A CONTENDER for the role of Chief Minister has outlined the “frustrating” sequence of events that led him to miss the deadline for nominations and exiting the race before it had begun.
The day after seeing his motion of no confidence in Chief Minister Kristina Moore succeed by a vote of 27 to 22, Deputy Tom Binet was timed out in his bid to put himself forward for the top job.
At around 4.30pm, 30 minutes before the deadline for nominations, Deputy Binet told news organisations, including the JEP, that he was short of the six signatures required and would not be standing. He subsequently spoke further to the JEP to provide a fuller version of the events of the past few days.
He said: “I had no sleep for two nights running either side of Tuesday’s debate – it was a pressurised day, and by Wednesday I wasn’t thinking straight.
“On Wednesday morning I was seeking the signatures to support my nomination and needed to prepare my vision statement, which was due by 5pm, but the Assembly was also sitting.
“Some other Members didn’t take part in the opening proposition, about trees, but it’s something I feel strongly about, so I was in the Chamber and spoke during the debate.
“I then went home at lunchtime and started to write my vision statement, while at the same time getting the signatures together.
“I was waiting for two people to confirm, and thought I was one short.
“I contacted those who had supported me and someone came back and pointed out that I did have enough signatures, and that my paper was in order – I emailed the Greffe, but was four minutes past the deadline, and was told there was nothing that could be done.”
The Members whose names would have been on Deputy Binet’s form were his sister, Deputy Rose Binet and fellow Deputies Andy Howell, Mary Le Hegarat, Moz Scott and Barbara Ward, plus Constable Mike Jackson.
Deputy Binet said there were a range of feelings and emotions in the wake of his failure to enter the race.
“I made a mess of it and I’m very frustrated – after receiving so much support from people recently, especially this week, I feel I have let them down and want to apologise,” he said.
“It will take me a long time to get over this, but I’m not complaining – it was my own stupidity and I’m happy to live with the consequences.
“If I’d had any sleep I might have been thinking more clearly and would have left the [tree] debate, but I didn’t do that, which was a mistake.”
But the former Infrastructure Minister was also able to find some black humour in what had happened.
“If you can’t count to six then it’s probably fair to say that you shouldn’t be putting your name forward for Chief Minister,” he said.
