Island's future needs vision and action
THE clarity offered by Deputy Gavin St Pier in launching a new and ‘proper’ political party this week could ultimately be helpful to islanders’ understanding of local politics.
Future Guernsey will be a policy-based party, its founder says, different from his previous grouping, the Partnership of Independents. How popular it will prove, among politicians or the public, remains to be seen.
Some will still argue there’s a disconnect between the results of the 2020 general election and the government we have today – Deputy St Pier topping the poll but out in the far reaches, instead acting as unofficial opposition to the ruling ‘regime’.
That said, the mission of and enthusiasm for ‘action this day’, plus government economies, from the current leadership is what many voters are really looking for – whether delivered as yet or not.
Deputy St Pier offers further clarity by hinting he will happily upgrade his opposition role to being very much official. Such a focus might well move to deputies playing the policy ‘ball’ rather than the ‘man’ in conducting an important scrutiny role.
Any allure offered by Future Guernsey, however, links neatly – and it’s worth highlighting again – to the parting shot from the Lt-Governor about horizon scanning and what constitutes ‘good’ for Guernsey throughout the 2020s and beyond.
Deputy St Pier knocks the current administration for being ‘passionless and visionless, anchored in reacting to the present rather than building towards Guernsey’s future needs’.
This criticism is far from unique. Guernsey has had other recent leaders whose commitment was far greater to today’s agenda rather than tomorrow’s. Admittedly, many islanders have sympathy with that. Their view is there are enough problems which need addressing today – housing, for instance – without obsessing about tomorrow.
The salient point here, however, is Deputy St Pier's enthusiasm (which others will share) to ensure that the island is a place that Guernsey’s younger generations want – and can afford – to stay in and help to secure the future of this Bailiwick.
Again, as the Lt-Governor reminded us, the pressing need is for island leaders to agree on how best to achieve that.