Bailiwick Podcasts

Guernsey Cancer Support wants to make sure anyone affected - directly or indirectly - by a cancer diagnosis knows the group is open to them. The community peer group has been together for more than 12 years and offers people a place to discuss their concerns openly without judgement. Express met with one of the group's volunteer helpers, Joni de Kooker, to find out how the group can help those aff...

In politics, they say timing is everything. On this week's Politics Disassembled podcast, Bailiwick Express Editor James Filleul speaks to Senator Ian Gorst - a two-term Chief Minister, and the man who took over at External Relations just before Brexit, and who is now dealing with Ukraine. But - he wasn't in the top job during covid. He is the man who recruited the island's controversial CEO, Char...

The Sark Chamber of Commerce held an event last week called 'Building Sark's Future'. During the event, the Seigneur of Sark, Major Christopher Beaumont, gave a presentation detailing the story of the island and how it has reached a tipping point in time. There has been a growing disconnect, according to Major Beaumont, between the direction of the island and its governing body, Chief Pleas. I spo...

As the situation in Ukraine worsens, the repercussions are steadily being felt more widely, and more deeply. Here in Jersey, we are braced for fuel prices to rapidly increase this year, in what's being described as the most volatile market in recent memory. Where does our fuel come from, and what can be done to soften the price rises? Will all this just accelerate our journey to becoming carbon ne...

We don't have much land in Jersey, but how we use what we do have will be decided in the next two weeks. In what could be the longest debate in States Assembly history - the agenda alone runs to 68 pages - our politicians will debate the Bridging Island Plan. It's a critical step in the major issues facing Jersey today, such as providing enough homes. Joining Bailiwick Express Editor James Filleul...

Are personalities dominating in politics? Is the States Employment Board dysfunctional? Do we need a Cabinet Office? Was the change to Ministerial Government the right thing? And does the CEO have too much power? Alongside a team of Ministers past and present, Senator Tracey Vallois has just published a review which picking apart the bad bits of Government - and suggests how to fix them. As well a...

Will it be third time lucky for Le Masurier with their new £120m Les Sablons proposals for St. Helier? We're talking about the two acre site between King Street/Broad Street on one side, and Commercial Street on the other. A few years ago it had permission to become offices called J1...and then it was the preferred option for the new Government HQ. Neither happened. But now Le Masurier has bounced...

Politics is about policy and decision making but is driven by characters. Deputy Carl Meerveld is undoubtedly a character of Guernsey politics: outspoken, controversial and combative - a divider of opinion - to some, in touch with the public like few of his colleagues; to others, an insufferable showman. In this States' term, he is also at the centre of many of the biggest debates inside governmen...

Children's rights and family law expert Advocate Darry Robinson speaks to Express about care proceedings, Children's Services and how the processes could be improved to better protect children from long-term harm... ★ Support this podcast ★

The island has set up five citizens' panels to work on subjects from mental health, the hospital to climate change, with a cost from a few thousand to a few hundreds of thousands. But isn't that what we democratically elect politicians for? And if we appoint islanders to make recommendations instead, are they accountable, what process do they follow and how do we control costs? Those are all issue...

Prices in the UK are rising faster than at any rate in the past three decades. Express asked Co-Op CEO Mark Cox what the impact will be in the Channel Islands. ★ Support this podcast ★

In three weeks, the States will debate a proposal to create a 900-square-kilometre Marine National Park in Jersey's territorial waters. Express speaks to Freddie Watson of Blue Marine Foundation, a charity that has campaigned for the park's formation, to find out why he thinks it's an important step forward. ★ Support this podcast ★

Big gov versus essential controls - it's a debate which is played out in many guises in Jersey politics, but perhaps nowhere feels closer to home than when its about, well, your home. Proposals to make minimum rental standards mandatory for all landlords were narrowly defeated in the States this week, their opponents said they were too expensive, too complex and unnecessary as the right protection...

The Policy and Resources committee has begun a public campaign, explaining its approach to broadening Guernsey's tax base. A necessary action, it says, to tackle a looming £85 million deficit: most notably this includes a push once again for a Goods and Services Tax (GST). The idea has been controversial both publicly and within the States. One Deputy who has been consistently critical of P&R'...

The annual De Putron quiz is returning as a completely live, in person event this year. The inter-school quiz has been a popular and challenging date in the calendar for students from both Guernsey and Jersey for 15 years. We spoke to one of the organisers of the event, Megan Thoume from Orchard, who told us why the event has been so successful... ★ Support this podcast ★

Jersey is too crowded. Jersey needs more skilled workers. Jersey must protect its environment. Jersey has an ageing population. Jersey doesn't have enough homes. All those statements are true, and they all rotate around how many people live here. Welcome to the great population problem. Jersey hasn't solved it, it just smashes all targets set, and passes the problem onto the next guy. The trick is...

Express speaks to Jersey-born actor Timothy Renouf about starring alongside Claire Foy and Paul Bettany in the deliciously scandalous new BBC series, 'A Very British Scandal', how being a rat sparked a love of performance, serial killers, covid vs Netflix filming, and why coming from a small island shouldn't limit big screen dreams... ★ Support this podcast ★

The impact of covid is starting to ebb away and the entertainment industry has plenty of catching up to do. Last year saw Alderney Week cancelled, as well as a variety of events at St James. With 2022 looking more hopeful, Express caught up with some of the organisers of live entertainment in Guernsey to get their thoughts on the future. ★ Support this podcast ★

Politics is power, and on this week's Politics Disassembled podcast, we'll be playing a bit of Game of Thrones, States-style. This week, info leaflets are landing on doormats to prep you for the June General Election, the first of a new kind of election in Jersey which sees Senators gone, nine new districts and 'none of the above' on some ballot papers. Who's going to cling onto power? Can we beat...

The Royal British Legion has been supporting ex-service personnel emotionally and financially for decades and the Guernsey branch has recently launched a mental health support service for people in the island. Express spoke to the chair of the welfare team, Marlene Place, and the chair of the central RBL committee, Ben Rowe, about the service and why it has been launched. ★ Support this podcast ★

Welcome to the first of Bailiwick Express's new political pods - this week, Samarès Vs Plémont. Not a battle of two well-known Jersey places, but a venting of voices on the health service, sparked by a row over the right location for rehab care. It's been a week of Ministerial U-turns, what was described as a catharsis of strong views on the state of the health service, and finally... an ultimatum...

It's no secret that the aviation industry has been particularly badly affected by the pandemic. Express speaks with Airport Director Robin MacRae to find how Jersey is bouncing back. ★ Support this podcast ★

Experts in the UK tasked with valuing the record-breaking 2,000-year-old Le Câtillon coin hoard started with a figure of £2m... so how did the island end up paying more than double? And could this decision have kickstarted the creation of "casino metal detecting"? Express speaks to Andy Brockman, UK archaeologist and Editor of investigative publication The Pipeline, about the "explosive" precedent...

The President of Policy and Resources, Deputy Peter Ferbrache, recently announced that he is unlikely to stand for the top job again. Express wanted to find out why, so we invited him in for a chat. During our conversation we discussed rumours, avoiding social media, and P&R's intention to buy Guernsey its very own ferry... ★ Support this podcast ★

This week, Jersey Amateur Dramatic Club brought Panto back after two years. But between covid restrictions, mandatory mask-wearing, cast absences and restricted audiences, the road to the stage was as icy as the kingdom of the Snow Queen, the subject of this year's show, as Director Debbie Taylor explained. ★ Support this podcast ★