Looks like the party's over
TWO more departures from the Guernsey Party has surely thrown the future of Guernsey party politics not just into doubt, but into an early grave.
For a party which has managed to lose five of its seven political members in just over two years, plus an external chairman, it’s not enjoyed the best of times. Its credibility – dropping ever since the highs of the election – has plummeted, and at the weekend its parliamentary leader refused to comment on the implications of the latest two resignations on the party. We can all guess what it probably means.
What has the Guernsey Party experiment taught us then? First, a positive and a negative for its candidates. As a political newbie, aligning yourself to a popular and populist manifesto is undoubtedly an advantage.
However, once in government, even if ‘new facts emerge’, the ability to dodge that manifesto commitment is much, much harder than it would be for your average independent, whose own commitments won’t be anywhere as well known. We can, and do, check back quickly and easily to confirm that both last week’s departures of course pledged that they were against additional taxation.
Aligning with a party is likely to make the politician more accountable. But in this political climate, that’s maybe not such a popular position to hold.