State of the NationGuernsey · Opinion
What we make of the figures.
Opinion on Guernsey’s policy and politics. The pieces on this site set out the evidence and let you give your own verdict; the rest sit on Bridgehead’s Insights pages.
Here
Opinion on this site
Each piece shows its sources, and some ask for your own verdict.
Bridgehead Insights
Insights by William Walter
Pieces on Guernsey's politics and economy, published on bridgeheadcommunications.com.
- 31 Aug 2026 · William Walter · InsightGuernsey’s Pay Bill: Where a Decade of Hiring Leads by 2035The core-government pay bill rose 64.3% in a decade against 42.9% inflation, and pay per head fell in real terms: the entire excess is 822 extra posts. Carried forward at the same rate, it passes the island’s whole income tax take inside ten years.
- 2 Dec 2024 · William Walter · OpinionMake Guernsey Great AgainGuernsey’s growth has been well below its pre-2008 pace. Will argues the island needs a coherent programme for growth built around the finance industry, and that a public sector at 18% of the workforce is working against it.
- 16 Oct 2024 · William Walter · OpinionBeware promises of ‘temporary’ income tax risesPolicy & Resources proposed a two-year 2p rise in income tax in the 2025 Budget. Will points to the UK income tax, the windfall levy and Germany’s solidarity surcharge to argue that temporary taxes rarely end, and that the States should look at spending first.
- 10 Jul 2024 · William Walter · OpinionPlanning reform and Right-to-Buy are the keys to homeownership for Guernsey’s generation rentOwner-occupation fell from nearly 72% of homes in 2001 to around 60% in 2021. Will sets out a flexible zoning system and a Right-to-Buy scheme as the way to rebuild it. First written for Business Brief, the Guernsey Press business magazine.
- 7 Mar 2024 · William Walter · OpinionGuernsey: don’t gamble on rolling electionsRolling island-wide elections would cut the number of candidates, Will argues, but at the price of a mandate: a third of the Assembly would always be looking at an election, and would shy away from the unpopular decisions that government exists to take.
Bridgehead Research
Analysis from the Scorecard
Findings from the Scorecard's own data, published on Bridgehead Insights.
- 24 Aug 2026 · Bridgehead ResearchJersey has outgrown Guernsey four to one over the past decadeJersey has grown at 2.4% a year in real terms since 2013 against Guernsey’s 0.6%. The decade-long divergence, and its 2023 gap of roughly £683m, in hard numbers.
- 23 Aug 2026 · Bridgehead ResearchThe anti-GST rebellion was real. The anti-GST promises were notTwelve Guernsey deputies campaigned against GST. Only three wrote a manifesto promise a vote can actually test, and two of those are already ruled broken.