Virtual States can challenge and probe

Tomorrow will be the first time the States has ever met remotely with members contributing to debate from their homes via video streaming technology.

What was only a few weeks ago laughed away as unworkable is now rightly here as other jurisdictions have shown that social distancing should not mean the end of political scrutiny in the public eye.

In unprecedented times there has been a slew of decisions being made, offences being created, and guidance being issued, updated and reissued. Freedoms have been eroded like no other time since the Occupation.

Guernsey has benefitted greatly from the swift work of a few key politicians, but tomorrow will give a welcome chance to pause and reflect on what has been done and for other members to test and to probe, to ensure that everything is as robust as it should be. It is vital that such far-reaching regulations, that have stopped much of life and the economy in its tracks, are scrutinised.

This virtual States is also going to decide just how long it should remain in power for, with Policy & Resources favouring a general election delay of a year to June 2021 to give everyone certainty and so as to not overload the public service apparatus in the time of crisis.

Decision-makers will be well aware that there is likely to be a tension in the coming months to find a path out of a lockdown as the social, health and economic costs add up. Every jurisdiction is weighing up the options - some like New Zealand that took more draconian action quickly are now looking at lifting restrictions.

This will be one of the hardest paths to tread, as yet there are no clear answers or consensus to manage the return to whatever will amount to normality while keeping a lid on any second wave of the virus. Throw into that steering the economy and public finances onto the right path, and the election question quickly becomes how much change can the system cope with without it becoming detrimental?