Candidates find common ground at first hustings
Friday 28th May 2010, 2:59PM BST.
Last night’s meeting was chaired by Chef de Police Mo Gotel, in the absence of the Constable, Silva Yates, who is ill.
THE hustings tour of the parishes began in St Martin last night with the Senatorial by-election less than three weeks away.
It was standing room only in the public hall as the candidates faced questions on party politics, the media and support for business.
The nine candidates contesting the seat are Gerard Baudains, Nick Le Cornu, Francis Le Gresley, Philip Maguire, Peter Remon-Whorrall, Gino Risoli, Pat Ryan, Deputy Geoff Southern and Stuart Syvret.
The election, which takes place on Wednesday 16 June, will pick a candidate to see out the last 18 months of Mr Syvret’s term of office, after he was disqualified from the States for spending six months out of the Island.
The hustings tour continues at Communicare in St Brelade tonight. All the meetings will start at 7.30 pm, and are likely to end at around 9.30 pm.
Read the full story in the Jersey Evening Post. Click here for subscription details. Individual editions are also available online.
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My guess on the result is that turn out will be amazingly low, certainly under 25%.
Stuart Syvret has a few thousand supporters at least who will turn out and vote, Geoff Southern will also do well and the rest will split the few who can be bothered to turn out and vote against Stuart Syvret or Geoff Southern.
So Stuart first, Southern second and the rest nowhere.
It is actually quite surprisisng that Mike Vibert who narrowly lost as Senator last time is not standing as he could have done quite well and acted as a focus for the anti Syvret vote.
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Correction Pip, Syvret’s supporters no longer fill a couple of bus shelters. Southern’s nasty style of politics has not earned him many friends – I think middle Jersey will elect a sensible candidate.
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1 Pip Clement I think that’s a reasonable assessment.Not too sure about the headline though’candidates find common ground’?? I must have gone to the wrong hustings.
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The electorate is disengaged and it suits certain politicians to keep it that way.
The majority of islanders don’t care, or is it possibly that they don’t realise that by not engaging politically they are allowing our island to become merely a cash cow.
Forget the beautiful Jersey Cow it is a symbol of temps passe. To each person who does not bother to vote I say don’t complain when you see another quaint property or open field become a gated community, don’t complain as jobs in Jersey Post are lost, don’t complain when you pay #1.06 for a litre of milk.
The Cash Cow is a symbol of Jersey in 2010 and all of you people who think that politics dont concern you think again!
Think about who controls social policy, laws and regulation of the island………the civil servants that we tax payers pay only implement social policy it comes directly from the politicians that 70% of the eligible population don’t vote for.
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I would be amazed if the turn out is high.
It is a general rule of elections that the turn out at by elections is a lot lower than general elections or where the whole or a large part of the assembly is being elected.
UK parliamentary or council by elections always see a lower turn out and I would expect Jersey to follow the same trend.
Normal Jersey turn out is not much more than 40% at most so I would say 25% is a generous estimate.
Add in the fact that Jersey politics is weirdly insular and personality based and a lot of people who would vote against Stuart either will not bother as they are completely disengaged from island life or they do not care as they have no intention of living here permanently.
It will come down to a battle between the ‘moustaches’ eg the old Jersey folk in the country parishes and most of them won’t vote for anyone as there is not a potato farmer on the list and the slightly bolshy element in town.
I am guessing that the anti Syvret or Southern vote will split seven ways as there is not much to distinguish one of these candidates as being head and shoulders above the rest at the moment.
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JTB
Most people do not wish to waste their time listening to these candidates.
Not because they don’t care about politics, but because they are fed up with these people forgetting what they promised in their election campaigns and who they should be serving once they get into office.
None of them really care about what Jersey residents want…they are there for their own gain…simple!
Jersey Politics is BS Deluxe!
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pip no1 i think you will find that the people will look at the candidates records and be able to find someone else beside the two you mention perhaps ex deputy ryan who managed to save us money by stoping the selling of the jersey girl college at a knock down price.
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This is going to turn out similar to the UK elelction. Many thousands of Labour supporters voted tactically to make sure a Lib Dem gets in instead of a Tory – and what did that ensure?
In Jersey – the majority of people will place an anti Syvret vote, but will end up splitting the vote amongst a number of candidates allowing Syvret to limp over the finishing line.
And some of the candidates are a complete joke. I do think one or two are looking to revive the Monster Raving Looney Party.
I despair for this election.
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Most of the anti Syvret folk are simply content to moan about him on the internet.
Will you be going to any, or are you just another moaner making statements that you cannot back up because “you weren’t even there man”.
If you do go then afterwards have your say and give some valid reasons for or against. Otherwise dont bother commenting on what you believe to be what people are thinking.
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7 The Voice that was actually Rob Duhamel if you care to get your facts right!
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‘This is going to turn out similar to the UK election. Many thousands of Labour supporters voted tactically to make sure a Lib Dem gets in instead of a Tory – and what did that ensure’
I could argue that it has had the strangest and in a democratic sense possibly the best possible result.
It is going to result in a shake up of the whole Westminster system.
There could be a change to the alternative vote making Westminster more representative, fixed term parliaments plus a lot more beside.
It may make MP’s more accountable to the electorate and diminish the power of what is an over powerful executive.
I hope that the Jersey tax lawyers are nimble on their feet because the Cameron and Clegg show intend to take the whole UK tax system including offshore taxation by the throat and give it a really good shaking and they will have a good work over of the whole banking system.
The UK and a lot of its big institutions could be a very different place in 2015!
I might have a look at the bookies tomorrow and see what the odds are on the various runners in the Senatorial race, maybe a few monkeys on the nose of one of the pink ponies
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no 10 i do apoligise it must be my desperation to get someone other than the two candidates pip mentioned elected
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Pip #11 – don’t get me wrong I think it is funny seeing labour supporters who voted “tactically” complaining how the Libs jumped int bed with the tories. Anyway, this is sliding off topic.
JJ – not sure if your moan was aimed at me. You didn’t make yourself clear. If it was, I have not talked or asked for other people’s opinion on anything relating to this election. I read the statements and quotes from the candidates from the 1st husting in the JEP.
I also believe we are all free to voice our opinion whether you like it or not.
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BS De Luxe……….Most people do not wish to waste their time listening to these candidates.
Not because they don’t care about politics, but because they are fed up with these people forgetting what they promised in their election campaigns and who they should be serving once they get into office.
With reference to the above comment and to put it simply there is absolutely no corelation between a Jersey politicians manifesto and what they can achieve politically.
The system of government is such that we have 53 independant politicians in our legislature, that means 53 separate manifestos, ideology’s or wish lists!
Now consider our ministerial system – Ministers are expected not to break ranks – those that do are OUT – for example Shenton. Ministers and assistant ministers ( err 20 in total I think ) are expected to toe the (non party) line.
In addition to the (non party)COM we have 12 constables with a mandate to serve only their parish, however by tradition sit in the assembly and are able to vote on all propositions. Add the 20 independants (!) ( COM plus assistant ministers ) with the 12 constable and you get 32 votes. Statistically these 32 vote en mass, they have in effect a block vote.
That leaves a floating vote of 16 because we have the JDA with I think 5 members that leaves 16 floating votes.
Now one could argue that at times the block vote is not always exercised, that Mr or Mrs Pitman may not vote together, that one minister may not vote with the COM, but statistics suggest that on average we have a block vote in the house. Consider the voting patterns on the town park ( woops Mr McLean!) and GST….
So I suggest that you forget what is promised at the hustings there is no link between what is promised and what may be achieved – we have a system of government that is not fit for purpose an ‘Establishment Party’, the JDA and a few stragglers.
I am still of the opinion that every vote counts so if your political leanings are right, left or centre vote accordingly but appreciate that at present we are being governed by a Thatcherite quango.
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I would argue that the States are far from Thatcherite or even an effective decision making body. For decades they have been buying off every single problem that they have been faced with.
The civil service is huge and the employees enjoy generous salaries and benefits.
In the face of a $£60M deficit Phillip Ozouf tried to raise taxes on alcohol, tobacco and fuel at the last budget and this was thrown out. His current plan is to get £6M from the States to use to persuade 60 people to take voluntary redundancy to £100,000 per job, that is hardly throwing people out on their ear!
The fact is that the most common decision made by the States is to make no decision eg refer back, send it out to committee, commission a report. Some things like the incinerator debate go on for years, filling hundreds of square metres of the Post.
Decisions are only made when they have to be and preserving the status quo which is usually the strategy that will upset the least number of voters is the normal way out.
Which do you think will be built first?
The Millennium Park or the Esplanade Quarter or maybe they will not actually get round to either of them ever!
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I reckon the States are going to take the middle way when it comes to the budget deficit.
They will not raise taxes as that would be unpopular but they will not cut expenditure either on the grounds that it will be unpopular.
The island will burn through its reserves until we are almost looking insolvency in the face and then taxes will be jacked up as a frantic last gasp measure.
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If Stuart Syvret were to scrape in due to a split vote, with a low percentage of a poor turnout, will he take that as proper support for him? Or resign again and force another election?!
What percentage of the vote would he accept as real support, I wonder?
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17, Bean There.
What would be interesting would be if Terry Le Seuer were to resign and stand in order to test his popularity!
What percentage of the vote would he accept as real support, I wonder?
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jj’s comment (9) made me chuckle. “You weren’t even there man” should be the riposte to anything Syvret says about what has happened in the States during the last six months!
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The Voice – you are right. It was Patrick Ryan’s scrutiny report which stopped the sale of the old JCG building, not Rob Duhamel.
Incidentally he was also responsible for creating the stabilisation fund, from which we have the fiscal stimulus that is now saving jobs and creating training opportunities during this recession.
Personally I think he’s the best candidate.
Notwithstanding that, the people of Jersey get the government they deserve which is why we all ought to be voting. There is nothing inevitable about any candidate getting in. This Senator will join the government at a crucial time when we absolutely must focus on economic growth, and strike the right balance between savings and additional taxation which ensures a prosperous society for all our residents. We must, in my opinion, vote in the right person for the job.
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Not sure why 20 Steve wants to rewrite history.
Quote on Thisisjersey ;
St Saviour Deputy Rob Duhamel lodged a proposition today calling for the sale to be halted pending a valuation of the site. He does not believe the deal proposed by the Treasury Minister represents good value for money. Under it, the States would get £1.8 million up front and then a share of the profits from the development of flats and houses on the site. Deputy Duhamel says that even if the States were to be given half the profits, the figures supplied suggest a maximum return of £3.1 million.
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Aukward – Who is rewriting history? The Treasury Minister’s u-turn was in response to a report by the corporate services scrutiny panel, which I believe was Chaired by Patrick Ryan when the report was commissioned. I presume you missed that in your search of the ThisisJersey archives.
I acknowledge though that Deputy Duhamel raised the issue originally, which I wasn’t aware of, and quite rightly deserves some credit for that.
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steve i did think i was right what you have said has just made up my mind who i will be voting for.
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