This was just politics, not a conduct issue

Policy & Resources vice-president Lyndon Trott was accused of making misleading statements in arguing that a runway extension would not be a game-changer and should therefore not be pursued.

Whatever your opinion on whether there should be an extension, the complaint itself was frivolous and without merit – the system is not designed to be used to settle policy disagreements.

The complaint was based on analysis that has been published by the 2020 Association, one of the nascent political groupings trying to establish a foothold ahead of the next election, although the group itself did not bring the action.

Among the supporting elements is 15 pages dissecting the speech Deputy Trott made to the States in December ahead of the publication of the PwC air and sea links report.

It lists blow by blow points where it argues Deputy Trott in his speech on behalf of Policy & Resources contradicted the findings of the report.

But politicians assessing a report and taking a position based on their interpretation of it is not a code violation. It is simply politics.

Very few issues in this arena are black and white, right and wrong, and consultant reports rarely provide one simply answer – if they did we would arguably have little need for so many deputies.

By the end of last year there was a clamour building for P&R to set out its position on a runway extension, particularly because the States was about to vote on whether to buy three new ATRs.

That is what, through the vice-president, it did.

Many don’t agree with P&R’s conclusions and it would be surprising if the States next week did not back further investigations of an extension.

The delay in publishing the PwC report, which had been shared around certain committees, was an error.

It is right to call out and highlight different interpretations and positions.

However, to resort to a code of conduct complaint was to misunderstand and misuse the process and, if accepted, would have stifled open debate.