Non-States member’s views on education provoke anger

Ross Le Brun, a non-voting member of Employment & Social Security, emailed all deputies on Tuesday expressing support for the Bury amendment and wanting all review details released.

The exchange, which led to Education president Andrea Dudley-Owen referring to a previous Facebook post he had made, was later leaked to the Guernsey Press and shows members contemplating ways to stop the type of comments he was making, including making non-States members part of a code of conduct-type provision.

‘As much as anything else, the review involves detailed consultation with teachers and other stakeholders. It’s a lot of effort, time and taxpayers’ money that is otherwise going to just be hidden from you,’ he said in that first email.

He sent another on Wednesday drawing attention to the National Education Union teaching union raising concerns about the lack of consultation.

In the early hours of Thursday, Deputy Dudley-Owen said that now Mr Le Burn had an insight few members of the public did, why he thought work would be hidden?

‘You have previously called ESC committee members “billshutters” on a social media post in relation to education policy, implying that we are liars and I took this up with the President of your committee, Deputy Roffey, at the time.

‘If an elected member acted in the way you have there would be consequences,’ she warned.

‘ESC and ESS have a joint committee meeting soon and I wonder how do you think behaving in this way helps our congenial and collaborative working? I will engage in a respectful, mature way, but please… no more false claims or puerile rudeness.’

Economic Development president Neil Inder later said in a response email: ‘I’ve mused in a previous presidential role [he was president of the States’ Assembly and Constitution Committee] whether NVMs/NSMs should come into the scope of the future standards panel.’

Deputy Inder emailed Deputy Roffey, president of ESS, with a screenshot of the post on Facebook referenced by Deputy Dudley-Owen.

‘You’ll get no faux prissiness from me on people who use the vernacular, but am obliged to ask what your view on that kind of outburst from one of your non-States members; especially one that directly targets what appears to be the majority of the Assembly.’

He goes on: ‘I genuinely don’t mind what his personal opinion is on any matter; but I and probably the majority of the Assembly would draw the line at paying someone to call us ‘billshutter’ – we can all get that for free.’

Deputy Roffey said he had taken appropriate measures after the Facebook comment was raised with him by the Education president some time ago.

‘I think the ESS were always aware that Ross had strong views, often bluntly expressed, when we appointed him. Indeed we knew that he would be a member who would often provide robust and unnuanced challenge to the rest of us around the committee table. We didn’t appoint him for a comfortable ride. What he does bring is a very strong focus on small business which has often been lacking at the committee table in the past. It is indeed proving invaluable.

‘As far as his views on politics outside of the ESS mandate are concerned, I have no intention at all of trying to muzzle him and I very much doubt I would succeed if I did.’

He said it was important for those in politics not to be ‘too prissy’.

‘A clear line also has to be drawn between what he says on matters within the ESS mandate and more general political matters. Even in the former case I will not stop him expressing his personal views whether or not they accord with the committee view.

‘In the latter I regard him as a completely free agent so long as he refrains from abuse. That does not mean never saying anything which upsets any States members. That sort of emasculation does not come with the remit of being a non-States member on a committee and it would be a very sad day if it ever did.’