I was amused to read a story in the Guernsey Press and Star which had the headline:

GUERNSEY'S independence is seriously under threat from the EU and more has to be done to safeguard it.

According to the report the above was:

the overwhelming verdict from politicians gathered at La Trelade Hotel yesterday discussing the surrender of sovereignty by the British Government to the EU.

And the blame it all on Labour:. Guernsey housing minister Dave Jones said:

Our allegiance in this island belongs to the Crown, not to the men in grey suits who are at the head of the Labour Government who are here today and gone tomorrow and believe the sovereignty of our people belongs to them.

Funny how Deputy Jones has not noted the number of women in the Labour cabinet, but then you have to note that he was joined around the table at the conference by a selection of members of the European Parliament from the UK Independence Party, which included Roger Knapman, MEP for the south-west and Tom Wise, MEP for the east of England, which does of course help explain his paranoia, and his small world view.

That's the trouble of living on a small island; it means that you have a horribly small world view. So does UKIP. To believe that there is a separate and somehow independent 'Crown' to which allegiance can be owed is absurd: Guernsey sinks or swims on the basis of its relationship with the UK. And in that respect I note that Deputy Jones said:

From our point of view we have seen increasing problems over the last couple of years with getting legislation through the Privy Council. It's slowed to a snail's pace on occasions.

Guernsey can't even pass a law without the consent of the UK (the Privy Council is not the Crown, after all). And it is taking a long time to get its laws through for some good reasons: I suspect the UK does not like them.

Time to wake up and face reality Guernsey: if you think you can go it alone you are sadly mistaken.