It’s a great pity that the office of Jersey’s Dean has been removed along with that of the Lt Governor from the ongoing States Inquiry into the role of the other Crown appointed Officers – the Bailiff and Attorney/Solicitor General.

Deputy Bob Hill’s original proposal was of course correct. The whole lot needs to be properly looked at and this medieval branchage is long overdue for a trim.

Of course, the Lt Governor generally stays well clear of any wrangling on the matter but it just shows how entrenched this office is within the Jersey establishment because his purpose is so totally unnecessary in the 21st century by any democratic standards. But nobody in government must be allowed to question or discuss it!

The Dean does at least have some claim to doing a useful job for those who need a superstitious crutch in life and death – but why the Church of England should be treated differently and preferentially over any other religions in Jersey is certainly a matter that warrants critical attention. Is it Human Rights compliant?

But the current Dean is as much like a man of gob as man of god because he just loves the sound of his own voice and takes every opportunity to sound off in the States chamber as though it was an extension of his pulpit. Why should he be allowed to participate here – who chooses him? Who does he speak for? And why does he sit on the Parish Roads Committee?

Now is the high point of the Dean’s year because it affords him the opportunity to bow and scrape before the good and great of the Island who come into the St Helier church from their country mansions to hob [expletive] under the Christmas trimmings. But why the long suffering parishioners of the Town should subsidize the rest of the population or provide an expensive ceremonial stage for the Bailiff and his cronies is an even greater mystery than the one from ancient Bethlehem.

Since his appointment – under Letters Patent – in 2005, the current Dean has behaved like a spend, spend, spend pools winner.

Why the parishioners of St Helier cannot choose their own senior cleric but must have him (or her?) secretly appointed in England is all part of the mystery that needs to be examined but this man has been demanding £millions from St Helier ratepayers to refurbish his little cathedral (whether they are churchgoers or not).

Yet other church denominations such as the Catholics, who have far greater congregations and equally expensive buildings to maintain, receive nothing from the rates or other public funds. Why not? What manner of discrimination is this?

Of course, it’s not just the Town Church expenditure either. Under this Dean’s care the Deanery has been refurbished to an extraordinary high standard ( “because we shall be entertaining the Lt Governor”) with gold tap trimmings more like Saddam’s Iraq palaces and an integral spacious “granny flat” for “visiting clergy” (furnished by the congregation too).

The unpaid Verger “left” his post, soon after this Dean arrived, and vacated his living accommodation at Church House only to be replaced by a salaried Verger aka “Town Centre Missioner”. He was an Australian recruited from the finance industry and the living accommodation was totally refurbished and upgraded with 2 bathrooms too and he and his wife lodged at the Deanery whilst the work was carried out.

Although the Dean is supposed to be the Rector of St Helier and must have more than enough souls to save in that Parish, he has felt the need to swan around the country parishes too (“reaching out to the community”) and so he created the extra job of “Dean’s Vicar” to administer to the town-dwellers and a ½ £million house was purchased to accommodate this South African recruit. Who paid for this?

As if this religious empire was not already enough, the Dean then dreamed up the post of “Town Curate” who was sworn-in with some pomp but not a great deal of prior consultation with the long suffering congregation. Does anybody know what he does?

The Dean has also appointed a Chaplain at the prison and a 2nd Chaplain at the Hospital.

Yet, now the Dean has the cheek to sound-off about the low level of C of E staffing in Jersey and how every Parish cannot have a Rector and that the big wigs in England are threatening financial cuts and don’t have great reserves of invested wealth for Jersey to call upon and there may be cutbacks!!!!

Just what is the truth – do we need more or fewer clerics in Jersey? How many people actually attend any Church on a regular basis and more especially, how many Town dwellers worship in the Town Church?

Every year in Jersey the Royal Court carries out an inspection of a Parish to ensure that the books are properly kept and that the roads are correctly maintained etc but who supervises and regulates the business of religion?

Just what is going on with the Church of England in Jersey and just who actually makes the decisions and pays the bills and is it not time that all religion in this Island was brought under the effective and democratic control of local residents?

The current Dean may well claim that he is “called by God” but here on earth, somebody should call this Cleric and his activities in Jersey to account.

Seasonal Greetings!

Tom Gruchy

[Submitted by Tom Gruchy]