Election date is proving a distraction

The will-they-won’t-they argument about when to have a General Election is becoming a major distraction to the business of government.

The hand-wringing by States members who know that their time in office should be at an end is occupying too much time and thought.

Those who imagined that it would be easier to just tack another year onto this Assembly’s term of office for the sake of continuity should now accept that was wishful thinking.

The way States members keep being drawn back to this subject for hours of circular discussions is more evidence that deputies like no subject better than themselves.

Given the challenges facing the island in health and economic recovery it is an embarrassing exercise in navel gazing.

It needs to come to an end. The sooner the better.

Safety, of course, must play its part and Public Health advice be taken into account.

But when it is safe enough for all schools to go back on Monday, pubs, shops and restaurants to open and beach parties to be held it is hard to justify ruling out an election in the autumn.

Four months is plenty of time for candidates to get themselves organised and for election officials to put into place all the social distancing necessary.

Arguably, an island-wide election is safer than the usual. Postal voting is much the more sensible option for picking 38 names from a list of 80-plus candidates.

And no one expected the normal hustings to take place in each parish anyway. Covid-19 or not, you cannot have scores of candidates on stage answering the same questions from an audience of thousands.

Nor were candidates going to pound the streets, knocking on every door.

That opens the way for online solutions, radio phone-ins and printed material. If the last few months have proven anything it is the ingenuity of islanders faced with such problems.

Put this issue to bed. Those deputies elected will know the challenges they face and will have a sense of legitimacy and purpose which this Assembly lacks.