Island-wide vote for 'ministers'
IT WAS suggested in the Guernsey Press that the preferred option for the future voting system in the island is for there to be four electoral districts. If so, that sounds like a compromise drawn up by a committee trying to please everyone without having a clear idea what the members were trying to achieve. States members have two major functions to perform. One is to lead and take responsibility for departments with hundreds of staff members and annual budgets of millions of pounds. The second function is to represent islanders and ensure that legislation and government actions have the support of the people. While there may be candidates able to perform both functions equally well, it seems unlikely that a small population could provide enough of these to guarantee an adequate supply for the States but there will be many more who could do one job or the other, but not both.
It would therefore seem sensible to have separate elections for those whom the electorate trust to control large States departments and those who can speak for them in the House.
I have previously suggested that, since the work of States departments affects us all, the electorate of the whole island should elect the presidents/ministers/conseillers who will head each department. Deputies to represent us could then be elected at separate parish-based elections.
Direct elections of 'ministers' who had been nominated by other States members to individual posts would much improve accountability and parish-based election of deputies would keep politicians close to their electorate.
BARRIE PAIGE,
La Haute Maison,
GY6 8BP.
