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so, at what age do you become an adult then?

"One question that seems to drive everyone mad when you’re what older folk call a ‘young adult’ is just when exactly do you finally become one. An ‘adult’ that is? I mean just look at the mixed messages we get.  16 to have sex but if you want to get married… Sorry, you have to wait unless you want to ask Mummy and Daddy if it’s OK with them! Makes real sense that one doesn’t it?  Then its 17 to drive a car. 16 again to legally buy some cigarettes –whoops, sorry now it’s suddenly 18 isn’t it.   But 18 to go and buy a pint in the pub.  16 to join the armed forces. Yet from what I’m told in reality another couple of years before you would be sent to the front. Seem logical? 

And just to top it all off now at last 16 year olds are being entrusted to vote. Seems to me like the first really logical thing to do with a 16 year old’s newly won vote is to go down the polling station and vote out all of the idiots who got us into this mess.  Then again, maybe we’re being a little too harsh. Chatting about this we couldn’t even agree 100% at Youth Bytes. We almost did. In fact we did for about five minutes that it should be 18 – for everything. Then someone who just happened to have passed their driving test at 17 suddenly decided it wasn’t actually a very good idea at all…  So what do you think?  From D.D.

carry a knife – carry the consequences

None of us can have failed to notice all the headlines in the national papers about the number of young people being killed this year with knives. The figures have been really shocking - just as I think most of us would agree have been the ages of many of those involved. Talking about it amongst ourselves we all agreed that one of the best things about living in Jersey is that it is still fairly safe, though most also think it is beginning to change for the worse. There are people carrying knives over here – so the question has to be why do they do it?

After the last States session the JEP carried a story about it being considered to increase the maximum prison sentence for this kind of crime from two to four years. Most of us felt that when you consider the sentences that young people can get relating to drugs issues - sentences that can mess up your life for years and years for what might be just one stupid mistake – sentences for stuff like threatening or using a knife, even carrying one (I mean, if you aren’t going to use one why carry it?) should be treated with a whole lot more seriousness.

So what do you all think out there? I’ll give you my starter for free. Five years just for carrying a knife with no good reason! (And, yeah, carpet fitters on their way to work are obviously excluded!)    From The Lean Bean

THE GREAT ELECTION POSTERS MYSTERY 

They probably really pee a whole lot of people off, but somehow an election wouldn’t be the same without them, would it? What are we talking about? Posters, of course!

Some of them are huge (Senator Ozouf’s). Is this an ego thing? Some of them look real cheap and tacky (Senator Ozouf’s again). Some of them – no offence meant - look as about as sincere as a David Cameron/Tony Blair election promise (Deputy Alan Maclean’s). Some have such big, scary close-up mug shots you can’t help thinking some people really should know no better at their age (Deputies Peter Troy and Sarah Fergusson), after all 17 and cute with it these two just ain’t!

Some are so tiny you can barely see them (Jeremy Maçon’s). But at least that shows he is sticking to a budget, we suppose – and let’s be fair he is around the same age as us! Some look like direction signs for a craft fair at first glance – really boring craft fairs (Senator Paul Routier’s). Hasn’t he got any photos he likes? Some just try to look too arty-farty clever and end up looking a bit daft, corny and even pretentious instead (Adrian Walsh’s). Some seem to try so hard to look different and striking, but end up just looking garish, geeky and frankly not a little like something out of Little Britain or and old Harry Enfield show (Nick Le Cornu’s).

Some have such horribly unflattering photos on them that you can’t help but wonder whatever possessed the person to OK the proofs (Ian Le Marquand’s). Some – well, most actually – are so just plain boring and deadly dull you don’t even remember who was on them. Now that just can’t be good? And some others… Well, some others just don’t even seem to exist! All the environmental guys seem to fall into this category along with Deputy Alan Breckon. We suppose the environmental guys may well be making a point and fair enough, but what’s with Deputy Breckon we wonder?

Our Guys

As for our own JDA guys Trevor and Geoff? More plus than minus we’d say. Unlike a couple of others who seem to have ripped off some of the JDA’s ‘buzz’ words for want of an original idea at least Trevor and Geoff’s really come across as genuine and to the point. They are also the most professional looking without a doubt. On the photo side Geoff’s is a really nice one with a great big smile – he should do it more, it suits him. Trevor’s on the other hand really doesn’t do him justice. If you are 48 and still look as well preserved as he does you would have thought he really would have tried to play on it. Still, maybe he was going for the statesman-like look?

The real question all of us at YouthBytes have been asking, however, has not been about the quality of the posters at all. It’s the intriguing mystery of why, a couple of weeks in, are there just so few of the damn things plastering our lampposts? Answers and suggestions to the usual address, please. Best explanation wins a laminator! OK, OK, we weren’t going to, but you’ve finally talked us into it against our better judgement…

Most Naff Poster

After much debate (well, not that much at all really – it was almost unanimous) we can declare that the most naff, most off-putting poster of all award must go to one of the Time4Change candidates - sorry Nick Le Cornu. Horrible garish yellow colour and a really unflattering photo and pose that unfortunately make the guy look like a cross between Tory Boy and Tim Nice-but-dim. Whatever were you thinking Mr Le Cornu, no one looks good against yellow! That cheesy forced smile too…Yuk! Maybe its time it was all done electronically on the net?

Youthbytes at the Hustings 

Having decided not to try and compete with the hacks at the JEP, Channel and the rest (some people have jobs and studies to worry about!) instead of sitting up all night tapping away at our keyboards YouthBytes asked people to take turns trolling along to the different Senatorial hustings and then drop us a few lines about their thoughts. Not just about our guys but anything that particularly struck them on the night. Enjoy…

ST. CLEMENT: 

First thing that you couldn’t help but notice was just how many of them there were, candidates I mean. They had to wrap the tables in a kind of dog leg around the room! The speeches were split pretty much between two types. Carefully rehearsed, sticking to the sheet no matter what, look at all the wonderful things I’ve done speeches. And, maybe from people who were more confident speakers speeches that seemed to just be built around a few important bullet points and telling it as they saw it. I preferred the second sort.

Trev’s was one of these and one of the best I thought. He was also the first to have his speech interrupted by a load of applause. Geoff seemed a bit nervous, surprisingly for someone who must be one of the most knowledgeable people standing. His answers to the questions were all as well informed as ever though, probably giving more information out than anyone. Both our candidates were good and certainly held their own. I wouldn’t like to criticise anyone on what must have been a pretty nerve-racking occasion for many, but the night did start me making up my mind right away that there were a couple of the new candidates that I didn’t think would be able to cut it in the States. I obviously won’t be voting for any of the ministers and others who voted for GST either so by that reckoning I’ve already thinned the possibles down by half. Interesting night but wouldn’t want to do it every night of the week!  Emma

How pretentious does a person have to be to tell everyone he is a member of MENSA? It just sounded really pompous and put me off the candidate right away. Not that I was going to vote for Peter Troy anyway as another one of the GST gang. Trevor’s long answer to how there really are alternatives to GST was spot on.I just think most of these politicians don’t want to listen. They look after their rich mates.  John

 Our candidates were really good. I really believe they can do it.  Amber

 Mike Vibert is a total muppet. We have to get this guy out and I think he will be. As an education minister the guy sucks.  Dan

ST. MARY: 

Apart from a youngish woman who asked about young people and the States and Shona (Deputy Pitman) I think I was the only young person looking in. Not many people there at all really, though I suppose it is a very small parish. I had to leave before the end but it was interesting. Everyone knows that Deputy Southern knows his stuff but Trevor was excellent too. He got a big round of clapping for his comments about how he couldn’t support an Education Minister who was happy to tax books and school uniforms.  

The JDA’s commitment to young people certainly came across loud and clear. Shame not more young people there but maybe there just aren’t that many in St. Mary anyway? The speeches were a mixture of boring, average and very good. The weirdest was the fairy tale one from Mr Nick Le Cornu. Whatever he was trying to say I don’t think people got it at all. Sounded quite patronising if you know what I mean. Think I’ll be voting for our two plus Alan Breckon and that will be it.  Izzy

GROUVILLE: 

Senator Ozouf was working overtime in Grouville to suck up to the crowd. Sounded so fake. The bit about the Dolphin was plain dumb because he didn’t even get it right. Telling everyone how he came top in the parish last time might be a mistake too. I think there are enough of his I’m rich so stuff you type of supporters to get him re-elected but I don’t think he will be in the top three. Few young people there. Spoke to Trevor afterward and he said he felt Geoff had been his best so far. He was good too. So was Trevor although he told me he felt this had been his least best night. Still good in my book. Adrian Walsh sounded particularly nervous and not very convincing. All of the environmental candidates suffered too because they just talk too much or at least a lot more than they have time to do. 90 seconds to answer three questions was a joke. It was good that from both Geoff and Trevor the really important things kept being brought up: controlling population growth, fair taxation and electoral reform. I just hope people listen because the JDA have got the issues spot on.  AM

Rotten lay out for the people standing. Some were actually hidden from view around a corner. One thing strikes you about the ministers – fake! Talk fast and hope no one notices all the lies. Whoever goes to the next meeting should really take a recorder because I reckon Ozouf, Maclean and Routier are already trying to nick our manifesto. Vibert and Troy are just no hopers. Didn’t think much of Sarah Fergusson either. Jeremy Maçon seems really genuine and nice. Sounded quite nervous and I doubt he’ll get in but you have to give him his due for standing. At 21 he is bound to get within in a few years. Trevor was really good with both his speech and answers. Geoff was probably even better tonight. Think I’ll go along to St.Martin’s if I can.  PW

*We’re putting comments together as they come in and hope to get some feed back from St. Martin and St. Peter to paste up soon.  If you were there at any of the hustings get in touch. You don’t need to have been sent there officially by us!

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