Party time: Triumph for JDA
Thursday 27th November 2008, 3:00PM GMT.
THE Jersey Democratic Alliance scored the biggest success for party politics in 60 years as voters also put their faith in youth and newcomers in yesterday’s elections for Deputies.
As 12 new Deputies were elected and five sitting Members – including Transport Minister Guy de Faye – lost their seats, St Saviour No 1 candidate Jeremy Maçon made election history by becoming the youngest ever States Member at the age of 21.
JDA chairman Trevor Pitman will join his wife Shona in the States. Both won seats in St Helier, with the party recording a clean sweep in St Helier No 2, where Deputy Geoff Southern and newcomer Debbie de Sousa were successful, along with Deputy Shona Pitman.
It means that the JDA, which campaigned on an anti-GST platform, will have the biggest States presence of any party since the Jersey Progressive Party’s landslide in 1948.
With low turn-outs across the Island, the second member of the current Council of Ministers to lose his seat in this year’s elections, Deputy de Faye, plummeted to ninth out of 11 candidates in St Helier No 3, where Overseas Aid Commission chairman Deputy Jacqui Huet also lost her seat and Assistant Education Minister Ben Fox held onto his by only one vote after a tense recount. Education Minister Mike Vibert was ousted in last month’s Senatorial election, four unsuccessful candidates in which won Deputies’ seats last night.
There was more success for relative youth and party politics in St Saviour No 2, where finance industry worker Tracey Vallois (25) won a seat, and St Brelade No 2, which elected Time4Change party candidate Montfort Tadier (29).
In addition to Deputies de Faye and Huet, the ousted politicians were St Clement Deputy Gerard Baudains, St Saviour Deputy Celia Scott Warren and Scrutiny panel chairman Deputy Pat Ryan, who lost his gamble of moving from a safe-looking seat in St Helier to contest his home parish of St John.
In all, there will be 12 new Deputies when the new States convene on 8 December, with the overall balance shifting in favour of the unofficial opposition to the policies of the outgoing Council of Ministers.
Other newcomers will be International Air Display organiser Mike Higgins and Headway founder Andrew Green in St Helier No 3; environmentalist Daniel Wimberley in St Mary; accountant Eddie Noel in St Lawrence; retired nurse Angela Jeune in St Brelade No 1; medical secretary Anne Dupré in St Clement; and retired plumber Phil Rondel, making a comeback in St John after a three-year absence. The result is likely to rekindle the hopes of those who have campaigned against the introduction of a goods and services tax.
The JDA grouping is expected to receive the support of a new unofficial faction headed by Senator-elect Alan Breckon, the chairman of the Jersey Consumer Council and the man who was instrumental in organising the anti-GST position. Another of his supporters is Deputy-elect Vallois.
Other prominent anti-GST campaigners include Deputies-elect Tadier, Judy Martin, Paul Le Claire and Maçon.
Overall, despite the major issues that the new States must contend with during the next few years, Islanders showed little enthusiasm for the election.
Turn-out was generally low, especially in St Helier, where it hovered between 20 and 30 per cent.
• Picture: The JDA’s Deputy Geoff Southern, Debbie de Sousa, Deputy Shona Pitman and husband Trevor Pitman were either re-elected or elected. Picture by Rob Currie (00603518)
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STRIKE 1!!! Times are a changin.
Well done to all the new Deputies.
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Nice to see a change around!
My thoughts on the low turn out are that after the results of the Senetorial elections people lost faith! I did anyway.
But my parish wern’t voting anyway so it made no odds.
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nice change around. still waiting for my pack to join the JDA. only lot that talk sense
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Suzette Hayes lost out to what would have been a well deserved victory by TWO votes … puts paid to the lazy bones arguement that a vote doesn’t make any difference so why bother. I really hope she carries on her great work with the consumer council and has another crack at a states post in the future.
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I hope this is a wake up call to the rest of the islanders. The JDA are going to run this island into the ground if left to get strong. Their economic policies are not beneficial to the island. Lets face facts, no one like’s the GST but if people were not so narrow minded and looked at the reasons why it was introduced and put a bit of thought to it, it would be seen as one of the best long term policies for the island. In short if the JDA get too strong then the finance industry goes and that would be the enf of our island.
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Excellent, only the best will do for St.Helier No:2. A long awaited victory for the JDA. Jersey’s voter’s wanted change and have voted for the best politicians for the job and long may it last.
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Hopefully the JDA don’t get too big for their boots. They failed to get a seat at the senator’s elections so they don’t have an island wide mandate and shouldn’t expect ministerial seats.
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JDA for change ?
Red geof and his cronies who failed to get an island mandate in the senatorial elections better be carefull, if they scare the finance industry away by doing what they promised to do to get votes we will have change, but will it be what we want ???
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“no one like’s the GST but if people were not so narrow minded and looked at the reasons why it was introduced and put a bit of thought to it, it would be seen as one of the best long term policies for the island”
How wrong you are… GST is a form of regressive taxation that burdens the poor more than the rich. A fairer form of collecting social security payments, among other measures such as capital gains tax and possibly carbon levy would fill the hole in a much more forward thinking and just way.
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The JDA are all talk and no substance.
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The jda are all talk and 4 seats in the states
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This result shows how dangerous our current electoral system is. The ultra-left JDA party now have four states members with equivalant powers to senators yet they got in with between 444 and 665 votes – which means roughly 0.5% of the population voted for them!
Incidentally, it will be interesting to see how the Pitmans try to empathise with the poor people that the JDA claims to represent now that they are earning £86,000 between them!
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Doubtless you are applauding the election of the Constables.
Five of them faced no challenge at all and the remaining contests were between establishment candidates.
They have even less of a mandate than a Deputy on average using your reasoning.
Not only that but my local Constable insists that he is nonpolitical despite voting in support of Frank Walker on almost every occasion. He is now trnsferring his allegiance to Terry le Sueur, much to the disgust of many pensioners who attended his deputation!
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Capitalism and communism stand at opposite poles. Their essential difference is this: The communist, seeing the rich man and his fine home, says: ‘No man should have so much.’ The capitalist, seeing the same thing, says: ‘All men should have so much.
Where do the JDA stand?
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What does a deputy do ?
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JDA – Ultra-left??? Are you for real TBM? Read up on some real ultra-left individuals before you make such rediculous assertions.
As for the Pitman’s earnings, are you crassly suggesting that politicians who represent the poor must also be poor? By the same token should they also be old, infirm or young and vulnerable? This attitude reflects that of the establishment who are wealthy and run the island for the wealthy and not of the JDA who would, I hope, represent all of us.
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Oh I can’t wait for their fiscal policy – should be good for a laugh!
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Thomas,
If the greed centric finance industry left us, we could starve or reinvent ourselves…but we would do it with our morals reborn and our principles refound. Whether the JDA would run the island into the ground in such a way that they would leave is to be left to history to show. But history has already shown us that the cynical and cruel goverment we currently have does little for the ordinary people of the island. Unless you believe that like aboriginals were regarded by mid 20th century Australians, beans are an inferior breed to be marginalised and weeded out.
Its about time that the finance industry was given an inclusive role in our society rather than being pushed into an “us & them” role.
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So, one month after the Senatorial elections, six of the candidates whose policies were rejected (Southern, Pitman, Tadier, Macon, Higgins and Wimberley) are elected. In other words, in our version of democracy, the people who represent the majority of the Islanders have no more say than those who were rejected by the majority. That is not democracy and brings the whole system into disrepute.
Surely its time to stop senatorial failures standing as deputies. Otherwise the senators elections acts as a dry run for raising awareness before the Deputy elections. The result – too many candidates standing for Senators for debate to be meaningful and a wholly jaded electorate by the Deputies elections.
Hold both elections on the same day, ban people standing in both and give senators a double vote in the States to reflect their bigger mandate.
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There are already some prominent people in the finance industry now studying the stability of Jersey’s political standing. Offshore finance centres need stability, its a key issue and if doubts start to get tabled these results could be the start of the end.
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We have not had stability this year at all. A well known Minister being fired and then running a controversial blog. Gaffs to the media. An enquiry into vote rigging. A member of the Tax Justice Network now in the States. And now outsiders looking at these results with concerns. Its a mess.
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There was a proposal for electoral reform in the Clothier Report.
But the States took on the Ministerial government part of the proposals and nothing else.
So we have the situation where the Constables are elected, usually unopposed, on issues such as parish parks and building more sheltered housing in the parish. But they vote on island wide issues like GST etc.
Deputies have districts ranging from a few hundred, St Mary, to thousands, St Helier. But they lack an island wide mandate so are definitely out of the running for major Ministerial office.
Only the Senators have an island wide mandate so they share the big spoils. Virtually all of them will get Ministerial office.
And the Chief Minister is elected by secret ballot, this creates a mad process of horse trading that is now underway ahead of next Monday’s vote.
The fact is that this crazy electoral system is a recipe for instability and until it is reformed it will only get worse.
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Oh dear.
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20 to 30% turnout? clearly not everyone is that up for ‘change’.
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Geoff Southern & the JDA have evidently introduced party politics to Jersey with lies and subterfuge. The leaked e-mails between Jeremy Macon’s mother and Geoff Southern is scandalous and must leave anyone who voted for those two feeling extremely aggrieved. For such deception both Deputy’s must resign before significant damage is done to Jersey’s reputation as a competently governed jurisdiction. Finance Industry or no Finance Industry, politicians who deceive and manipulate are bad news for everybody.
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James. Where you not impressed with the quality and intelligence of our elected members? We have a former school teacher with appauling grammer and who resorts to the threat that he will tell other States Members that Jersemy is a mummy’s boy and then we have a new member of the Sates who we can be re-assured will be wearing clean underwear and have washed behind his ears before he heads off to the States Chamber, because his mum will make sure he has. It is amazing how at the first sign of success, the opposition has turned into a group of infighting idiots. I particularly enjoyed the admission that no alternative candidate has a chance, but that they might be able to negotiate a few concessions. It seems the spirit of the barracades has turned very defeatist
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James, how has Mr Macon deceived anybody?
What about the people who write speeches for our COMs?
This is obviously a distraction spin.
I have total faith in Deputy Macon.
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What is more scandalous James is the leaking of a private email for political purposes.
I would be more concerned over that than I would over the storm in a tea cup which you histrionically describe as ‘scandalous’, and which votes should feel aggrieved about.
ps James. Only one of them is currently a deputy.
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I have always thought that a certain amount of deception and spin was part of the warp and weft of polititics.
I can think of several candidates that voted against their manifesto commitments the moment they were elected to the House.
In advance of an important States vote there is extensive lobbying by both sides and there is a certain amount of ‘card marking’ as well.
Some members have friends outside the House who help write speeches and proposals, give legal or professional advice etc.
Jeremy Macon is guilty of being a little naive.
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If the JDA are so secure in their policies, why do they use the voter apathy in districts they don’t live in to get into the States? Why does someone who lives in St Helier 3 go for election in St Helier 2? could it be that they wouldn’t get voted in in St Helier 3 as the turn out is better and more broadly split?? – and for that matter 2 people who live in St John going for St Helier – how are they representative of those Districts?..it’s clearly an abuse of the political system and a backdoor way into the States and should be stopped immediately – Deputies should only be allowed to run in the parishes they live in. Bring on a general election, that would sort the men from the boys!
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Apart from Breckon, no senators on Southern’s e-mail lsit. In the main, they were failed Sentors who were able to get in as deputies. None of them have an island-wide mandate and they should focus their attention on their parishes. And who was Southern cc’ing on the last leaked e-mail? Also, the results of the postal voting investigation should be interesting!! The JDA, Macon, Syvret all seem part of a mickey mouse club.
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pah..Yes, I agree a General Election would help us get one small step nearer a functioning democracy. However, don’t be so cynical about the JDA in St. Helier. In the Senatorial election St. Helier bucked the trend and both JDA candidates were in the top 6. This would indicate strong support in town.
Oh, and wasn’t Alan Maclean Deputy for No2?
Last I heard he lived in a manor house in St.Saviour.
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Flooded – that’s all very well if you live in town and you can have a say. What about voters who don’t live in town managing to see them off in the Island wide Ministerial elections only to see them get in the back door without any say? A truly scandalous system!
Southern’s comments clearly demonstrate he’d sooner alienate potential allies than bite his lip. This lack of self control could be devastating for the Island in the future if it were over something far more significant and wider reaching to Jersey’s people. Thank the voter he wasn’t elected as Minister to give him the opportunity!
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“We have a former school teacher with appauling grammer….”
Priceless.
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joker- elections in the UK and USA are settled by a small number of swing states or seats. The average Democrat in Texas has, effectively, a meaningless vote, as would a socialist in Trinity, if there were ever another election for Deputy there.
We have an absurd, unfair system where we vote for an independent pig in a poke, or worse, don’t even get a chance to vote.
The only way we will achieve a real democracy is if we have political parties and a European style system of proportional representation. It is truly the only way everybody’s vote can count equally and we can move forward to true consensus politics. Or don’t you want that?
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Flooded – Yes that system works in countries that have party politics – meaningless or not the democrat in Texas still had the opportunity to vote for either party. I however could only vote for 1 of 29 potential deputies (or parties if you compare). In other words at least the voter in a US state or UK council has the opportunity to vote!
I don’t agree party politics will change anything. Like the UK you’ll just end up with 2 or 3 parties all spinning and not really saying anything different. What we need here is less candidates all of which are voted in by an Island wide vote like the Ministers.
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Hi Joker,
I think you mean Senators rather than Ministers, it is easy to become confused as most Senators end up as Ministers.
The number of candidates is not controllable as anyone who can garner the requisite proposers has the right to stand.
An all island vote for the whole House would be ridiculous, you need at least 40 – 50 members to make up a reasonable sized States and that would result in a giant ballot paper with maybe a hundred names on it!
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