Pressure group is building up a head of steam for 2012

DOWN the decades, Guernsey has remained predominantly against the idea of political parties. Brief flirtations have come and gone, but it remains a topic that exercises political watchers more than islanders at large.

So what will people make of the Guernsey Reform Group? At this point I should say that its founder – or instigator, as he describes himself on its website – Anthony Hemans is at pains to stress that it is not a party but a pressure group, but it is a step along the road.

It has a manifesto to which it is hoping prospective candidates for 2012 and sitting deputies will sign up, giving electors a clearer view of exactly who, and what, it is they are voting for.

Visit the site – guernseyreformgroup.org.gg – and you find a raft of laudable aspirations – does anyone not believe in accountability and transparency in government?

It is early days, there are some 50 people signed up as members of the GRG and Mr Hemans believes from conversations he has had that there are many more who agree with what the aims are.

But it is an evolving concept, positions being taken are changing over time, and being fleshed out in the run up to 2012.

Mr Hemans, who is in his 60s and while willing to stand is waiting to see whether age catches up with him, began as a regular letter writer to the Guernsey Press.

Things like overspends and the lack of accountability were the touch paper.

'I retired a couple of years ago and was doing very little and I became interested in politics,' he said.

'When you are involved commercially things tend to go drifting by, life goes on, the political scene doesn't capture the imagination, but with more time on your hands you get interested in it. There were a number of things that weren't right, weren't as good as they could be.'

He has lived in Guernsey for the last 24 years and said he has become very attached to the island.

While Guernsey did not have the problems experienced in the UK, there were elements of the political system that could be improved, he said.

'A lot of Guernsey people have a comfort zone and are not bothered about it, which is good in some ways, but I think there are some glaring holes in the way the administration is run. I felt it would be interesting as well as rewarding to try and address them.'

The group started out as the Guernsey Reform Alliance, but it was suggested an alliance had the wrong connotations.

Mr Hemans wrote a letter published in this paper asking if people were interested in joining.

'I had a lot of response by phone and by letter, so I decided to set the website up and try and expand the membership.'

The site gets about 600 to 700 hits a month.

'My background is sales, so I relate to people. Whenever I meet a new person, I give them a card and say "Why don't you go on the website? You could perhaps make a difference, see where your money is going and encourage your deputies to run the island better".'

He admits it is difficult at the moment for people to get a handle on the GRG.

'They don't know if we are a nuisance value, a political party, a pressure group. We have evolved and regard ourselves more and more as a pressure group. We don't and wouldn't want to be a party, Guernsey is not suited to party politics.'

GRG is not about root and branch reform, but does want to see change.

'It won't happen overnight. The Guernsey mentality is not for instant solutions, they take a while to be convinced, to hopefully see the merits of it or not. I'm not here for five minutes trying to create a big storm, but over the longer term to influence what's going on.'

Another key member of the group is Roger Dadd, who became politically prominent recently during the waste debate when he chaired the independent panel formed on the back of the 2004 Ogier requete.

'He's led me on to understand things like the incinerator, island-wide voting, which has brought a different perspective to me,' he said.

Mr Dadd is unlikely to stand in 2012, but there are others in the group that might.

At the moment, Mr Hemans said it was about building the foundations, getting the group known to help boost membership.

He said the core values included strict control of public spending to eliminate prestige projects being built just for the sake if it, and ensuring things were fully costed and evidenced.

Accountability is also high on the list.

'It would never happen anywhere else – where people make major mistakes, don't perform, yet can hide behind committees and weasel words. In those circumstances they should do the honourable thing and resign.'

The group is also keen to see the quality of States member improve.

'I feel you need fewer deputies but pay them significantly more money. In principle, if you had a salary that matched the higher levels of management in the finance industry, you would attract people of significant calibre and the island would benefit.'

GRG believes that island-wide voting would be a good thing.

'It's rather galling that you can have a first-class candidate that you can't vote for because you don't live in the district they are representing.'

The group has spoken to half a dozen or so current deputies who have expressed an interest or mild support at this stage.

A meeting is planned next month with those who are particularly supportive.

And for the long-term vision?

'We are a pressure group, not a political party. I don't know what will happen.

'Maybe in 15 years' time we will have an executive government without the party political nature of it.

'I do think decision-making, like the Wales Audit Office said, at the moment suffers from a difficult and inefficient way of governance. Probably, in the longer term, we will have to look closer at it.'

It is a fine line that the GRG is going to have to tread as it grows from the foundations that have been set.

Maybe the acid test will come as the flesh is put on the bones of its draft manifesto, or as its ideas come under more public scrutiny.

But the group is here to stay.