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New Members of the States Assembly & Constitution Committee
- President: Sarah Hansmann Rouxel 5458
- Vice President: Yvonne Burford 9427
- Members: Tom Rylatt 6689, Gavin St Pier 8577, John Gollop 6860
the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results
Thomas Jefferson (American President 1801-1809) is reported as having said ‘The Government you elect is the Government you deserve’ and there is a lot of truth in that. It does mean that if you choose not to vote, then you really have no justification for decrying the Government policies that then affect your life and maybe your livelihood. In a local context however, Islanders have generally proven to be quite disinterested in Government – or more specifically – what is colloquially referred to as ‘The States’.
There was an exception to this historical perspective when Island Wide Voting (IWV) was introduced to choose the current crop of Deputies in 2020, which brought out one of the highest numbers of voters seen in modern times. It might have been the novelty of having an Island wide election instead of the historic parish elections we have been used to. It might also have signalled a greater interest in what ‘The States’ has (or has not) been doing previously.
Whatever the reason, a significant number of new Deputies were elected and it would seem that the introduction of parties might also have played a part in that. Regrettably, the principle rationale behind a party approach of common policies did not last long and the Assembly eventually reverted to type – dealing with policy matters in complete isolation on a case by case basis. It may very well taint (or haunt) any new party that subsequently stakes a claim in the 2025 election. But I would argue that a particular problem with our approach to Government historically, is the absence of any common vision of where Islanders want Guernsey to be in any 5 year (as a minimum) period – or indeed candidates who also have any such vision. Personally, I think the suggestion that Guernsey be the ‘Healthiest and Happiest’ place to be is both trite and paying lip service to a vision.
Guernsey does need a vision in an increasingly volatile world, but that notwithstanding, we also need a mechanism of both electing competent individuals to the Assembly – and that it should be a realistic policy-making forum for constructive debate and informed decision-making. There are however, two other things that are missing in respect of a representative Assembly:
- Independent Scrutiny of States performance by a non-political body (for good Governance) and
- A much greater opportunity for Islanders’ views to be heard formally.
The ‘States’ role as a Parliament
Almost without exception, the key role of the States of Deliberation as a legislature is little known (or appreciated) by most Islanders. That function is actually the necessary end result of what most Islanders’ think ‘The States’ is – all of the debate and ofttimes petty squabbling which can be heard or is subsequently reported on in local media. The Assembly is certainly supposed to be a policy-making forum by Islanders’ representatives and that definitely means not pleasing all of the people all of the time (part of a saying often attributed to President Lincoln, but actually coined by John Lydgate). The ‘States’ then is actually the Island’s Parliament – which is not a term much used locally.
However, Islanders’ make no distinction between Government Services (or more specifically, the operational delivery thereof) and the debating chamber of the Assembly which of course (through the Committee system) Deputies contribute to. However, a definite link is made with specifically the Civil Service in relation to the performance of these services – but for which ‘The States’ (and more particularly Committee Deputies) are held accountable.
As a consequence, there are actually 3 very specific roles which Deputies take a responsibility for in addition to what may be termed their constituency work:
- Enacting Legislation
- Policy-making
- Delivering and maintaining Government Services
If Islanders want change…..
Albert Einstein is attributed as once saying ‘the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results’. Well, if there is to be an improvement in the collective performance of ‘The States’ across the foregoing 3 roles, then doing what we have been doing needs to change – in my opinion and I would argue there is an urgency, given how much the outside world has changed which is having an impact upon Guernsey residents.
I will deal with the following proposals in greater detail in separate posts (and also the related changes needed to our Committee system under Machinery of Government). But for brevity:
- To signal a new era in ‘The States’ the Assembly should be moved to St James along with relevant support services making it readily accessible to Islanders, rather than functioning in the borrowed space for some 3 days every 3 weeks in the Royal Court.
- There should be a reduction in the number of full time Deputies to 30, with 10 being representatives from the parishes (one from each parish to ensure that there is a broader opportunity of input from Islanders’ voices to be heard.
- A non-political body should be constituted (similar in some respects to the UK’s Office of Budgetary Responsibility, OBR), also housed at St James with Scrutiny powers to ensure that The States is adhering to its objectives, financially and otherwise and who can hear from Islanders who have legitimate concerns.
All of the foregoing are at the discretion of the current Deputies operating within the existing framework. It is too late this term to expect such dramatic change. However, if Islanders want to see a more responsive ‘States’ and we want to have better calibre Deputies debating the real issues of concern and pursuing a sustainable vision for our Island (and indeed our Bailiwick) – then elect a new crop who are prepared to support the aforementioned, necessary changes.
