It doesn't have to be this way

But that's probably to do with what we think Deputy Soulsby’s resignation says about the state of our ‘consensus’ politics.

The most striking comment heard or read yesterday was ‘it doesn’t have to be this way’. A line heard more than once.

When senior States members say that they and their achievements are misrepresented by the media, they forget that the most prolonged and direct exposure that most islanders would get to experience of the government they voted for two years ago would be by listening to live States debates.

States debates have always been uncomfortable listening. Just as with Parliament in the UK, few would be genuinely interested.

But now these sessions regularly feature personal attacks in debate, and calculated interventions from guillotine motions and ‘give way’ interruptions, which are enough to make long-term listeners squirm and long for days of respect in politics, both given and earned.

If the voters ‘don’t understand’ their politicians and their achievements, one can suspect its largely because they are camouflaged by toxic behaviours. They call out the media, but it’s entirely brought upon themselves.

It doesn’t have to be this way. But for some reason it is, and Deputy Soulsby's resignation is unlikely to change it.