Fewer Senators ‘a grave mistake’
Saturday 22nd January 2011, 2:59PM GMT.
Senator Philip Ozouf.
STATES Members have made a grave mistake and shown just how out of touch they are with ordinary Islanders by voting to remove four Senators from the House, the Treasury Minister says.
Senator Philip Ozouf argued that Islanders did not want to see fewer politicians elected with an Islandwide mandate.
He spoke out after the States threw out a proposal this week to reverse a decision made in the autumn to reduce the number of Senators from 12 to eight.
The move was a part of a package of reforms passed by the Assembly which included having a single ‘general election’ day and four-year terms for all States Members.
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Of course he considers it to be a “Grave Mistake”. It could well lead to him losing his seat!
I suspect that a lot of us would be very happy to see a new minister in his job. Hopefully that would be one who would get rid of GST and find a better and fairer method of taxing us.
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About the only true words he has ever uttered worried for his seat no doubt certainly not worried about democracy or lack of in this island.
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Philip Ozouf accusing states members of being out of touch with ordinary islanders is a lot like the pot calling the kettle black, but on this issue, I think he is right.
Mind you, I do object to him referring to us as “ORDINARY islanders” – how effing superior is that?!!
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1 You are right. He is worried. Will not affect him directly though until 2014 apart from a few less votes for CM.
Every seat should have an island wide mandate. Let the Constables look after the Parishes and kick them out of the States.
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Senator Ozouf is being selective in his views. He has not given us a full picture behind the decision to reduce the number of senators.
The states have already voted overwhelmingly in favour of a general election and a four year term for all.
This is why the present system, in which Senators have a six year term with elections every three years, has to be changed.
In the words of Connétable J. Gallichan of St. Mary (Chairman, Privileges and Procedures Committee) :
‘The retention of the current 12 Senators with a 6-year term can frustrate many other desirable reform proposals. In practice, having 12 Senators makes the concept of a real general election almost impossible as it would be extremely difficult to elect 12 Senators at the same time and there would be a significant risk that the candidates elected in tenth, eleventh or twelfth place would receive a very low percentage of the votes cast.’
There are further problems with the present system in which six senators are elected every three years.
Taking the 2005 results as an example.
Number of voters (who voted)… 21,495
Stuart Syvret (Independent) 15,131 … 70% for….30% against
Ben Shenton (Independent) 14,025 … 65% for …35% against
Freddie Cohen (Independent) 13,704 …64% for …36% against
Terry Le Main (Independent) 12,159 …57% for ….43% against
Terry Le Sueur (Independent) 9,976 … 46% for …54% against
James Perchard (Independent) 8,998 …42% for … 58% against
The voting figures clearly demonstrate that only the top four have over 50% of voter support. The bottom two have under 50% support despite the fact that each voter can chose up to six candidates.
Can it be right that the bottom two are elected despite the fact that the majority of electors have rejected them.
This leads to the ridiculous situation whereby one third of the senators have been elected with between a half and two thirds of the voters saying that they don’t want them. Reducing the number from six to four ( and eventually from twelve to eight) would remedy this absurdity.
In all likelihood, further reforms will also result in the reduction in the number of Deputies. This would be achieved by substantially increasing the constituency boundaries.
Hopefully, as far as the elections for deputy are concerned, getting into the states on a couple of hundred votes will be a thing of the past.
As will getting elected for Senator despite having been rejected by the majority of the electorate.
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phil,
your comments are a load of tosh. Nobody voted “against” anyone in the senators election. But there is a decent turnout. Perchard got 8,998 votes. In the same deputies elections, 6 were elected unopposed, and one with less than 350 votes(which was much less than 50% of the turnout).
However you justify it, a person with a mandate of 9,000 islanders MUST in any democratic system have more legitimacy than one who got less than 350.
“In all likelihood, further reforms will also result in the reduction in the number of Deputies”
No, in all likelihood, because the deputies make up the majority of the states, there will be no change in the number of deputies. And there seems to be an unwritten agreement that if the deputies don’t attack the constables the constables are happy to stand by while the only fairly elected members lose influence.
Fairly elected? Yes, because it is only in senatorial elections that each persons vote counts equally. What’s more, if you live in a country parish you don’t even get a choice of who to vote for – or, just as importantly – a chance to get elected unless you go to the church and/or are in the honourary police.
What this shows is simple: that with a few honourable exceptions, States members do not care about attracting better candidates to stand or better reflecting the wishes of the public. What they care about is their salary. And that is a disgrace.
This is all the alleged need for a general election dictating everything. What we need is a full referendum on electoral reform right now.
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Or in a soundbite that I hope the JEP publishes:
The constable of St Mary believes she has a mandate to determine how the whole Island should be governed. She barely has a mandate to decide what flowers to put outside her parish hall.
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i almost choked when i read this ,he is the most out of touch in the states . the sooner he goes the better
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phil @ 5
It is very often the case, in elections where there are more than two candidates, that a candidate is successful without receiving an absolute majority of the votes cast.
Since this so often happens in UK first-past-the-post constituencies, there seems no particular reason to assume that reducing the number of successful candidates in this (Island-wide) constituency would reduce the chances of this happening here.
To say, “It would be extremely difficult to elect 12 Senators at the same time” is a very poor argument for failing to ask the people their opinion about changes to the numbers and period of office of THEIR elected representatives. The same goes for the vague promise that, “In all likelihood, further reforms will also result in the reduction in the number of Deputies” – what are the chances of future Deputies, with an even bigger absolute majority in the States than now, consenting to that, or to constituencies which ignore the identity of the Parishes?
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Well he’s not right about a lot of stuff…but he’s right about this….maybe trying to restore some brownie points with the electorate after such a deserved bashing over GST
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phil. Do you realy believe that the deputys and constables will ever vote for a reduction in there numbers just look how the majority of them voted when sen shenton wanted them to take a reduction in their wages. as for your statement on the number of votes received in the last election i do think that eight or nine thousand votes is worth more than three or four hundred votes that the deputys can get elected on . I repeat what i have said before LETS HAVE AN ISLAND WIDE VOTE .
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”Out of touch with ordinary islanders” ???????
So by that Phil, I presume that you feel you are in touch with islanders views do you? Behind Cohen, you are about as far removed from the opinions of ‘ordinary islanders’ as you can get.
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Senators are at least elected on an island wide mandate.Now I find that my right to vote for twelve Senators has been reduced, at a stroke, to eight, by those, with whom I have no vote and no representation.
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I *almost* just fell off my chair.
Quite how a man whose own track record has seen him become one of the most simultaneously appreciated and LOATHED islanders by doing a total u-turn on his stance on NOT raising GST can allege that OTHER people “have made a grave mistake and shown just how out of touch they are with ordinary Islanders” is quite beyond me.
I certainly won’t be thinking of you with daggers in my eyes every time I have to pay the extra GST on everything I buy on the shops Mr Ozouf, noooooooooooooooo … *rolls eyes in disbelief*.
!?!?! Puzzled !?!?!
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Ha ha ha ! What a professional joker Ozouf is. I love his comment ” the States have shown themselves to be out of touch with the public ” and a serious disconnection between the States assembly and ordinary people”….
Where was his concerns for the disconnection to ordinary people in this island where GST is concerned? HE is the one who is totally out of touch with the islanders opinions, HE is the one who does not listen at all to the public. There are far too many politicians in the States, and it is ridiculous in my opinion that an island of nine by five to have over fifty of them !
I think the Senators should be done away with altogether, and people should vote for their Deputies and Constables in their parish, because they are the ones who know their Parish and the people the best, not the Senators.
This would concentrate the votes ( the ones that are out there) into a more serious vote of faith in the political process.
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shouldn’t have messed with clothier!!
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phil (5) Your post is complete cobblers.
By your logic none of the current batch of Deputies and/or Constables have a mandate, 11 out of 12 parishes voted against them! Even more to the point the Dean and Bailiff crank up a staggering 12 out of 12 against, nobody voted for them!
If you are proposing the singles transferable vote for an all Senators assembly you have my support, if not, please reconsider.
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truthseeker (10) Well he’s not right about a lot of stuff…but he’s right about this
Could not have put it better.
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Tony,
I agree that there are far too many politicians. The issue is that Senators and Deputies have different roles, as any hustings will tell you.
Senators are there to provide guidance on island issues: the economy, immigration, crime etc. The deputies hustings, on the other hand, are filled with questions about parish issues: funding for the youth club, increased parking, more bus shelters etc.
All parish decisions should be made by the parish. Island wide decisions should be made by those with an Island wide mandate. Is that too complicated to understand?
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This is dangerous. Tin pot politics has become even more tin pot.
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Phil
Stuart Syvret (Independent) 15,131 … 70% for….30% against
Ben Shenton (Independent) 14,025 … 65% for …35% against
Freddie Cohen (Independent) 13,704 …64% for …36% against
Terry Le Main (Independent) 12,159 …57% for ….43% against
Terry Le Sueur (Independent) 9,976 … 46% for …54% against
James Perchard (Independent) 8,998 …42% for … 58% against
Constable of St Helier 2010 no votes for none against? And will vote for island wide issues
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Although I have my doubts about a lot of Senator Ozouf’s policies, I think he is right for once here. If we are going to cut members at all, then, as it is clearly the wish of a majority of my fellow islanders that they want the Constables to go on representing the parishes, it is the Deputies that need cutting. Senators to take the island-wide view on island issues, constables to front the NIMBY campaigns and Deputies for what? Nothing that the others can’t or don’t do. Then again, there is much to be done in a sophisticated modern democratic parliament, and we don’t seem to have enough to do it all very well already, so keeping the whole lot might have been wiser still.
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Of course he considers it to be a “Grave Mistake”. It could well lead to him losing his seat!
We can only hope!
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This is a disgrace. A deal hatched up in private so the constables are protected at the expense of the senators. And the Senatorial failures like Macon, Higgins, Pitman, Southern, Le Claire etc get their revenge against an electorate they see as a bunch of mugs with a chequebook.
I intend to write to the Lieutenant Governor asking him to step in. The Queen is ultimately there to protect the Islanders rights and to ensure good governance. We have no other option.
In our hour of need, we need you, Lieutenant Governor Ridgway.
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“How do you define corruption?
Transparency International (TI) has chosen a clear and focused definition of the term: Corruption is operationally defined as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain”
Anybody think that deputies and constables voting en masse to save their salaries fits that definition?
As someone on another thread has posted. No more Deputies. No more Constables in the States. 20 Senators running this Island as an Island, not as a dozen rotten fiefdoms.
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Once upon a time, a number of politicians happened to notice that most of the voters always seemed to have better things to do, rather than vote. The politicians were understandably reluctant to believe that the cause of this apathy might be their own obsession with internal housekeeping trivia, their endless rambling speeches, and their dismal failure to control the public sector or the economy; but they did have a report which sugested that perhaps the electoral process wasn’t gripping enough.
The electoral process – of course! And hooray! Unlike the public sector and the economy, this was something the politicians knew a bit about! What was needed, they concluded, was a General Election, which would be much more exciting for everyone.
Having reached this comforting conclusion, the politicians then spent many years arguing about how a General Election should be introduced, because there was so much at stake for them personally. Even though a General Election was such a wonderful idea, the voters obviously couldn’t be trusted with anything except a very simple General Election, so there would need to be a reduction in the number of seats being contested – but which category should be reduced, Senators, Deputies, or Constables? A majority of the politicians were Deputies, so that obviously helped to simplify the decision a bit.
What little information the politicians possessed about public opinion (a subject which had only ever previously been of interest to them for brief periods, once every few years) suggested two crucial points: The few voters who showed an interest, seemed, on the whole, rather attached to their Senators and their Constables, with a slightly smaller number valuing Deputies most; and the voters absolutely hated politicians making constitutional changes without asking them (the people) for their opinion first.
So the politicians, without seeking any more confusing opinions, voted to reduce the number of Senators, and waited for the excited applause. The end.
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Dear Donald duck in the pond
I think it rather strange that you think that deputies are not capable of making logical informed voting decisions on an island wide basis (as they do now incidentally…! ) It is surely the calibre of politicians we vote in, that is more important than anything. Surely if you have the correct people in government, representing both me and you in our respective parishes, and then a collective forum of these politicians heading various commitees, I think would streamline the States and cut a lot of red tape.
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“it rather strange that you think that deputies are not capable of making logical informed voting decisions on an island wide basis”
It’s not a question of capability. It’s a question of mandate. A person who is elected (or gets in without even an election) in St Mary or Trinity has no right to decide that the majority of new housing should be in St Clement, for example.
But you are right that the real problem is the quality of the people in the States. And the most ineffective politicians are generally deputies. So you go figure (or read Jerry (26) who has it worked out for you.
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Reducing deputies who scrape in to the States (after failing at the Senatorials) is about the only thing that people seem to agree on in this forum.
What a stupid decision!
I would rather see someone I didn’t vote for (but 7,000+) others had, assume a position of responsibility, rather than a Deputy of possible limited value running the States.
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Why can’t a voting system be introduced whereby us “ordinary” islanders can cast votes against politicians, as well as for them? I’m sure then that turn out on voting day will increase dramatically! How else can show our disgust and disappointment with the way in which Jersey has been and is being run? Oh – silly me, we don’t get to decide on this type of reform. I also very much doubt that an Island wide referendum will ever be held again after the resounding defeat of the the only one that I am aware of – change to European time – what was the point of that anyway?
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The problem with deputies is that they rarely make decisions which are right for the island but adversely affect their parish. The last one who did was Mike Taylor, who was a very effective member, was booted out of St Clement because he was part of the planning Committee who decided to put a development in St Clement.
What we need are people who can make the right decisions for Jersey and who are answerable to the people who live here. It’s hardly complicated.
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What we are seeing is the subversion of democracy by a barely elected elite. This is a coup, the sort of coup you get in a banana republic, with those rejected by the Island at Senatorial elections acting as the pumped up army generals, bloated with self-importance, ensuring their private wealth and small power base is protected with no regard to democracy or the wishes of the majority.
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The good senator is afraid he will be ousted in 2014. He is correct. As for the ordinary people, when did you ever listen to them senator…during the GST debate, your handling of the economy, e.g. 0/10, your courting of the the super wealthy ? You have you own agenda and it does not include middle Jersey. Bye Bye.
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Phil (5) has a point with his stats….
Stuart Syvret (Independent) 15,131 … 70% for….30% against
Ben Shenton (Independent) 14,025 … 65% for …35% against
Freddie Cohen (Independent) 13,704 …64% for …36% against
Terry Le Main (Independent) 12,159 …57% for ….43% against
Terry Le Sueur (Independent) 9,976 … 46% for …54% against
James Perchard (Independent) 8,998 …42% for … 58% against
If it was just one cross in a box, then you could assume that people may also accept others than the person they have voted for, meaning that no vote doesn’t necessarily mean no confidence. But with six votes we can assume that no vote means ‘no thanks’, confirmed by the fact that many people don’t even use all of their votes. So Phil is right that people like James Perchard, Terry Le Seuer and Terry le Main are not wanted more than they are wanted, and have nothing in the way of a commanding mandate.
Tricky to remedy without 1st, 2nd, 3rd… placed votes which would get very complicated.
Now to the problem with reducing the senators. It does the opposite of what is required to increase proportionality. It makes the country parishes even more powerful, as their constables and deputies will then represent even more people than they already do. You would have to completely redraw the boundaries.
A much easier first step is to remove the constables. That automatically reduces the influential rich-grip in the states. Then you need to tweak what is left to ensure that built up areas are being represented fairly, using a balance of deputy representation and senatorial representation.
Jerry (26): Actually many of the deputies seem to be against giving more power to the deputies, preferring a more proportional system and the removal of the constables. Check the various manifestos out there. The parishes are represented on island-wide issues by the deputies (a mix of island-wide mandate and local representation is important to keep things together), so you don’t need the constables to do this too. They should stick to the running of their parishes.
Eraic (30) “I also very much doubt that an Island wide referendum will ever be held again after the resounding defeat of the the only one that I am aware of – change to European time – what was the point of that anyway?”
It was a tester to get people used to referendums. Nobody expected it to win. That’s why such a topic was chosen, and why nobody fought one way or another.
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(25) “20 Senators running this Island as an Island, not as a dozen rotten fiefdoms.”
Problem with this one, if done using the same voting system as they do at the moment (each person having 20 votes), is that it might give too much power to town. I guess if everybody had less votes it might work. You also risk losing the connection to local communities (not that this is necessarily there).
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“Problem with this one, if done using the same voting system as they do at the moment (each person having 20 votes), is that it might give too much power to town. I guess if everybody had less votes it might work. You also risk losing the connection to local communities (not that this is necessarily there).”
As opposed to the present system that under represents St Helier, St Clement and St Brelade and over represents St Mary, St Ouen, St Peter, etc?
Local communities have ceased to exist in Jersey in the way they did until the early eighties. Thwe whole parish structure is pretty moribund and long overdue for a review.
At the same time we could have a serious look at the parish rector system, does each parish really need it’s own clergyman and in the case of the smaller parishes what do they do, how many souls is the rector of St Mary for instance taking care of and is it really a full time job?
In the UK clergy are now dealing with up to five parishes.
We are cutting life guards and preserving priests, is this a sensible use of resources?
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#34 yes2proportionality “Actually many of the deputies seem to be against giving more power to the deputies, preferring a more proportional system and the removal of the constables. Check the various manifestos out there.”
Actually, I prefer to judge the Deputies (and the rest) by their actions, rather than their words. I’m sure you’re not suggesting that the Deputies generally voted against P176, or in favour of the amendment seeking to retain 12 Senators. So, whether or not they claim to be ‘against giving more power to the Deputies’, that’s exactly what they’ve done.
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For the record:
I would not support the reduction in senators as an isolated measure.
I believe that there are too many deputies in the states.
I do not believe that the Constables should sit in the states by virtue of their ‘father of the parish’ status.
I do not believe that deputies (or Constables) should be elected to the States Chamber with just a few hundred votes.
I believe that there should be only one ‘member of the states’ and that they should all be elected from much larger constituencies, or else from an all island vote – unfortunately it is just not manageable to elect all members on an island wide basis.
Our present electoral system is not fit for purpose.
Having rejected Clothier all we have left is the electoral reform package that is now being proposed. It is not ideal but it is far better than what we’ve got – and it will lead to further reforms.
Interestingly, Senators Ian Le Marquand, Francis Le Gresley and Alan Breckon voted for these reforms and the consequential reduction in the number of senators. They have looked beyond the petty squabbles and have seen the bigger picture – a step towards better representation.
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What a complete idiot. He is the cause of everything we hate about the COM and now he is back tracking to try to bolster his public identity.
The constables have no right to be in states now. They are not elected on the most part… Crowcroft got another freebie in… no one stood against him.
All candidates should have an island wide mandate with the same name. Clothier suggested one. I have one that I would use such as member of the states. It doesn’t really matter so long as all were actually elected and not like the last election that saw 11 states members get in with no votes cast.
A scandalous situation that suits the COM every time, this MUST CHANGE
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Yes of course we want more members elected like Anne Pryke and James reed – and more members elected with 250 votes. Great
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phil,
you may think that those 3 senators looked beyond the petty squabbles. In doing so they were “useful idiots”, as the Communists had it: those who acting through principle unwittingly did the dirty work. The result is a system that is less proportionate.
The proof? My deputy voted against the proposal. So I now have no way of showing my dipleasure at this “land grab” by the deputies. I have been effectively disenfranchised.
Truth is, we can only get better and truly proportionate representation through Island wide constituencies. We have far too many states members as it is. Constables are there to administer parishes and that is a major job.
What I would like are 18 Senators, 6 elected every 2 years for a six year term. They would vote on legislation. The Constables could then form a second chamber which has a right to suggest changes to legislation or to send it back to the States but ultimately not to veto it. Not unlike the house of lords.
The real issue is whether a general election is the most important thing to ensure better governance in Jersey. I don’t think it is: I think fewer members of higher quality with an island wide manate is the way to go.
49 idiots all elected on the same day are still 49 idiots. That’s not progress.
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Truthseeker – there you again talking rubbish? Where did Ozouf cop a bashing over the GST. There were a majority of comments saying that it is a necessary tax requirement, who would rather see it increase GST than straight income tax.
As usual, you make stuff up!
The vocal minority whinged and complained in a number of different names, but I suspect it was all down to one or two people as usual of you lot.
Nevertheless, there was no anti-GST bashing, and as now found out, of the 9,000 signatures, many are now recanting their signature. 9,000 out of 90,000 – yeah – that is alot! NOT!
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I agree with most of what Donald says, but I think 18 is going too low for a couple of reasons.
One is that it further diminishes the effective oversight of the administration: Under the old committee system, each part of a department could have its own member keeping an eye on it. With just a minister, and not even enough senators for much in the way of assistant ministers, the mandarins can get on with doing almost whatever they please, confident that their supposed masters are too bogged down with the other thing.
That is that the States are a legislature, as well as an administration. To keep its international standing in the 21st century world, Jersey has to keep pace with the ever-increasing sophistication of law. While we are able to copy and paste whole chunks of English statute into our own, not everything suits the differences of scale, geography and economics. Thus our legislators need to be going through everything that comes before them with a fine-toothed comb, to ensure that what gets passed is adapted to our own situation, and at present they get that right more often than not. There is no substitute for multiple reviewers checking things from different viewpoints, and the price of avoiding the current level of debate about everything is bound to be more blunders.
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phil @ 38
I can’t reconcile what you say you want (fewer Deputies, no-one to be elected on just a few hundred votes, large/Island-wide constituencies) with the changes you’re supporting here (proportionally more Deputies and Constables, proportionally more people elected on just a few hundred votes, fewer seats with large/Island-wide constituencies).
As Donald says, a general election won’t magically improve the quality of Island politics. At a general election, the same wily idiots (not such a contradiction, if you picture a few of them!) will be elected on the basis of the same impossible promises (“I will make sure the incinerator isn’t put there”, “I’ll make sure your taxes don’t increase but your pensions and other benefits do”, “I’ll sort things out so that the Island isn’t dependent on one industry”) – by the same dupes.
One of the most depressing things about Island politics, is that people so often vote for two sorts of candidate – those who, at the hustings, say what they want to hear (however nonsensical), and those who, after election, either cultivate the media but do nothing else, or who simply stay well out of all the action, so that they don’t get blamed for anything.
The new system will only change two things: Each voter will have fewer chances to make a difference with his/her vote. And even more major ministries will be headed by someone who got in on the basis of a promise to look into (:)) the Parish toilets.
Indeed, ‘a step towards better representation’.
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Jersey…you need to make up your mind whether you are going to be a democracy or an autocracy…you can not have it both ways…if as you claim to be a democracy…you must have “Elected” representatives only,now I know that may come as a bit of a shock to some…but that’s what the big boys do………so continue in your incestuous pool of delusion….or grow the F*** up..all representatives on an equal playing field all with same voting power.all constables,unelected and assorted freeloaders….gone.
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The States would now appear to have two options:
Either debate an emergency proposition to annul their decision on P176, or else risk a full-scale constitutional crisis with the UK, who will surely, if they truly value good governance in the Island, feel duty-bound not to recommend the Law to the Queen for signature, since it involves a major constitutional change without either public consultation, an independent electoral commission, or even the decent conventional bare-minimum two-thirds-majority support.
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In the event of a constitutional dust up between the UK and Jersey my money is on the UK Justice Department.
My money is also on the Coalition using the big stick with some vigour early in the conflict.
Let’s face it, it would not harm them in the opinion polls and would cost them nothing.
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“I agree with most of what Donald says, but I think 18 is going too low for a couple of reasons.”
Fair enough, that’s the point of debate and I think you may have a point. You could always split the Island in 2 and have 8 senators elected every 2 years (4 in each half-island). That would make the numbers 24.
But it seems clear that the public wish is for fewer States members elected with a more significant mandate.
There is an alternative. It is totally fair and makes every vote count, but it is very radical. You can keep the system more or less as it is, but give States members the number of votes they got in the election. So a popular Senator could have 12,000 votes and a last choice deputy 300. Of course, it would be better to simplify the system and reduce the number of States members, but in terms of “making votes count” it would be radical and fair.
You could even pay politicians according to the votes they garnered: oh that would be fun!
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48. Love the last line! Macon, Southern etc. would need to live in the real world!
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And a last non elected connetable 0 votes!
Anyone with any bit of reason within them would want the unelected out, no comment from donald on this yet, as far as I know, the connetables and deputies, out and all the rest to be islandwide mandated. This is closer to democracy even if it may be too left wing for the right wing hawks in Jersey.
As far as I am concerned Jersey is a right wing paradise and not a proper democractic state at present. It is slowly millimetre by millimetre dragging itself forward in the right direction. Unfortunately this change has been retarded by the states being too right wing for too long.
Right wing tends to be about service to self, a sink or swim attitude to things from what I have seen. This is not a good system to base a community on. This is why society is tearing itself to pieces. When this happens revolution is never far behind. What people need to realise is that life isn’t all about money, collecting possessions and exploiting others to get “ahead”.
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Adrian – Reality check – Elections for Constables coming up this October?
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Adrian,
I don’t regard the Bailiff and the Dean and the AG as a priority because THEY CAN’T VOTE. It’snot abig issue as far as I am concerned.
What does concern me is the deputies who have a tiny mandate trying to remove power from the Senators who have a huge mandate.
Politics is the art of the possible. Fight one battle at a time.
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Senator Ozouf against this idea. Oh! of course that’s 4 less votes in the House for the COM block voting sessions!
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If this goes through, we will be looking up to Sark as a model of enlightened 21st century democracy. A regressive move and highly damaging to the impression we want to portray internationally. We wont need the Tax Justice Network badmouthing us if this goes through as we will have shot ourselves in the foot.
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In my view they have gone in completely the wrong direction. All politicians in this small island should stand on an islandwide mandate except the connetables who are the only ones who really know what is going on in each parish and who usually come up through the parish ranks and are therefore tried and tested.
The deputies in my mind are a complete waste of space, normally elected on a small mandate and in some cases either have grudge to bear or a pet hobby horse and really represent no none. Not that Senators are all wonderful but at least we all share the blame for putting them there and we can all have a say in removing them. I am fed up with daft dessision being made by ministers who have little or no mandate and therefore no accountability! No body should be a minister who is not first a senator least of all the Connetables who have enough to worry about looking after their own parishes!!
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donald pond (52) What does concern me is the deputies who have a tiny mandate trying to remove power from the Senators who have a huge mandate.
Donald, You are oh so correct. The popular vote, the democratic mandate is with the Senators, yet our skewed political systems see a bunch of self serving Deputies enforcing constitutional change without reference to the voters. This is mad.
We need 24 working Senators and nobody else. Argue the numbers if you wish, but only Senators on an island wide vote; single transferable vote (STV) would be even better but the Deputies don’t like the democratic element of the electoral system.
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