A Chief Minister who didn't top the poll

From David Eves.

THREE years ago, at a time when a Chief Minister was about to be appointed for the first time, Senator Stuart Syvret topped the Islandwide poll by a distance, a result which he achieved for the second successive time.

In a normal democratic society, which Jersey claims to be but fails miserably in its execution, Stuart Syvret should have been automatically invited to head the Island’s government and form a cabinet. Otherwise, if the man who tops the poll doesn’t assume this role, what’s the point of Islandwide elections?

Instead, what we got was a lot of manipulating, manoeuvring and adjusting by the Jersey mafia to put a man in place that suited them, but who just about scraped into sixth place in the Senatorials three years before. It would have been like the UK government inviting George Galloway and the Respect Party to lead the country instead of Tony Blair and Labour. There would have been riots on the streets.

Now, after three years of Walker rule, a rule epitomised by baloney, bluff, nonsense, humbug and drama, a rule which gave him the opportunity of embarrassing and humiliating his great nemesis, Stuart Syvret, by having him sacked as Health Minister, a rule which saw him condone the introduction of GST while a billion pounds of States properties lie empty, and among goodness knows how many other perplexing things, too numerous to mention here. A rule that showed him totally unfit to handle the national media.

We have to put up with your newspaper’s glorification of Frank Walker in the editions of the first, second and third of December. For goodness’ sake, there are also other people who have left the States after long and loyal service who have not merited even two lines in the JEP: Jackie Huet, who did sterling work on Overseas Aid; Mike Vibert, who, apart from his appalling decision over the closure of the Fort Regent swimming pool, did a good job for years in sport and education; Tommy du Feu, who has been a marvellous Constable to the parishioners of St Peter; to name just a few.

The JEP has a duty to the people of this Island to produce a newspaper that is fair, balanced and equal to all men. Otherwise, you might as well call it the Walker Evening Post, an action you should have taken 40 years ago.

61 La Collette Flats,

Green Street,

St Helier.