THE final column before the General Election. The next time I put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) it’ll all be over. So, the subject matter for this week’s missive is obvious.
And then, mid-afternoon on Tuesday, something of a curve-ball.
The UK government decided not to oppose an amendment to an anti-money-laundering bill, and suddenly Westminster votes to force the Overseas Territories to set up public beneficial ownership registers.
The British Virgin Islands, Cayman, et al, obliged to put – in the public domain – details of who owns what through the complicated legal structures in place in those islands. They have until 2020 to comply. As you might imagine, they’re not happy.
Why does this matter?
Well, until late in the day the Labour Party was minded to table its own amendment to extend the bill’s tentacles to the Crown Dependencies. Yup, Guernsey and Jersey in their sights (again).
This threatened to spark a constitutional crisis. Another parliament forcing Guernsey and Jersey’s parliaments to do something. That’s quite different to pressuring them or persuading them. This would be direct action.
Well, the raised blood pressure in the local corridors of power has eased somewhat, with political leaders hailing this a triumph of their influence at Westminster.
They may be right. But they may also be overstating things.
Indeed, Andrew Mitchell, the Tory MP who, along with Labour’s Margaret Hodge, pushed the successful Overseas Territories amendment, used the debate to urge the UK government to convince Guernsey and Jersey to follow suit voluntarily.
Not on your nelly, they holler back.
All of this has the potential to spice up Jersey’s General Election in a number of ways. First, it should be acknowledged that – I suspect – the vast majority of people couldn’t give a fig about all this. But government ministers who are standing for election get to trumpet their initial successes, champion their existing relationships with those in power in the UK, and play up fears of ‘left wing’ candidates rolling over and damaging the finance industry.
On the flip side, those ‘left wing’ candidates can have a field day. Their fight for greater transparency just got juicy. Momentum (in both senses) is on their side. Today, the Overseas Territories, tomorrow, the Crown Dependencies. More power to their elbow is an acknowledgement from the Chief Minister that international standards are ever-changing and, indeed, a public register could become a global norm one day soon, meaning Jersey will follow the BVI and Cayman.
Caught in the crossfire? Jersey’s finance industry and the tens of thousands either directly or indirectly employed in it. The economy’s success, indeed the money to pay for social policies, is heavily reliant on that single sector. If finance gets the sniffles, we’re all at risk of catching a cold.
Fascinating times.
*****
And so, on to the election itself.
For a while it all felt rather humdrum. I’ve logged on to watch a few of the hustings. I’ve yet to see a single candidate really shine and inspire me. I’ve also seen a few who I thought would be a shoe-in appear somewhere between lacklustre and bored during their opening statements and autopilot answers.
But it’s now beginning to heat up a little. How do I know? The nastiness has really begun to rear its ugly head on social media. It’s the modern political barometer.
There are parody accounts, there’s even attempts at besmirching candidates by using fake profiles in their name on internet forums. There’s misinformation galore. And we’ve even had an outbreak of swastika graffiti on an election poster.
With less than a fortnight to go, there’s still time for a clean, evidence-based contest.
My prediction is that the winner will be apathy. Turnout will be fascinating. Does anybody really care and do the majority understand this Island’s truly bonkers parliamentary set-up. Constables in parishes. Deputies in districts. Senators Islandwide. And a judge gets to swap the courtroom for our own House of Commons and have a go at being Mr Speaker. It’s a funny old game.
All that said, you and I have no right to moan or mock if we don’t exercise our democratic right. And if none of them is your cup of tea, better to spoil or doodle on your ballot paper than not even bother in the first place.
Against expectation, may the best candidates win!
