The party did not end with the election

There will be little appetite for a return to a district system from members of the new States. After all, they successfully navigated island-wide voting to win their seats.

Island-wide voting took the heads of committee presidents and backbenchers, delivered plenty of fresh faces and pushed one new name near to the top of the polls. It saw strong backing for popular incumbents and, in essence, it did everything district and parish voting had done before.

Plus ca change, you might say.

While it might make scant difference to the composition of the States – bar fewer female deputies – it did to the campaign.

Most people do not follow the intricate machinations of the Assembly over four years. They tune in at election time, for the big decisions, and go about their lives in blissful ignorance that some members spent hours on important fine detail.

They have little time for members who work diligently behind the scenes for the good of the island and have no profile.

Island-wide voting has also brought parties, but now the role as an election vote-winning machine is over there is no clear indication of how they are going to operate over the next four years.

Will they exist to become a vehicle for non-elected members, rejected by voters this time round, to stay involved and help drive policy change, will they become a beacon for more deputies to flock around and join to create powerful voting blocks?

Whereas their forebears – Charter 2018, the Islanders Association and the 2020 Association – had no electoral legitimacy and little hope of longevity, both the Guernsey Party and the Guernsey Partnership of Independents do have to show the electorate that they can operate successfully or face damaging their reputations and those associated with them.

The election night annihilation of the Alliance Party has shown everyone how it is not done in a campaign, but can the others now show how parties can work in government.