Lament for an age that’s all but gone

From Daniel Wimberley.

I BELIEVE that something profound and sad is happening at this referendum and I thought I should share it with your readers. I think there is a way forward, but we need to be clear about what is at stake.

The country parishes, not so long ago, were a network of small-scale, independent Jersey farmers. Others lived there as well of course, but the grain and purpose was that of a farming community. The parish was the focus of life together.

It is different now – not necessarily better or worse – but different. Agriculture has changed radically. The ancient and beautiful farmhouses are now lived in by professionals and white-collar workers from the finance industry. New estates have sprung up.

It follows that the parishes need to be recreated to match the new situation. They need a fresh start.

I believe that the cry: ‘The Constables should be in the States’ is a cri de cœur. It is a lament for an age that has all but passed away. Personally, I am sad at the fact that only the shadow of what was a rich and warm fabric remains. The population has doubled. Are we any happier?

I believe that the cri de cœur expresses the desire to live in that lost age, and that somehow having the Constables in the States may bring that age back. But of course, it won’t.

In a time of social change, the role of the Constable is ever more important: to lead and renew their parish will take commitment, drive and understanding. There could and should be support from the Youth and Community service – helping with new ideas for building community in new circumstances.

I just don’t see how taking the Constables away from their parishes and burying them in piles of States paperwork strengthens the parishes. This downgrades the importance of the role of Constable. (This is not to say that some Constables will not wish to stand for direct election to the States. If they think they can do both jobs – good luck to them, and the voters can decide.)

But there is another reason why the Constables sitting automatically in the States may not help the parishes at all. I would suggest that binding them into the States actually has the effect of reducing the parishes to something akin to a trailer hitched to the back of the States lorry.

For example: in the affair of the sea wall at Green Island, the Constable of St Clement, sitting in the States, was powerless to stop his colleagues voting that the breach in the sea wall be allowed, in spite of his outright opposition. If they were not in the States automatically, then the parishes would soon learn to assert themselves more, (though they would need to work out how to become fully democratic bodies), they would gain increased powers in planning matters, and a stronger Comité des Connétables would emerge.

To conclude, the Constables sitting in the States by virtue of being elected as Constable of their parish cannot bring back a lost Jersey. The question is: how do we recreate the community? How do we build up something new to replace what has been lost? Is this task better carried out by someone who is focused on the parish and not torn between two roles?

And would the parishes gain in independence if the Constables were not compromised by all being forced to sit in the States?