No reason why States has to have 38 deputies

THIS is not written with any cynicism nor criticism of recent States decisions. Neither does it relate directly to an ongoing decision which could result in a reduction in the number of deputies. Most probably there will be a reduction in the number of deputies in the current house through illness, incapacity or other reasons in the next four years. Democracy has a multitude of forms. The number of elected persons in the government representing the people of our island has varied over the years, be they titled deputy, conseiller or douzaine representative. There is nothing special about the number, 38 deputies. The new ‘now’ is that all the deputies represent the people of the whole island, not a parish or district. Until now by-elections were needed to ensure equal parish or district representation. Practically there is the need for the total number of deputies to be sufficient to fulfil the membership requirements of all States committees. Currently two elected deputies do not have a committee role.