Deputies reflect on term of highs and ‘divisive’ lows
A DIVIDED States has waved goodbye to their four years in office with several deputies reflecting on their highlights and lowlights.
Secondary education models, a referendum on island-wide voting, rejecting plans for a runway extension and the approval of anti-discrimination legislation were just some of the deputies’ responsibilities.
Overseas Aid & Development Commission president Deputy Emilie McSwiggan said she would not be running for office next term, but felt confident that she had left a legacy.
‘I’ve really enjoyed it,’ she said.
‘It’s been the kind of work that you would never get to do anywhere else and can make a real difference to people’s lives.
‘My biggest highlight was the anti-discrimination proposals – it’s taken over 10 years to achieve and I’m really relieved and proud they were passed.’
She added that there was always more to do and expressed her ‘embarrassment’ and ‘regret’ over not doing better with the secondary and post-16 education transformation.
Education, Sport & Culture president Matt Fallaize said that with the exception of the secondary education transformation, his committee had achieved everything it set out to achieve.
‘We’re currently reviewing the education models, we’ve developed plans for the Guernsey Institute, we received States approval for the La Mare redevelopment and also, personally, achieved the mesothelioma compensation scheme,’ he said.
‘We would have liked to have resolved secondary education but we will be bringing that to a conclusion too.
‘In many ways, though, I would say this States has been very divided and for any future deputies I would say this needs to improve, just this morning deputies were trading blows on something quite innocuous and we need the States to be constructive and work together to do more and work better.’
Deputy Fallaize will run again for another term.
Employment & Social Security and Transport Licensing Authority member Deputy John Gollop echoed these sentiments and said he hoped to be re-elected into a team that built back better.
‘The worst aspect of this States has been the divisive and bitter political atmosphere,’ he said.
‘But the opportunity to hold for three years a medium weight presidency at Planning, the old Island Development Committee mandate, and being on Michelle Le Clerc’s caring Employment & Social Security Committee, which enhanced income support, won support for secondary pensions and approval of the inclusive anti-disability, equality and anti-discrimination legislation were highlights.
‘I was proud some colleagues gave me sterling personal support across the House when my mother died last year too.’
He also apologised for any mistakes, such as the ‘messy’ framework concerning a coastal development near Cobo.
Scrutiny president Deputy Chris Green, who will not be running again, thanked all ‘the good people of the Castel parish’ who voted him into the States twice, in 2012 and again in 2016, stating it had been a ‘massive privilege’ to represent them.
‘I believe that my time on Scrutiny has seen a massive increase in the amount of public scrutiny hearings alongside a number of high-quality reviews on key political matters,’ he said.
‘We have done well over 20 public hearings since 2016 and we have produced five reports on the [States] bond, on in-work poverty, on Aurigny, on the capital allocations system and on freedom of information.
‘My advice to new candidates would be twofold – firstly, don’t make promises you cannot keep, and secondly, never forget that you need to make yourself accessible to the public.’
States’ Assembly & Constitution Committee president Deputy Neil Inder was most proud of his team’s delivery of the island-wide voting referendum.
‘It’s a historic moment to be part of something like that,’ he said.
‘We delivered on democracy and it’ll be interesting to see what the next States will be like on the back of it.’
More than 31,000 islanders have signed up for the electoral roll of Guernsey’s first island-wide election – more than registered in the last two.
Advance polling is on Saturday 3, Sunday 4 and Tuesday 6 October.
Election day is Wednesday 7 October, with votes counted on Thursday 8 October.
