Fur coat but no knickers

It’s a Northern England expression to refer to someone or something that is splendid on the surface but sadly lacking underneath.

It came to mind when, as is normal with a new Governor arriving soon, the Government workers started painting the front walls of The Castle and the Courthouse.  No doubt they’ve also filled in all the potholes in the road from Jamestown up to his residence at Plantation House (but not an inch further), spruced up the Governor’s Office and cleaned and tidied everything else he will see in his first day on the island.

Meanwhile a short way away there are people living in Government Landlord Housing which is in such a poor state of repair it should be condemned not inhabited, but they live there because they have no choice.  For years there has been no money in the budget for repairs.

Many of these same people have no electricity because they can’t afford the bills and struggle each week to feed the family, but for years there has been no money for improved welfare spending.

Disabled people are trapped in their homes because for years there has been no money to pay for accessibility improvements.

But the police can afford to equip themselves with a Tazer per officer, just in case they find themselves in a situation where they might need to use it (we have three times as many police per capita than England & Wales, but only half the number of crimes, and very, very few of these violent).

Whatever our new Governor may think of the fur coat, I wonder how long it will take him to discover that there are no knickers (because for years there hasn’t been enough money .....)  Maybe when he leaves in three years time his successor will arrive to a better balanced society.  He should make this his priority.