

Many of the major news stories of 2010 had their roots in events of the previous decade - most notably Jersey’s Historic Abuse Investigation.

One of those who had been most vocal about the alleged abuses and claims of cover ups had been Senator Stuart Syvret, who acting as a whistle-blower published a steady stream of documents and interviews on his blog.

This led to a run-in with the then Chief Minister Senator Frank Walker, which resulted in Syvret being dismissed from the Council of Ministers. It also saw him facing charges of breaking data protection laws. In 2009, claiming he couldn’t get a fair trial in the island he fled to London seeking "legal and political asylum".

In March 2010, Mr Syvret was removed from office having been out of the island for more than six months, but in May he was back in the island – one of nine candidates standing in the by-election his actions had prompted. On this occasion, the previously poll-topping politician lost out to a newcomer, former Citizens’ Advice Manager, Francis Le Gresley.

Pictured: Mr Syvret eventually stood trial in the Magistrate's Court and was found 'guilty'.

Later in the year, there was more bad news for Mr Syvret. Although his trial was delayed for a month because he was suffering from clinical depression, in September he was found guilty, fined £4,200, ordered to pay legal costs of £10,000, and jailed for ten weeks for three counts of being in contempt of court. In the end he only spent a night in La Moye before being released on bail pending an appeal.

Two others at the heart of the historic abuse investigation who also found themselves once again back in the news in 2010 were former Police Chief Graham Power and the man who had headed up the Inquiry, Inspector Lenny Harper. Both were heavily criticised in a Wiltshire Police report that reviewed the handling of the case. Mr Power for the way he had overseen things, and Mr Harper for the way he had handled the media.

But, what really caught the public’s attention were revelations that £7million had been spent, much of it on first-class flights, and wining and dining tabloid journalists at top restaurants. More money - £650 a day – had been lavished on putting up a police officer and his dog at a top Jersey hotel.

Throughout 2010, Mr Power’s supporters continued to claim he had been unfairly suspended, but attempts by Deputy Bob Hill to get the States to set up a committee of inquiry was met with little support. However, in October, an independent report by leading UK lawyer, Brian Napier QC, found that there had been procedural errors in the way the then Home Affairs Minister Deputy Andrew Lewis had handled the case. 

Pictured: The events preceding and in 2010 laid the ground for the work of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry.

As the year drew to a close, Acting Police Chief David Warcup told the authorities he was quitting, blaming "political hostility". It was announced London City’s Mike Bowron had been given the job. Another civil servant who quit in 2010, was Treasurer Ian Black. Many claimed he was the ‘fall guy’ for Finance Minister Senator Philip Ozouf after the States’ failure to insure itself against currency fluctuations after having signed a contract in euros to build the new La Collette incinerator. It was an error that was to cost the island millions.

On a sad note, the island also said farewell to former Senator Chris Lakeman. The highly popular lawyer served as a Senator from 1999 to 2004 and during that time he campaigned for political reform as well as spearheading a fundraising effort to keep the Opera House open. He sadly took his own life aged 42.

One of the issues the former Senator had fought for was to have the dual role of the Bailiff – as the island’s top judge and speaker of the States – a centuries’ old set-up – scrapped, and replaced with two posts, with States members electing their own speaker. He was not alone. In December an independent report by Lord Carswell also backed the suggestion and advised the States to get on with things. Ten years on, nothing has changed.

Although probably not widely recognised, former Senator Syvret was also having an impact on island-life outside of the courts. He’d been one of the champions who’d fought to get a town park built on the site of the former gas works near the old Odeon cinema.

Pictured: Plans for the town park were eventually unveiled in 2010 - eleven years later than hoped for!

Eleven years later than hoped for, plans for a £10m park were finally unveiled, and a promise made that work would start in 2011. Also behind schedule, this time by a mere three years – Liberty Wharf – a retail complex in the former abattoir building behind Liberty Bus station on the Esplanade – finally opened its doors. Cineworld introduced 3D screens. Liquid and Chicago Rock closed, and The Bar opened.

But, perhaps the most bizarre, and to some, the most memorable story of 2010 was the flight chaos caused by the unexpected and vigorous activity of an Icelandic volcano spewing millions of tonnes of ash into the atmosphere and bringing international plane travel to a near standstill. In April, British airspace was closed for six days. It’s claimed the disruption cost the island more than £1m with more than 4,000 visitors being unable to get to the island.

Visit Express tomorrow for the round-up of 2011...