Scott Carre: Five things I'd change about Guernsey

Friday 27 April 2018

Businessman Scott Carre is the Managing Director of Ombra Group, which owns Dragon’s Den-winning watch company, Slappie, and confectionery gift box service, Jolly Goods. Focused on expansion, he has a couple of other business ideas up his sleeve - that is, when he's not busy on the dance floor!

Mr Carre enjoys Ballroom and Latin dancing and is one of the experienced dancers in this weekend’s Dancefloor Challenge at Beau Sejour. A Guernseyman born and bred, he loves the island, but there are some things he would change:

1. Fog

It’s something that’s out of everyone’s control, I know that. But if there was a way to get rid of the risk of being fog bound that would be great. There’s nothing worse than turning up at the airport, either here or on the way back from somewhere to find that sign “next info at…”

It also adds quite a bit onto the cost of getting away as you tend to book to go out the night before if you have a connecting flight, which then means paying for a hotel. It also brings be nicely onto my next bugbear...

Pictured: File image of another foggy day at Guernsey Airport

2. Travel costs

As an island we must pay amongst the highest costs per mile travelled anywhere in the world. I remember the days when you could just go up to the airport and get on the next flight to Jersey for about £20. Now it can be more expensive to go over to Jersey than it is to get to the UK. Even then, for a 35 minute ride to the UK, more than £100 is pretty steep. And at school holiday times it can be double that, making it really difficult for families to get away.

I would like to see a more consistent pricing system so that you knew what you would expect to pay, rather than prices suddenly doubling the minute the schools break up.

3. The way the island is governed

I don’t think I’m alone on this one. In short, the States is too big and our politicians are a mixed bag to say the least.

We need a smaller government with more forward thinkers who can make proper, cohesive decisions. Everything takes so long to decide – look at the schools debate. It’s a prime example of going round in circles and not really knowing what they are proposing.

4. Social media

Not a Guernsey-specific thing, but it would be lovely to let our children grow up without the problems caused by and lived out through social media.

Peer pressure and bullying is intensified as everyone sees and hears about what might or not be going on in your life. It’s no doubt a familiar sight in most homes for the children to have their heads tilted towards a screen, barely noticing what’s going on outside and living their lives based on what they see their idols doing on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. And what used to be very normal fallings out are magnified and blown out of all proportion.

5. Driving standards

I could go on for days about this one!

Who doesn’t get sick of people pulling out in front of them and then going really slowly, or turning into a driveway and stopping for no apparent reason with no regard for whoever is behind? I’d introduce a specific roundabout navigation test as part of the driving test. It’s shocking how many people don’t know the rules about giving way to traffic from the right. Inevitably you end up struck behind four stationary vehicles and none of them knows whose turn it is. Apart from cyclists that is – it’s always their turn!