From Ex-Senator Pierre Horsfall.
I WRITE mainly in support of the views expressed by Dr Elena Moran in the JEP’s Our Island Home on Friday 20 June.
I agree entirely with her view that ‘the quality of our politicians is determined by the pool of our candidates that stand for election’ and ‘persuading more people of the right calibre to stand for election’ is the key to improving the quality of Jersey’s Government.
However, the missing sentence is the one that says ‘the second key is getting the electorate to vote for the so-called people of calibre’.
I can bring to mind a number of successful people who, in the past, have offered themselves for election, only to be rejected by the electorate. Perhaps a process whereby candidates can talk of populist policies with no fear of being held to account because an individual cannot be expected to deliver as a lone voice in the States Assembly, has had its day. Perhaps the time has come for people to vote for policies put forward by a body that stands a good chance of delivering on its promises.
Dr Moran is also right to highlight that the ‘barrier of failure’ can put successful people off seeking election. I have encountered examples of this over a number of years whereby very successful people were put off seeking election for fear of public failure.
For the avoidance of doubt, I should add that when I say ‘successful people’ I do not only mean business people. I mean people who have a proven track record in any field, be it business, arts, social activities etc, coupled with an ability to work with and persuade others to their point of view. As Dr Moran stated, if an elected person cannot do that, they can achieve very little.
Remuneration is also important but not as important as giving candidates the knowledge that they will be able to contribute in a positive way, which includes Scrutiny, and make a difference soon after taking their seat, which is much more the case now than it used to be.
I have to disagree with Dr Moran’s suggestion that the Chief Minister should be able to appoint six members without election. While I would not argue with the objective, I think that Jersey is too small in relation to the power they could potentially have, to allow non-elected States Members. Non- elected committee members were proposed around 1980 and rejected. Under the ministerial system this would be even more radical.
To cover a point not mentioned by Dr Moran, I believe that what might be termed the apathy of prospective candidates stems, to some extent, from the apathy of the electorate. If you cure this, you also go some way to curing the candidate problem.
I have thought for years that high electoral turnouts will not be achieved until you have a general election which the electorate sees as a real opportunity of effecting change. However, it is not possible to have a general election while retaining the Senators on an Island-wide mandate and a different length term of office. It has been suggested that the terms of office can be altered to have all elected on the same day. This is true but the huge disadvantage is that very few, if any, Deputies would run for Senator and risk losing their sear in the States. If this is also true, and I think it is, you would finish up with the senior Island-wide mandated seats occupied by newcomers. Clothier was right in calling for a general election and for the Senators to go. The same problem does not arise with Constables who can be elected on the same day as the Deputies as currently planned.
Some years ago, the question of doing away with the Senatorial seats at a series of public meetings and the message back was very negative. However, I do believe that having a general election will reduce apathy among voters and bring an Island-wide election to life as happened in Guernsey where the turnout jumped to, as I recall, 68%. This will drawn in more candidates of proven ability in various fields which in turn could produce more coherent policies but if the voters are to judge the possibility of these policies being delivered, there has to be realistic organised grouping of candidates.
It has been said many times that political parties will only happen in Jersey if the people want them. They cannot be imposed on them, as has been shown by failures of the past.
I think that the time will soon come when many of the public would prefer to vote for deliverable policies than for individuals. Increasingly, compared to the past, many voters know nothing of any of the new candidates coming forward and this is hardly an incentive to vote. If I am correct, Dr Moran is right when she says that parties are needed in Jersey.
My two caveats are that this will only work if we have a general election with all States members elected on the same day, giving the electorate the ability to change their government and its policies if they want to and that the party has to be a properly organised body with its own standards regarding candidates representing it and a clear set of deliverable policies that voters can accept or reject. La Vallette,
Grouville.
We need a general election
From Ex-Senator Pierre Horsfall.
I WRITE mainly in support of the views expressed by Dr Elena Moran in the JEP’s Our Island Home on Friday 20 June.
I agree entirely with her view that ‘the quality of our politicians is determined by the pool of our candidates that stand for election’ and ‘persuading more people of the right calibre to stand for election’ is the key to improving the quality of Jersey’s Government.
However, the missing sentence is the one that says ‘the second key is getting the electorate to vote for the so-called people of calibre’.
I can bring to mind a number of successful people who, in the past, have offered themselves for election, only to be rejected by the electorate. Perhaps a process whereby candidates can talk of populist policies with no fear of being held to account because an individual cannot be expected to deliver as a lone voice in the States Assembly, has had its day. Perhaps the time has come for people to vote for policies put forward by a body that stands a good chance of delivering on its promises.
Dr Moran is also right to highlight that the ‘barrier of failure’ can put successful people off seeking election. I have encountered examples of this over a number of years whereby very successful people were put off seeking election for fear of public failure.
For the avoidance of doubt, I should add that when I say ‘successful people’ I do not only mean business people. I mean people who have a proven track record in any field, be it business, arts, social activities etc, coupled with an ability to work with and persuade others to their point of view. As Dr Moran stated, if an elected person cannot do that, they can achieve very little.
Remuneration is also important but not as important as giving candidates the knowledge that they will be able to contribute in a positive way, which includes Scrutiny, and make a difference soon after taking their seat, which is much more the case now than it used to be.
I have to disagree with Dr Moran’s suggestion that the Chief Minister should be able to appoint six members without election. While I would not argue with the objective, I think that Jersey is too small in relation to the power they could potentially have, to allow non-elected States Members. Non- elected committee members were proposed around 1980 and rejected. Under the ministerial system this would be even more radical.
To cover a point not mentioned by Dr Moran, I believe that what might be termed the apathy of prospective candidates stems, to some extent, from the apathy of the electorate. If you cure this, you also go some way to curing the candidate problem.
I have thought for years that high electoral turnouts will not be achieved until you have a general election which the electorate sees as a real opportunity of effecting change. However, it is not possible to have a general election while retaining the Senators on an Island-wide mandate and a different length term of office. It has been suggested that the terms of office can be altered to have all elected on the same day. This is true but the huge disadvantage is that very few, if any, Deputies would run for Senator and risk losing their sear in the States. If this is also true, and I think it is, you would finish up with the senior Island-wide mandated seats occupied by newcomers. Clothier was right in calling for a general election and for the Senators to go. The same problem does not arise with Constables who can be elected on the same day as the Deputies as currently planned.
Some years ago, the question of doing away with the Senatorial seats at a series of public meetings and the message back was very negative. However, I do believe that having a general election will reduce apathy among voters and bring an Island-wide election to life as happened in Guernsey where the turnout jumped to, as I recall, 68%. This will drawn in more candidates of proven ability in various fields which in turn could produce more coherent policies but if the voters are to judge the possibility of these policies being delivered, there has to be realistic organised grouping of candidates.
It has been said many times that political parties will only happen in Jersey if the people want them. They cannot be imposed on them, as has been shown by failures of the past.
I think that the time will soon come when many of the public would prefer to vote for deliverable policies than for individuals. Increasingly, compared to the past, many voters know nothing of any of the new candidates coming forward and this is hardly an incentive to vote. If I am correct, Dr Moran is right when she says that parties are needed in Jersey.
My two caveats are that this will only work if we have a general election with all States members elected on the same day, giving the electorate the ability to change their government and its policies if they want to and that the party has to be a properly organised body with its own standards regarding candidates representing it and a clear set of deliverable policies that voters can accept or reject.
La Vallette,
Grouville.
Article posted on 9th July, 2008 - 3.00pm