As queues of potential deputies form at the Royal Court House, prepared to do their bit for the island, we should take a moment to thank them.
It surely can’t be credible that anybody has ever stood for public office, wanting to make life worse for islanders.
They may have held curious views on how life could be made better, or exhibit strange behaviours in trying to get where they wanted the island to be, but everybody standing for government wants to do better for all.
And while there is a degree of kudos which comes with the job, there is plenty of opprobrium too, coming from all quarters, from political colleagues to the harsh and often anonymous tongues of anti-social media.
Meanwhile, you should know that every penny that the successful candidates get paid will be resented by the social mob.
Being a deputy must, at times, feel like the impossible job. And yet, for some reason, dozens of people are prepared to do it, to risk the elation of election success with the pain, possibly even shame, of rejection by the electorate.
We may not agree with everything they say and everything that they do, but those who are prepared to put their names forward and make elections a worthwhile democratic exercise do deserve our thanks for at least giving it a go.
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