Successful government will need 'broad church' of skills

AS THE general election looms in the UK, talk has again turned to how representative the parties or Parliament is of society.

All-women lists of prospective candidates, or indeed a drive for different ethnic backgrounds, are debates doing the rounds.

And it casts a mirror back on Guernsey, where the tools available to a party to try and manipulate the situation do not exist.

Sit in the public gallery here and what is reflected at you is for the most part male and grey.

Guernsey's overall population is essentially a 50/50 split of the sexes, whereas more than 85% of deputies are men.

There is little point in even comparing the age profile of the population, or indeed voters, with the States because the mismatch is so obvious.

Despite efforts, including paying our political representatives, the role has a habit of attracting people who can afford to stand – whether through their financial situation or lifestyle.

Often heard reverberating in political circles is the need to attract a 'broad church' of skills to the States.

But has anyone really got a strategy to achieve just that?

Education minister Carol Steere is one of only eight female deputies and the only one serving currently as a minister.

'Certainly we need more women and younger members and there is also the issue of attracting people from a broader section of the community rather than retired and business people,' said Deputy Steere.

'The problem we have there is people stepping out of employment and taking time out for pay that might not be comparable.'

That is probably more of an issue for those who are employed rather than employers.

You are more likely to feel the pinch if you have been, say, a teacher supporting a family and maybe paying back a mortgage than you ever would sitting in the States with an income flowing in from business interests around the globe.

'There are a number of issues that need to be addressed to try and encourage people in,' said Deputy Steere.

Pay and conditions could be one of those – but few would thank you for proposing any kind of salary increase in this economic climate.

Deputy Steere is involved in a women's forum and has had people getting in touch to say they are interested in standing.

'I know a number of women that want to stand and I'm encouraging them to do so,' she said.

She might also be preparing them for what at times can be an environment full of male bravado.

Being a deputy is also not the most attractive proposition at the moment, she admitted.

The media spotlight is rightly shining very brightly on some flip-flop decision making, while this States more than any recently is being tasked with axing services.

Long gone are the days when politicians were looked on reverently – a lot of the looking now is down.

So if you cannot with any public credibility boost the pay packet and the media really is not going away, nor is it a ticket to popularity, what else can be done to entice a broader section of the community in?

For Deputy Steere, one of the issues is about giving members the necessary resources to do an effective job.

'You need things such as secretarial and resource back-up,' she said.

As Education minister, a lot of her time is taken up by tasks such as visiting schools.

'It's an important part of the job, but it does mean you are taken away from other things,' she said.

'If you had someone you can ring up and ask, "could you do some research on this for me?", that would be really helpful.'

There is a reason why so many amendments come from the backbenchers.

With ministers' time eaten up elsewhere, they may struggle to analyse deeply other departments' reports.

'There are things I would like to progress, but you have to fit in a family life and time for yourself as well. Anything to do with Education I have the staff available, but with any other issues, to do the digging and the research, there isn't the support.'

If you are looking for someone who is prepared for all angles of debate, go no further than Deputy Matt Fallaize, who is known to spend time listening to tapes of old States debates – something Deputy Steere said puts the rest of members to shame at times.

But there is a balance to be struck, one that could be easier to achieve if not all 47 members were policy makers.

That is a debate for another day.

So there are some tools in the armoury to create a more attractive package beyond the pull of wanting to change the island for the better.

It is all about bringing down the barriers that prevent people from standing.

What you want to achieve is a list of candidates from a broad but representative section of society – the rest then is up to the electorate.