A THUNDEROUS round of foot-stomping – the States Assembly’s way of applauding – greeted the news that a VIP visitor was present in the public gallery for the start of yesterday’s sitting.
Sarah Champion MP, chair of the Channel Islands All Party Parliamentary Group, looked a trifle embarrassed to be the recipient of almost ten seconds of stomping, and it wasn’t long before Members were seeking to attract her attention.
During the resumption of what had been a somewhat turgid debate about changes to the Island’s legislation surrounding elections, Deputy Montfort Tadier wanted to highlight a clause regarding how disputes would be resolved.
Constable Karen Stone, chair of the Privileges and Procedures Committee, had sought to remove the clause in question, but Deputy Tadier wasn’t happy, accusing her of a kneejerk reaction that would deny Members the chance to debate the matter.
But what he really wanted to highlight to the esteemed visitor was his take on the recent vote to change the electoral system by bringing back an element of Island-wide voting in the form of Senators, hurling phrases like “gerrymandering” and “postcode lottery” into the mix.
The Jersey Electoral Authority needed to look at the system so that the UK Parliament would not need to intervene, Deputy Tadier claimed, as had been the case in 1771 when a protest over the price of wheat prompted intervention by the Crown and a reform of customary law.
This point provoked a reaction from the normally mild-mannered Deputy Ian Gorst, who said he was outraged at what he referred to as “constitutional nonsense” from Deputy Tadier, who he accused of “playing to a crowd that was no longer there” (Ms Champion having slipped quietly away around 25 minutes into proceedings).
“I disagree that a legitimate decision of this Assembly should be submitted to the Ministry of Justice to have it overturned,” thundered Deputy Gorst. “That’s a fundamental misunderstanding of our constitutional position and I won’t stand for it.”
Possibly the animated discussion stemmed from the stifling temperature in the Chamber, with Deputy Bailiff Robert MacRae breaking the bad news to Members on Tuesday that the Chamber’s air conditioning system had failed.
This prompted a discussion about whether people could remove their jackets, a notion that Deputy Rob Ward might be “a slippery slope”, while others sought guidance about removing bow ties, or the risk of displaying braces.
Mr MacRae seemed worried about the slippery slope. “I’m not making an order that people should take their clothes off – it’s purely optional,” he told everyone.
The line of the week was delivered by Environment Minister Steve Luce, who sought to reassure Members concerned about potential stress suffered by Atlantic bluefin tuna hooked by anglers on the charter fishing trips that are set to be introduced in Jersey waters later this summer.
A well-regulated “catch and release” policy would be part of the initiative and help minimise stress levels, the minister asserted, as the policy would do “exactly what it said on the tin”.
