Personality politics destroying our democracy
THE government of a democratic community is not an easy task and it is further complicated in Guernsey by the fact that the States of Guernsey combines the functions of national and local government. So, dubbing any States as ‘the worst ever States’ is nonsense because how can we tell? How can we judge the performance of any States when we have no way of fully understanding the context within which it operated? How can we compare the performance of the States that had to deal with the First World War against that which steered the island through the Great Depression or Nazi Occupation or, for that matter, the recent years of boom and bust? However, one thing that should concern us all is the recent behaviour of some individual deputies.
Successful democracies are usually mature democracies, where the practices and conduct of elected representatives have evolved over time by a process of honing behaviours through experience until there is a general agreement as to what is acceptable and what is not.
Debate in a parliamentary chamber can be rigorous and frequently heated, but once any proposition is settled and a decision made, representatives resume normal courtesies. In Britain we have little written down to determine our constitution, but issues that have been mutually accepted over the course of time will prevail by a process, sometimes known as custom and practice, where if an agreement continues unchallenged for a period of time it will be recognised in law.
I have served as a public servant under numerous States for many years and with many different States members but I’ve recently encountered behaviours that I have never experienced before, which have horrified me and led me to wonder if the democracy we have known for decades can continue. It seems that the virus of the personality cult, associated with Donald Trump and some others in Europe and Britain, is leading us down a track towards autocracy, a popularist form of government that caused the disasters of the 20th century. And this virus seems to have infected some in Guernsey.
You might consider this over-dramatic and extreme, but let’s consider some recent occurrences. We have the head of one department refusing to recognise two separate and independent reports by highly qualified and experienced professionals; the type of reports used for decades to evaluate the performance of government services. Then we have the case of the deputy who persists in seeking information about the appointment of a senior public servant when the law officers advise against any such revelations, when only a week or two earlier the States had voted heavily against political involvement in the appointment of civil servants; a recognition that one of the major bastions of a democratic state is a totally independent civil service. The final calumny in this sad affair was accusing members of another committee of cowardice for taking sound legal advice, which would have been totally unacceptable at any time in my service.
Yet another deputy seems about to attempt the reversal of decisions already taken by the States and confirmed at a later meeting to end selection in our schools at age 11 and to reorganise secondary education on a two-school model. Responding to criticisms of earlier tardiness this ESC has sprung into action, having decided after extensive consultation the sites of the two schools/colleges, their names and even the uniforms. Head teachers have been nominated and parents have the information they need for the moment, with more to follow as it becomes available. If the States decided to reverse this progress, our education system will fall into chaos and it will be our children and young people who will suffer the consequences of personality politics. Actions for breach of contract could be brought against the States by those already appointed to specific roles. Changing direction at this stage could be catastrophic and damage recruitment of high-quality staff for a considerable time. The quality of education and examination results could be expected to slump for those already in the system. If such a thing should happen, the will of the people as expressed by their elected representatives would be sublimated to the will of a single deputy and would end democracy in Guernsey.
Let us all hope that the will of the majority, once expressed, is resistant to the will of any single deputy, however emotive their arguments. Once politicians have resolved major areas of policy in the House, they have done their job and with the exception of members of the committee concerned, in this case ESC, their involvement should end. The people who have devoted their careers and most their lives to delivering the service should be allowed and trusted to get on with their job.
DICK TAYLOR
Address withheld.