Island-wide voting is stuck in perpetual motion so give the public what it wants

And here we are again with another bid to introduce the system - this time via a Deputy Mike Hadley led requete.

In that time none of the arguments for or against it have changed.

Yes, it is clearly something the public wants.

Every time there is any kind of survey done it comes out as a popular choice.

And it is also something the majority in this Assembly have already voiced some kind of support for when they were running for office back in 2012.

Most of the douzaines still remain opposed, still fearful of the implications.

In February 2011 it took the States five hours of debate to rule out two options for introducing an island-wide system in time for the General Election.

It did so quite convincingly.

Then the options were electing all 45 deputies island-wide, or 10 island-wide and 35 by district.

It was about two to one against in both votes.

Different factions often fail to unify behind one preferred system. Why? Because the options always have too many downsides.

Of course island-wide voting could work.

It could work if there were significantly less States members, so the public is not faced with trying to digest and make an informed choice out of 85 candidates.

But that it not on the table at the moment.

It could also work if there was party politics in Guernsey - and we are a long way for that.

With a party, members would have to sign up to a clear manifesto that would tell the electorate what they stood for and what policies they would introduce if in power.

But we are left with the current system, campaign literature that is not worth the paper it is written on, candidates cannot really pledge to do anything because they cannot guarantee a majority.

People will vote on a feeling for the candidate, based on their personality, and more likely or not the voting has become more about who you do not want in than who you do - people picking the least worst option.

All the arguments about how the count would happen, where votes would be taken, how you can arrange a hustings, the in-built advantage sitting deputies would have because of their profile, remain.

All of course can be overcome, but never in a way that will please all the people.

The requete faces an uphill battle because of its timing.

Instead of waiting to find out in July what restructuring of the system of government could happen as part of the investigations already underway into that, Deputy Hadley has ploughed on to force the vote now.

That means not only will those people opposed to island-wide voting not support his requete, he has also lost the votes of those that think we are in cart and horse territory here.

They may support it, but only if there is executive government, or less States members.

And the requete will also not be attractive to those that support a hybrid system.

There have been plenty of suggestions to overcome the headache of electing 45 from twice that amount.

Take electing the chief minister island-wide, for example, but again that really comes to play with an executive model.

Or splitting the election into two, half the Assembly elected every two years.

There is a cost element to the different systems too.

Back when the States Assembly and Constitution Committee put forward the 45 all at once option, it stated that it would cost up to £545,000 to run that election - this compared to the 2008 election with set the island back just £71,306.

Interestingly, it stated that reducing the number of States members by 10 would save almost £300,000 a year.

So what the requete calls for is an expensive, complicated system, that has no guarantees that it will create a better set of candidates or States members and with it a better government.

If only members spent the same amount of time and brain power trying to encourage the most capable people of standing as they did pontificating over different methods of elections.

So stuck in perpetual motion is this debate island-wide elections should just become a standing item on the agenda for the first States meeting after the new Assembly is elected.

The fact that Sacc's response to the Hadley requete was just to republish its 2011 report and the minority report attached to it says it all.

Nothing has changed except the date and the faces in power.

But perhaps it is time for all theorising and posturing to be over - and there is only one way for that to happen.

Give the public what it wants, actually run an island-wide election for 45 candidates and see if it works, see if for all the obvious flaws the upside is a more engaged public and one that feels its voice it being heard.

Maybe the nuclear option comes into play here - after all, however the election happens there will still be 45 people elected and the business of government can carry on for another four years.