The election shows we are not one Island but two – town and country

THIS morning the 49 elected Members of the States are being sworn in. I wish them all, and in particular the 18 new Members, well.

Because of the presumed need for continuity, outgoing Ministers will continue to exercise departmental responsibilities for another week until the Assembly, in its collective wisdom, has appointed their successors. Indeed it will not be until the last minister is appointed that the outgoing Chief Minister lays down his legal responsibilities.

The Assembly will choose the new Chief Minister next Monday and that will trigger a great deal of jostling for ministerial positions as deals are struck behind closed doors. The Members must decide whether Ian Gorst is to be given another chance to do the things some suggest he’s had ample time to do during the last six years, or whether John Le Fondré’s new broom should sweep the past away in favour of a fresh start. Despite the usual calls for a presidential-style popular election, in a parliamentary democracy it is right that the Assembly should decide. The new States will meet for the first time to conduct business on 26 June and thereafter for the next four years. For some that is going to feel like a very long time.

What early conclusions can we draw from last month’s election? The most striking thing is that electorally we are not one Island, but two – town and country.

It was odd that Sam Mézec, whose party favours a single class of States Member, chose to seek the so-called Island-wide mandate of a Senatorial seat. He got the seat, just, but can’t claim the mandate as he only scraped in as a result of the town vote. He lost in eight parishes with St Peter virtually tied for the final place. So Senator Mézec has an urban mandate much as before. Narrowly missing out was Moz Scott, who is a shoo-in should there be a by-election.

The Reform Party has two additional members, but overall it wasn’t a great outcome for them. Apart from their chairman squeezing back in, Montfort Tadier very narrowly avoided having to look for another job; his tenure looks shaky.

However, I don’t think the outcome was a denial of party politics in principle, rather that voters rejected the weak representatives Reform put up. It is simply not enough for candidates’ merits to rest on a campaign for a road crossing or the challenges of being a single parent, voters want evidence of real substance. The issues arising from the improperly filled-in nomination forms also did not play well with the electorate and Reform’s long established negativity, and in some instances hostility, towards the finance industry continues to count against them. Their claim to be a centre-left party was not borne out in their manifesto which read as reflecting Geoff Southern’s ‘old labour’ ideals.

At the other end of the political spectrum, whereas a country Constable’s job is usually for life, it was interesting to see the mouse roar in the people’s republic of St Mary whose parishioners dumped the sitting Connétable. The fact that the other 11 were unopposed, fuels the argument that they should not sit ex officio in the States. Like the Rectors and Jurats before them, their time is up. Hopefully, we won’t need a Royal Commission to shift them. There’s a lesson too in Simon Brée’s attempt to fly too high before crashing to earth and out of the States.

It’s worth noting the initial report of the independent Commonwealth Observer Mission called for, ‘…a transparent and consistent procedure established by law [to] review or reflect demographic changes’. In other words the independent Electoral Commission for which I have argued since it was proposed by Clothier in 2000.

Of the new members, Hugh Raymond enjoyed the biggest winning margin and his experience both home and away suggests he will make his mark; Kevin Pamplin, who was excellent as the eponymous Oliver in a local production some years ago, will lower the average age of members and help address the views of younger voters; Carina Alves (Reform), Jess Perchard and Mary Le Hegarat appear to have more to offer than their gender – no token females they – on which point women, who make up half the population, remain under-represented at just 27 per cent of the Assembly. The fact that for the first time women were top and second-top in the Senators’ poll tends to indicate that more strong female candidates are required.

I sincerely hope poll topper Tracey Vallois gets the Education portfolio she so earnestly desires; I’m confident she would place the emphasis, and the budget, where it should be – in the classroom (with more emphasis on vocational education) and training places.

Finally, I hope every elected member of the new Assembly enjoys the early weeks and months in office, whatever jobs they are allotted, because the honeymoon won’t last long.