Jersey Approves Assisted Dying Law

BBC: A law to allow terminally ill adults the right to choose to end their own lives has been approved in Jersey.

It marks the final legislative stage for the landmark proposals before they get Royal Assent in the UK - and once approved the first legal assisted deaths could happen as early as next summer.

Those eligible are people with terminal illnesses causing unbearable suffering where they are expected to die within six months, or 12 months for those with neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson's and motor neurone disease (MND).

It means Jersey is now the second part of the British Isles where assisted dying has been fully approved – the Isle of Man was the first. » | Ammar Ebrahim, Jersey political reporter and Fergus Walsh, Medical editor | Thursday, February 26, 2026

From Mudlarking to the German Occupation of Guernsey during WW2 as Told by the People Who Were There

Feb 13, 2022 | What was it like working for the Guernsey Secret Underground Press during the German occupation of WW2? What was it like as a child to steal potatoes from the Germans? What about the slave labourers building the fortifications?

In 2021 I had the opportunity to speak to 5 people who told me their stories. One of these people was Magda Royall, the daughter of Jerzy Mroch - a slave labourer, who fell in love with a Guernsey woman. Molly Bihet was 9 years old when the war started and she told me how life became increasingly difficult as time went on, with severe food shortages. Mary has gone on to write four books and you can find these at her website: The Channel Islands Occupation Society »

Mary Sim's parents worked for GASP - the Guernsey Secret Underground Press. Mary belongs to the Occupation Society and would love to hear from anyone if they have any stories relating to the Occupation or GASP.

De la Bretagne au nord de la France, les images de la tempête Ciaran

Nov 2, 2023 | La tempête Ciaran a touché cette nuit le quart nord-ouest de l’Hexagone et continue de souffler, en remontant vers les Hauts-de-France. Selon Météo-France, les rafales de vent ont été exceptionnelles sur la Bretagne, et de nombreux records sont battus : 193 km/h à Plougonvelin, 171 km/h à Lanvéoc, 163 km/h à Landivisiau, 156 km/h à Brest, 148 km/h à Lorient, 147 km/h à Quimper.

Liens connexes ici et ici.

STORM CIARÁN PICTURE GALLERY:

Damage and disruption: Storm Ciarán has hit the UK, Channel Islands and parts of Europe, bringing strong winds, heavy rain and flooding. »

When Hitler Invaded Britain in WWII: The Secrets of Guernsey | Timeline

Dec 12, 2019 • Guernsey and its neighbouring islands have a unique distinction which sets them apart from the rest of the British Isles. Together with the rest of the Channel Islands, they were the only part of the British Isles to fall to Nazi Germany in the Second World War. In this documentary, Dan Snow discovers the unique wartime experience of these islands and the people who lived on them. From a daring commando raid on Sark to an extraordinary reconnoitre of untouched World War Two archaeology submerged in an Alderney quarry, join Dan as he explores the wartime history - above and below the ground.

WIKIPEDIA: Channel Islands.

ITV Journalist Gary Burgess Dies of Cancer Aged 46

THE GUARDIAN: In final message to be released after his death, Jersey-based broadcaster said: ‘I’ve had the best life’

Gary Burgess began working as a reporter at ITV Channel TV in May 2011 in the Guernsey newsroom, before moving to Jersey in March 2012. Photograph: ITV News Channel TV
A 46-year-old television journalist who spoke out about his cancer diagnosis has died, ITV has confirmed.

Gary Burgess died peacefully in his sleep at a hospice in Jersey on New Year’s Day. Doctors had found tumours on his lungs and told him they were inoperable.

He was first diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1999, and treated for further tumours in 2015 and 2016.

Burgess used a popular blog to record his condition. In November 2020, he told followers that he had six to 12 months left to live and documented his cancer journey after receiving the terminal diagnosis.

The Manchester-born broadcaster set the world record for the longest radio show at Blackpool’s Radio Wave, staying on air for 76 hours and raising money for charity.

In a final message, written for ITV to release after his death, the journalist wrote: “I’ve had the best life. I’ve had the luckiest life.

“I met my soulmate and the love of my life who went on to become my husband. I got to work with some of the most amazing people in newsrooms and studios doing the job I absolutely adore. » | Rajeev Syal and agencies |Sunday, January 2, 2022

France Threatens to Cut UK and Jersey Energy Supply in Fishing Row

THE GUARDIAN: French government pushing EU to take stronger stance in dispute over access to Channel waters

The EU could hit Britain and Jersey’s energy supply over the UK’s failure to provide sufficient fishing licences to French fishers, France’s EU affairs minister has said.

Clément Beaune, who is a close ally of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said action would be decided on within days and discussions were already in motion.

France has been pushing the EU to take a stronger stance against the UK over its concerns that Boris Johnson’s government is acting in breach of its obligations over fishing access to Channel waters.

Last week a third of French boats applying to fish in Jersey’s waters were turned down by the island’s government. The previous week the UK government provided only 12 of 47 French vessels with permits for its coastal waters. The UK and Jersey authorities have said the vessels that had been turned down had failed to provide evidence of operating in the relevant waters. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Licences de pêche post-Brexit refusées : Paris appelle à un front européen contre Londres

LE FIGARO : Jersey a accordé mercredi 95 licences à des bateaux français et en a refusé 75. Le gouvernement français a dénoncé des décisions «totalement inacceptables et inadmissibles».

L'île anglo-normande de Jersey va accorder 64 licences définitives et 31 provisoires à des bateaux français pour pêcher dans ses eaux et a en revanche refusé 75 demandes, a annoncé mercredi le gouvernement local dans un communiqué. Ces nouvelles licences post-Brexit viennent s'ajouter à 47 licences déjà délivrées depuis le début de l'année. Les 75 bateaux recalés devront «cesser toute activité de pêche dans les eaux de Jersey dans un délai de 30 jours», selon le gouvernement jersiais.

La veille, le gouvernement britannique avait annoncé qu'il accorderait 12 nouvelles licences sur 47 demandées, pour l'accès à une zone située entre 6 et 12 milles nautiques des côtes britanniques (Paris parle de 87 demandes). Au total, en incluant les autorisations délivrées précédemment par Londres, 100 licences sur 175 ont été accordées, selon le ministère de la Mer français. Des décisions jugées «totalement inacceptables et inadmissibles» par le gouvernement français. Ces décisions «contreviennent à l'accord signé dans le cadre du Brexit», a déploré Gabriel Attal mercredi, à la sortie du Conseil des ministres. «L'État français restera aux côtés de ses pêcheurs», a également tenu à souligner le porte-parole du gouvernement. Lire l'article et regarder la vidéo » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | mercredi 29 septembre 2021

Jersey fears French boats will blockade port in row over fishing licences: Channel island’s government rejected third of French boats and ordered them out of its waters within 30 days »

The Nazi Occupation of Jersey - Radio Discussion, 2013

On the 1st July 1940, Jersey was occupied by German forces. Some called it "the Model Occupation" - a taster of what might actually happen across the country if Hitler was successful in his plans to invade Britain.

Churchill's government had decided the Channel islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark, were of no strategic importance and would be very difficult to defend and so, just a couple of weeks before, all troops had been withdrawn from the islands. The islanders were instructed to surrender to the German army. Hitler's forces were in occupation from July 1940 until the war ended in May 1945.

These were hard years for both the occupiers and the occupied. Food was scarce and, although acts of resistance were limited, the justice was harsh when it was meted out. Those who lived on the island were faced with a complex crisis of conscience - how should they live with the enemy?

In this edition of The Reunion, Sue MacGregor reunites a group of Jersey people who endured that difficult time, finding out how they look back on it seventy years on: Bob Le Sueur, a young insurance clerk at the time, who helped Russian prisoners hide from their German Captors; Leo Harris, a teenager at the beginning of the war, who carried out acts of 'boys own' resistance; Michael Ginns, who found himself in an internment camp in Bavaria; Hazel Lakeman, who was also taken off the island and interned in terrible conditions; and John Floyd, one of the few Jersey residents who actually managed to escape from the island.

Smoking in Jersey Homes Could Be Banned

BBC: Smoking in homes and cars could be banned under proposals being discussed by Jersey's health department.

The move to extend the smoking ban has been suggested as a way of protecting children from secondary cigarette smoke.

Lighting up in parks, shopping areas and beaches could also be banned under the proposals, suggested in a report.

A public consultation on the possible changes to smoking policies is due to run until 31 October.

A department spokesman said smoking was "one of the biggest causes of premature death and ill health in the island".

About 20% of the population smoke and health officials have blamed this high level of smoking for the higher than average rates of some cancers in the island. » | Monday, August 05, 2013

Jersey: 16-Year-Olds to Vote in Island Elections
First it was Austria; now Jersey is following suit. One has to question the judgement of people who wish to lower the voting age to sixteen. Further, one needs to ask oneself some pretty fundamental questions, too.

Are sixteen-year-olds really mature enough, and politically savvy enough to make sound judgements at the poles? Some will be, of course; but the law shouldn’t be changed to accommodate the few exceptions. My guess is that the majority of sixteen-year-olds today are far from mature enough to make shrewd political decisions.

In years gone by, sixteen-year-olds, because many of them went out to work at a far younger age, were arguably much more politically-savvy than our mommy-coddled youngsters of today.

It is to be hoped that this trend does not continue. Poltics is a serious business; and a little experience of life goes a long way in helping people make solid political decisions. - ©Mark

THE GUARDIAN: New voting age shows increasing support for lowering the voting age across the continent, Electoral Reform Society says

Young people aged 16 and 17 will be able to vote for the first time in forthcoming elections on the island of Jersey this week.

The island voted to lower the minimum voting age from 18 to 16 in July 2007 but the change in the law hasn't been exercised until now. The age group makes up 2% of a population of around 90,000 people, with over half of the island registered to vote in the elections on Wednesday.

Derek Gray, the chair of the privileges and procedures committee, which was charged with reform in the States, the name by which the government of Jersey is known, said: "Guernsey and the Isle of Man have already lowered the voting limit but we're not following the leader, we actually want to engage with our young people. Sixteen and 17-year-olds already have a lot of responsibilities like getting married, so it seems logical they should be able to vote. Jersey 16-Year-Olds to Vote in Island Elections >>> Jo Adetunji | October 13, 2008

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