Where did all the ‘meddlers’ go when the opportunity came to really get stuck in?

But, seriously, has anyone else noticed how certain States Members have been unusually quiet over the last week or so?

We are used to them having an opinion on everything, standing for whatever position is going and always trying to have the last word whether it is a fundamental debate about raising the pension age, school fees or just what time they can have lunch.

They also like talking about GST and school milk – a lot.

We all know who I mean, and they do too. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that they are proud of the niche they have carved out for themselves as ‘meddlers’.

But this week, when they were given a real opportunity to get stuck in, this group of States Members was unusually reserved.

Despite having become the people who defined the Scrutiny system in recent years, when it came to electing chairmen and then later members for these and various other panels they were, on the whole, just not

interested.

The previous week they had made numerous appearances in the elections for ministerial positions but after losing out in every single case they just seemed to, well, give up.

Even when there was a ‘free’ job going as chairman of the Health, Social Security and Housing Scrutiny panel, the very people you would have

expected would have jumped at the chance of a position of power without the need for an election didn’t.

They, like everyone else, just sat back until finally Deputy Kristina Moore ‘took one for the team’ and said at the last minute that she would do the job.

And even when two of the ‘meddlers’ challenged the Chief Minister’s nominations in a bid to become members of the States Employment Board, one of them left the Chamber, put his coat on and disappeared

before the final result had even been returned. Needless to say, he didn’t win.

Now, I don’t mean any of this as a criticism (many others weren’t interested in putting themselves forward), merely an observation. It was just interesting to see and raised a number of questions.

Firstly, what does this say about Scrutiny and its reputation as a toothless, perhaps even pointless, exercise?

Even this particular group, which once loved being able to scrutinise the government as de-facto opposition, no longer has faith in the system. In this regard, their silence could perhaps best be viewed as a protest.

Secondly, what does it mean for the States as a whole? If, as lots of people keep saying, the problem with our government at the moment is ‘too many

people with not enough to do’, we could be in for a rough ride as some of the most vocal politicians now, on the surface at least, appear to have even less to do than they did before.

But the thing we must remember about backbenchers is that they do have a role to play. And they can be powerful in their own right, particularly as they don’t have a minister, Council of Ministers or even really a Chief Minister to answer to.

They also have more time, although crucially fewer resources. The problem is knowing how to use that power and making ‘meddling’ productive and useful.

ANOTHER noteworthy feature of the past week’s elections and

appointments is the high number of Constables now involved in all sorts of areas.

There’s Constable John Réfault as Assistant Minister at Health, St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft as the new chairman of the Privileges and Procedures Committee and Constables Steve Pallett and Michel Le Troquer are among the many ‘fathers of parishes’ that will serve on Scrutiny

panels.

Yes, Constables have served in these kinds of jobs in the past, but their presence was definitely felt a lot more this week and, I expect, will be over the coming months and years.

So why the sudden shift? And what does this tell us about what is going on in local politics at the moment?

Is it down to frustration and a case of ‘if you want a job doing properly ….’ ? Is it simply a case of new faces and a good opportunity for change? Or is it more tactical?

And by tactical, I mean does it all come down to the fact that over the next three years the Island’s 12 parish Constables will be under close scrutiny themselves?

Because, as far as that final question goes, I think it could be crucial.

If Constables can prove themselves to be an important, integral part of the Chamber, sitting on committees and holding positions left right and centre then that can only boost their case for staying in the States and keeping their voting rights.

And that is going to be one of the big questions for this current House – what does the future hold for the Constables?

IN other news, the rumours that a deal was made between Senators Ian Gorst and Ian Le Marquand for the latter to withdraw from the Chief Minister race to avoid splitting the more liberal vote was pretty much confirmed on Friday when Senator Le Marquand was appointed Deputy Chief Minister.

He had been the Chief Minister’s choice for the Treasury job, which can sometimes appear to be the most powerful position, but didn’t get it.

Instead he returned to his old job at Home Affairs and gets to play chief when Senator Gorst is away. Not a bad deal, some might say.

And, perhaps the predictions of an unofficial Cameron-Clegg-style partnership weren’t so far off after all.

So, as we look forward to the first ‘proper’ States sitting next week and beyond, perhaps it is worth keeping an eye on how these relationships are

developing. Politics is, after all, all about people first and foremost.