THE Chief Minister will announce within the next month whether he will stand for election again – although the political party of which he is a member is due to choose a leader next week.
Speaking at the Chamber of Commerce lunch yesterday, Senator John Le Fondré continued to keep his cards close to his chest about his political future, despite being pressed on the issue by the business body’s chief executive, Murray Norton.
‘We’re going through final considerations and final deliberations that will be taking place in the next few weeks. And I’ll make my final announcement within the next month,’ he said. ‘The media have asked me on a number of occasions and I have said [I will tell them] sometime between half-past ten and Easter.’
The Jersey Alliance Party, of which Senator Le Fondré is a member, is due to choose its leader going into the June general election on 12 February.
Later during the session, the Chief Minister was questioned on recent accusations made by backbench politicians that a six-week government media campaign highlighting its successes had been ‘obvious propaganda’ in favour of the Alliance Party. Mr Norton suggested that the campaign was a case of the government ‘marking its own homework’.
In response, Senator Le Fondré said he would ‘describe it as an end of term report’ and part of the handover to the next Council of Ministers.
During his keynote speech and following questions, the Chief Minister criticised the ‘negativity’ he had experienced during his term of office, particularly on social media, arguing that ‘Jersey has a good story to tell’.
He said: ‘In response to those who have permanently criticised and denigrated – while I get the politics, particularly in the last few months before an election, can I suggest the following – the question you might want to ask of those who are being critical is what would you do differently, or if you were there previously, what did you do when you held the power?’
He referred to recent comments made in the States by St Clement Constable Marcus Troy who had said that there were certain States Members ‘who have not run so much as a tuck shop’ and on certain issues and ‘frankly do not know what they are talking about’.
‘With one eye towards the elections, you as voters might want to ask candidates – what is your experience, your ability and your life experience that demonstrates your capability to run the most important tuck shop on this Island?’ he said.
