THE senatorial campaign – absent for almost a decade – properly got off the blocks on Thursday night with the first hustings, with a solid performance from all 17 candidates, with no one particularly soaring above the others but no one dropping the ball either.
It was standing room only in St Lawrence, with the candidates – starting with ‘A’ for Aliga and ending with ‘P’ for Place – lining the entire length of the parish hall. There are a lot of hustings to go, and St Lawrence was the first round, with candidates potentially choosing to dance around the ring a bit rather than throw any early punches.
It was respectful and good natured; as politics should be.
That said, as opening speeches become more familiar, question themes recurrent, answers more rehearsed, and front-runners extending their lead, one expects a few jabs to start popping in the days and weeks ahead.
Politics should also be engaging, entertaining and about proving yourself better than the rest. Shouldn’t it?
While there were no big opening salvos, the dignified St Lawrence bout was still interesting as those vying for an all-island mandate, and therefore more Avios points to book a ministerial position, set out their stall.
All 17 began with a three-minute speech – which took up most of the first hour, leaving room for just four questions from the public. Perhaps the candidates will choose to tip the balance in favour of more questions in future?
Reporting what each candidate said blow by blow would take too long here but highlights included:
- Martin Aliga prompting warm-hearted laughter when he said he and his wife, with their five children, were doing all they can to combat the Island’s falling fertility rate.
- Health Minister Tom Binet revealing that he hoped that the contract with the lead contractor on the Overdale acute hospital project would be signed before the election.
- Sir Mark Boleat saying that he believed that the Planning system could be changed without damaging the environment. He added that a priority of his would be finding ways to encourage and incentivise young islanders to stay in Jersey.
- Alan Breckon diving into the States accounts, pointing out that expenditure on the top 100 suppliers had increased by more than £100,000 a day between 2022 and 2023.
- Addressing a question about population policy, Karl Busch giving a first-hand account of the importance of carers who have come to Jersey, often over-qualified but performing roles that Islanders seem unwilling to do.
- Guy de Faye starting by apologising for the gap in his mouth after breaking his dentures. He later drew a round of applause for criticising the process around the proposed offshore windfarm.
- Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham saying that this election was about more than politics: it was about the direction Jersey that takes at a time of real change. After listing his track record as Chief Minister, he said he was optimistic for Jersey’s future.
- External Relations Minister Ian Gorst reaffirming his belief in the finance industry competitive programme that he has led. He also highlighted his “calm and serious leadership”.
- Former England netball captain Serena Kersten Guthrie drawing on her experience in elite sport – “where accountability is non-negotiable” – to argue that “less talk and more action” is required.
- Home Affairs Minister Mary Le Hegarat saying that she wanted Jersey to grow more of its own produce and ‘upskill’ the population in order to become more self sufficient. She also wanted to encourage more people to come back to the Island.
- Alan Le Pavoux saying that Jersey needed more of a community focus. Talking up a theme that became a common thread at the hustings, he said that the government had to find better ways to hold on to the Island’s young people.
- Environment Minister Steve Luce saying that, if re-elected, he would like to continue to serve in his current role, which would involve drafting the next Island Plan. He said he was particularly proud of securing £6m in the last budget for farming and fishing.
- Former senior minister Alan Maclean saying that he had not planned to return to politics but he was very concerned about the direction of the Island. Referring to the government spending £118m more than it earned last year, he said: “Jersey is at a crossroads; there is no magic money tree”.
- Housing Minister Sam Mézec saying that he wanted to be part of “turning the tide” in Jersey and in a government that was “united and representing diversity”. He added that the current “tax and spend model” was broken and the multilayered electoral system was “defective”.
- Deputy Helen Miles emphasising the importance of travel links and referring to her success in making it easier for French day-trippers to come to Jersey. Answering a question about climate change, she said she was not a fan of climate legislation, preferring policies that “motivated people to do the right thing”.
- Treasury Minister Elaine Millar saying she was most proud of her proposal for the return of Senators, reducing the cost of GP visits and introducing improved pensioner benefits. She said that, if elected, she would focus first on the cost of living.
- Bernard Place saying that he too was concerned about the cost of living. He stressed that there was real value in bringing in fresh faces and new experience to the Assembly, describing himself as sensible and measured.
The four questions posed by the audience in St Lawrence asked whether the candidates backed “a coherent immigration and population strategy”; if they “supported and championed unpopular but necessary climate legislation”; if they thought Jersey had a “revenue problem, spending problem, or courage problem” and whether if was right that politicians who had been elected unopposed should be able to become a minister.
Candidates, on their first hustings’ outing, tackled every question directly and stopped or quickly wrapped up when their three-minute time allocation ended.
Judging on the Senatorial candidates’ first appearance, voters will have plenty of choice and will have to think carefully before casting their up-to-nine votes come Sunday 7 June.
