‘I have no doubt Alderney can get its sparkle back’

Alderney’s new top politician wants to bring some sparkle back to the island.

Jeannie Cameron was elected unopposed to chair the island’s Policy & Finance Committee in the States last month.

Despite being elected to the States of Alderney less than 12 months ago, she nevertheless brings a wealth of political experience that few in the Bailiwick can match.

Jeannie was born in Sydney, but with roots firmly planted in the Channel Islands.

‘I go back four generations in Jersey,’ she said. ‘My mother and my grandfather and his siblings emigrated to Australia from Jersey in 1951. Some later came back to Jersey, and others went to Alderney, so I’ve always had family here, and I’ve been coming to Alderney since I was 18.’

However, it was at home in Australia that she got her first taste of life in politics after graduating from Sydney University.

Working firstly in the legislature of Australian government for different politicians, including chief of staff of defence, she got to know the ins and outs of Aussie political life from media briefings to corridor negotiations. She then went into the Australian civil service, and was assistant director in the international legal section of the Australian Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Work then took her to Indonesia where she represented Australia at international events.

‘That meant negotiating with other governments on behalf of Australia, mostly treaty law and constitutional type of work. And so essentially I have experience in the legislative side and the executive side of government, but even when I went on to run my own company, I sometimes worked for governments who were having to implement treaty requirements. It’s been my bread and butter for many years now. In November, I went down to Geneva for a week to be an expert commentator on a particular Conference of the Parties treaty negotiation, so even now I do a bit of that work.’

The move to the Channel Islands came almost by chance, as Jeannie was then living in the UK and looking to move somewhere with a strong community feel.

‘I was living in Surrey at the time, during Covid, and you couldn’t really go out very much. I was looking in different places like Scotland, Wales, Cornwall,’ she said.

‘Then I came to Alderney for a family wedding in 2021, and just started looking at houses to get an idea. I found the ideal house and had to make a fast decision as someone was coming back from Guernsey for a second view, but my quick decisions have also had a habit of working out.’

Despite all that political experience this is the first time Jeannie has sat on the politicians’ side of the fence having been elected as a member of Alderney States in a by-election in March last year.

She said it had been friends in the island who had convinced her to stand.

‘I was in two minds about it. I was always very interested in the constitutional side of things, like the 1948 Agreement, [between Alderney and Guernsey] because of my background. I was also doing a London School of Economics short course on public policy and analysis at the time, and I would always use cases from Alderney and the Bailiwick in my assessments.

‘When the by-election came, I thought well, I’ll just put my name forward. But I did rather well in the election. I ended up with 71.4% of the vote.’

After less than 10 months, she stepped up to fill the vacant position as chair of P&F.

She used her acceptance speech last month to call for more kindness and collaboration in the Alderney assembly, later revealing that she had been ‘flabbergasted’ to be on the receiving end of four code of conduct complaints in her first 10 months in office.

‘We are a small island. We have very few politicians, and I think it would be better if we could work more collaboratively in certain areas.

'I think in the Economic Development Committee, with Edward Hill, Stuart Clark, Ian McFarland and myself, we’ve worked very well together despite being different ages, different sexes. We’ve put all of the differences aside and just got on and done what we felt needed to be done as a team.’

However, she said others have perceived that close working relationship as being part of a clique.

‘What I would like to bring is much more of a situation where we thrash things out in the committees, we debate, we discuss, but then when we have a decision we all stick by it.

‘In Alderney, we’re independents, so everyone can have their own view, but going forward, much more needs to be achieved in working together. I say that from all those years in Australia, when I saw politicians completely on opposite sides of an issue, debating and then realising that for the purpose of that issue, one of the politicians who was completely against it, had to go into the chamber and really convince them. I think we should be able to do a lot more of that, rather than always feeling we need to have different views on some key issues.’

She added that Alderney needed to take advantage of its small size.

‘In a small government, you can get things done more quickly. You’ve got fewer people in the community that you need to consult with. Everybody can see each other fairly readily.

‘I think we have some significant issues in Alderney, which you are no doubt aware of. We have to deal with the runway issue. We have the Bailiwick Commission coming up, and, of course, tax reform. They’re all going to impact on Alderney.’

There have been anecdotal reports that young families are quitting Alderney over connectivity and the cost of island life, but Jeannie said she was still optimistic for the island’s future.

‘When I first came here, when I was 18, it was such a vibrant place, and I think it’s lost some of its sparkle, but I have no doubt that we get that back again if we work together and put in place the best economic development plans that we can.

‘But I think what’s really important is working with Guernsey, ensuring that the two-way relationship is maintained and is strengthened where possible.’

And Jeannie was heartened to receive an email from her counterpart in Guernsey very soon after she took on the role as chair of P&F.

‘Lindsay de Sausmarez personally congratulated and welcomed me to a leadership role. That has been followed up subsequently by an official message from herself and Steve Falla. So I feel very positive that we’re on a good footing for a lot of the discussions that we have going forward.’

She recently attended a Bitcoin conference in Amsterdam alongside fellow Alderney States member Edward Hill and she said that had brought a lot of interest to Alderney.

‘Not just directly in terms of Bitcoin, but in terms of investment. We’re working with the Guernsey Financial Services Commission, so that we can bring in new industry, like we did with the e-gambling industry back in 2020. We want to streamline some of the business laws to enable people to start businesses more easily here.

‘These are things that can create opportunities for younger people once they leave school, we need to be considering the longer term future and retaining and keeping the younger people and community here.’

And where Jeannie’s considerable experience in negotiating and treaties may come in most handy is with the soon-to-be-launched Bailiwick Commission, which will seek to ensure that the relationship and the agreements in place between the islands are fit for the future.

‘We will put our best foot forward into those negotiations. The community will be consulted, their views will be heard. We just want to ensure that whatever recommendations made are workable and best for Alderney.’