Referendum is chance to make those with power answerable to the people

We need States members to carry out two main duties. One is to give political leadership to the departments that provide all the public services and the other is to make sure that the States takes decisions that have the support of the people.

There may be a few, special candidates who are able to do both of these jobs equally well but they will be rare. To expect all 38 deputies to be both able to oversee departments spending many millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money and to keep in touch with our views from the day they first enter the States may be asking too much of them.

Most people inside and outside of the States would surely agree that deputies elected by the whole island have a stronger mandate than those serving one district and that they should therefore take the senior positions in government.

Option C (10 votes for island-wide deputies and 3-5 votes for district deputies) gives us the chance to choose who will run the island and, just as importantly, who will scrutinise their work, ask the questions we want answered and ensure that decisions are taken for the good of us all.

Option C would also allow potential politicians to enter the States at a level they would find less daunting. One would hope and expect that some district deputies would, while scrutinising the work of States departments and serving as junior members of committees, gain the knowledge and skills that would give them the confidence to seek election later to one of the senior posts.

If we choose any of the other options we will throw away the chance to make sure that we are governed by people we trust and instead we will allow these posts to be filled by back-room deals between deputies.

What could be better than Option C?

Simply Option C but with each of the 10 island-wide deputies being elected to a particular senior post within the government.

This could give Guernsey a political system that would be the envy of other countries.

This may be a natural development of Option C.

I would urge islanders who want our government to be more democratic and accountable to the voters to make Option C their preferred choice in the referendum.

BARRIE PAIGE,

GY6 8BP.