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Electoral reform? First we need a workable proposal
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From Ken Sheehan.
I BELIEVE that the voter turnout is low and will remain lo, until there is proper government shown by the politicians elected. Apathy will not change by making politicians divisible by voting population.
Neither does it make it clear who is the person responsible for each of the individual parish issues and there is a side issue of disproportionate representation.
Perhaps the aggregated numbers per parish per district would be fairer, if Deputies had divisible representation on this basis. The position of Constable, therefore, becomes more important, being the only true representative of each parish.
In America, there are two representatives per state, approximately one per 600,000 electorate. The UK has approx. one to 30,000. In Jersey, it is about 2,326 of the electorate per politician.
The aspect of changing the voting structure to who you would like first, second, third, etc, is also one that is not conducive to fairer representation. One could end up with the most popular not getting in.
Having looked briefly across the UK, there are many systems but no successful one. If there was, everyone would be using it. So why try to impose one of them here.
We have a legislature in place already. We have a talking shop in scrutiny. The policy, once scrutinised, should be voted on by all the politicians. Having a free vote is what the voters expect. This would make all politicians accountable.
The parish entity should remain, not districts. The difference in representation is minuscule per politician. The parish system was never offered. Why not keep our identity, at least?
The referendum, with no clear policy, was a total nonsense and an unnecessary cost to the Island. The politicians throwing their toys out of the pram because they did not like the result are inexcusable.
There is no rush for reform, even with an election in the offing. The States need to put a workable offer on the table. They are at a Mad Hatter’s tea party, but someone forgot to bring the food.
Suggestion: go to the Museum and see how it was done before. Not difficult. I will put an idea forward: 12 Constables, 12 Deputies, and 12 Senators. The Senators could rotate by being attached to a parish per month on a rolling basis during their term of office. This would increase representation in a more specific way, as well as enhancing their knowledge when decision-making.
Policy makers must be accountable – civil servants and politicians – and if found to be lacking in their duties, then sanction their pay or fire them.
We have a disaster looming from uncontrolled immigration and the repercussions on jobs, health service, housing, etc. The civil service is haemorrhaging money with imported people and consultants, all done to protect their decision-making and with little or no result often being the case. I am not whinging. I know what happens in the service, I have first-hand experience.
There is plenty of box-ticking that goes on, as we know, by all policy makers. The effect, of course, is never truly known, good or bad. ‘Yes, Minister’ comes to mind.
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