Reformers keep it simple

The task of the commission, headed by Assistant Chief Minister Sir Philip Bailhache, has been a difficult and complex one but its suggested solution has the basic merit of relative simplicity. If the States ultimately approve the plan, the post of Senator will be abolished and the size of the Assembly reduced by nine Members to 42.

The crucial and controversial question of whether the 12 parish Constables remain in the States should be democratically determined by public referendum, the commission recommends. If they stay, they will be joined by a new line-up of 30 Deputies; if they go, the whole House will comprise 42 Deputies.

In either eventuality, the Deputies will be divided between six new and roughly equally populated constituencies, two for St Helier and the rest made up of clusters of parishes, with everyone serving four-year terms instead of the current three or six.

So-called ‘superconstituencies’ have been suggested in earlier consultations. The importance difference with this plan, however, is that it keeps the parishes intact within the new framework, thus preserving their distinct identities, local pride and administrative convenience.

The parish structure is a vital ingredient in Jersey’s special character and, by making it the foundation of its proposal, the commission has shown a welcome regard for the importance of our constitutional roots while simultaneously setting out to modernise the system. For the same reason, there are good grounds to hope with confidence that the public referendum will, in due course, show strong support for the retention of the Constables in the States.

However it is composed after the 2014 elections, though, there is no doubt that a smaller House will both require and encourage a higher average calibre of Member, with each required to make a full and positive contribution to the wellbeing of all the population.

In the absence of the increasingly unwieldy and sometimes cynically opportunistic Senatorial round, each constituency election will have of necessity to become a forum for issues of Islandwide significance rather than local concern. The retention of an Islandwide mandate, exercised for over 60 years through the position of Senator, has been a question of major concern to many Islanders.

This compromise looks like a good, practical way of maintaining the principle while rendering the whole system more manageable and, crucially, more reflective of public opinion.

There may be room for debate over the precise nature of the constituency groupings, or whether the proposed total of 42 Members is really adequate, but the commission’s proposals in general offer a robust and skilfully constructed platform from which the long-running debate over reform of the States can proceed towards a workable and widely acceptable conclusion.