Of course, we in Jersey are not party to the UK election process.
As a Crown Dependency, we have our own government – the States. Islanders have no direct say in the decisions made by UK politicians unless, having moved to the Island, they are still eligible to vote in the UK.
Nevertheless, decisions made over the water do, from time to time, have knock-on effects. Sometimes those effects are considerable – such as the decision by UK Chancellor George Osborne in 2011 to close the Low Value Consignment Relief loophole, which had allowed companies like Amazon to import small-value goods from Jersey to the UK without paying VAT.
That decision alone cost up to 1,000 jobs in the Island and the repercussions are ongoing in terms of unemployment and Social Security claims.
Then there is education, which filters through to Island schools through the GCSE and A-level examination systems.
And what about the demands currently being voiced by Labour leader Ed Miliband in relation to the financial services industry, not least over tax avoidance and registers of beneficial ownership?
It would be wise, given the potential for interference in Jersey’s affairs, for Islanders to keep at least half an eye on who will come to power.
But after five years of a Conservative/Lib-Dem coalition, will any one party gain enough votes to hold sway – or is it likely to result in a ‘hung parliament’?
We asked a cross-section of Islanders for their views on which party might be the most advantageous for Jersey in the longer term.
Daphne Minihane
Chairman, Age Concern Jersey
‘I would have thought David Cameron would make the better leader. The Conservatives have already proven that by taking the country in the right direction.
‘Mr Cameron has more stature than Ed Miliband, who is already looking at all sorts of changes to non-dom status and that could cause problems for us. We are a finance Island and we do rely on financial services. Jersey does not have as much money as it used to have, but money needs to be spent on the Hospital – we have to look at what would be better for us, as well as the country as a whole.
‘Ukip will have to prove themselves a bit more. I know they are looking at immigration and the European Union, but David Cameron is already looking at the number of people coming into the country.
‘I’m not speaking on behalf of all older people – they are more interested in local politics, everyone looks at who is going to govern and what they will get out of it. And of course older people – grey power – are the ones who will get out and vote. But when it comes to the UK people here don’t feel they have a say.
‘I am interested in politics and I will be sitting up all night to see which way it is going, if it gets exciting.’
Ben Shenton
Managing director of TEAM Asset Management, president of the Channel Islands Co-op and former States Senator
‘From Jersey’s point of view there is no UK election result that is particularly beneficial. I doubt that anyone would say that Jersey has prospered during the last five years of Conservative rule and, in truth, the Island will just have to adjust accordingly on 7 May, or when a coalition is formed.
‘Regardless of who is in power, UK government finances mean that non-domicile rules will have to be reviewed, the crackdown on tax evasion will have to be intensified, the outlawing of tax loopholes will see the continued conversion of avoidance into evasion, and as governments are ultimately the guarantors of their banks there will be further onshore retrenchment within the banking industry.
‘With ageing populations and increasingly fat public sectors, both borrowing and deficits are likely to rise further. Interest rates will stay low – squeezing those living off savings – and in many matters the politicians shall be powerless to do anything, constrained by either public opinion or circumstances beyond their control.
‘The only real worry would be a Miliband government that suddenly veers to the extreme left. Wealth is very mobile and while Jersey may benefit from the UK exodus, it would be a very dangerous scenario. If this were to happen, would the last one to leave the UK please remember to turn out the lights.’
Gerald Voisin
Chairman of the retail and supplies sub-committee, Jersey Chamber of Commerce
‘The Labour Party’s most recent stance in relation to Jersey is that they want to force us to do things whether we like it or not.
It is always worrying when a political party wants to force us into something when we should be able to make up our own minds. I have a very negative view of Labour for that reason.
‘I would like to see a party in power that would place the UK in the best commercial situation, because if the UK is economically successful, that usually helps Jersey.
‘Tony Blair and Gordon Brown applauded themselves, but they left the UK £100 billion in debt, which put the government in a more difficult position when they had to rescue the banks.
‘Jersey has to make sure that expenditure does not exceed income – you never know what is coming around the corner.’
St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft
‘If I lived in the UK, I would vote Green.
‘As chairman of the Environment, Housing and Technical Services Scrutiny Panel, we’ve just put in some major amendments to the Strategic Plan, to raise awareness of the environment.
‘Sooner or later the other political parties will start to take green issues more seriously. At the moment, they all pay lip service to it.
‘Like a lot of people I find it hard to choose between the other main political parties.
Graham Le Lay, president, Jersey Farmers Union
‘I think the Conservatives. They don’t get it all right, but they have just steered the country through a difficult recession, so let them finish the job. They’ve had some difficult choices and made them. People have to accept that the country has been living above its means, although it’s a difficult pill to swallow.
‘In Jersey, people enjoy an incredibly high standard of living and those of us at pensionable age have seen the best of times. My parents did not have it so easy and our children will not have it easy either. We can’t go leaving huge debts to our children.
‘I think Jersey used to do better when Labour was in power, because they put money in the working man’s pocket to come on holiday, which is no longer the case.
‘I wouldn’t vote Green, because it’s all very well, but imagine them in government! It’s easy to be destructive, but not that easy to be constructive.’
