Government, cash and risk: a treacherous trio!
Governments are instinctively risk-averse. They have a habit of doing the same old things, time and time again, because they know they work.
The downside is that those things may not be the best things, and anything with a chance of failure is usually ruled out.
That's why Jersey's government setting up an innovation fund to help new firms flourish, and in turn boost the economy through employment and sales, is surely a good thing?
However, investigating how the £5million pot of cash is spent, trying to find out what checks and balances are in place, and even seeking confirmation that a firm that's received a loan has disappeared is almost impossible.
The States hides behind Freedom of Information legislation which deems key questions about those finances are commercially sensitive, and therefore secret.
When a whistleblower told ITV News that there was concern about the whereabouts of one of the firms, and a £400,000 loan it received from the fund, there was obvious public interest in getting to the truth.
But it's been an uphill struggle.
Originally the minister in charge said we'd have to wait for a week before giving an interview on the subject, and only agreed to speak when we made it apparent we'd be running the story with or without their input.
It doesn't fill you with confidence that our elected representatives, and those with the power to spend taxpayers' cash, are doing all they can to ensure every penny doled out is carefully accounted for, and that there are ongoing efforts in place to spot problems as they begin to arise, rather than when it's too late.
The Jersey Innovation Fund IS making a difference. I met the owner of one firm that applied for cash, today. They now employ 14 staff, and are selling their digital inventions around the world.
Let's try and get to the point where there's enough openness for us to celebrate success and challenge perceived failure when it happens. That would be an innovation!