An individual who garnered more votes than any other politician at the last election, coming top of the Island wide Senatorial mandate has been removed from office. It is perhaps hardly surprising that there is a poor electoral turnout, for as Chesterton noted long ago, representative democracy can easily become a farce, where the representatives take little or no cognisance of those voting them in.
Of course the States can do this, and Frank Walker made his case clear, although the argument that the manner in which Syvret raised child care matters was separate from the matters themselves must surely stand as one of the most specious ever raised by a Jersey politician; it is like saying that I don't care what you are saying, I'm judging you on the way you are saying it. The UK Parliament, used to more robust and forceful politicians and outspoken politics would regard this as genteel and quaint, and certainly not a little disturbing as far as free speech is concerned. Contacting the national media as bringing the Island into disprepute also smacks of a cosy club, where any kind of whistleblowing is frowned on, and is also false - if Walker had bothered to read the UK article which was picked up by other papers, he will see they contacted him, expecting a typical political brush-off.
Health Minister is sacked
Tuesday September 11th - 18:45: Jersey's Health Minister has been sacked by his colleagues.
In a dramatic end to Tuesday's debate - States members voted 35 to 15 in favour of sacking Senator Syvret.
The Island's Chief Minister described it as "the worst day of any of my seventeen years in politics".
It's certainly been the biggest debate of the ministerial era and on the whole it's been well ordered and civil - which is all the more remarkable as one of the biggest hitters in Jersey politics fought for his career.
Health Minister Stuart Syvret has faced up to his accusers today as the States debated a vote of no confidence in his behaviour. The case against Senator Syvret was brought by Senator Frank Walker, who started the debate with a sure footed and clinical speech.
We begin with the arguments for dismissing the Island's health minister...
The Island's Chief Minister stressed it wasn't about child protection as such, but rather how Senator Syvret has gone about expressing his concerns. In Frank Walker's words, "so vigorously and in such a defamatory way". He said it began when Stuart Syvret answered a question in the States on the 16th July in which he made accusations about staff involved in child protection. He said if it had ended there it could have been resolved. But it didn't, not by a long way.
He went on to refer to an email written to a manager at the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service suggesting that a significant number of people employed in the field should be considering their positions, an email Frank Walker said could only be seen as bullying and harassment.
He then went on to berate Syvret for breaking the data protection act twice, for sacking Iris Le Fevre the Chairman of the Jersey Child Protection Committee in a 13 page letter in which Frank Walker said there was no supportable evidence for her dismissal and acting against the advise of his own chief officer.
Attacks on staff in his own department, he said, were driving them away and making it harder to fill their positions. Syvret had contacted the national media bringing the island in to disrepute, and Syvret had said he wanted to sack staff within his own department despite, he claimed, no evidence of any child who was not receiving adequate service from his department. He said he had defended him in the past and closed with this comment.
Now let's take a look at the case for the defence...
Senator Stuart Syvret arrived at the States this morning for one of the biggest showdowns in States history. The first ever minister to face a dismissal vote, his opinion of the whole affair was pretty clear. "This is all a bit OTT," he said. Senator Stuart Syvret's been in politics for 17 years. Now the man who's put children's services at the centre of the States agenda has this afternoon battled to save his ministerial career.
Senator Syvret said: "The reason I got so annoyed about this was based on two things essentially. One was a child protection case which was reported extensively in the media at the time. And it's absolutely clear that the Greenfields grand prix regime was harmful, neglectful and abusive to children."
He played the emotional card: "If members vote to remove me from Health Minister I would be sad to depart from Health. But I would comfort myself greatly with the thought that none of this would be happening unless a real shock to the system had occurred. And the events of the past couple of months have certainly done that."
But he ended in the same tone as he began. Senator Stuart Syvret certainly gave as good as got.
Tuesday September 11th - 18:45: Jersey's Health Minister has been sacked by his colleagues.
In a dramatic end to Tuesday's debate - States members voted 35 to 15 in favour of sacking Senator Syvret.
The Island's Chief Minister described it as "the worst day of any of my seventeen years in politics".
It's certainly been the biggest debate of the ministerial era and on the whole it's been well ordered and civil - which is all the more remarkable as one of the biggest hitters in Jersey politics fought for his career.
Health Minister Stuart Syvret has faced up to his accusers today as the States debated a vote of no confidence in his behaviour. The case against Senator Syvret was brought by Senator Frank Walker, who started the debate with a sure footed and clinical speech.
We begin with the arguments for dismissing the Island's health minister...
The Island's Chief Minister stressed it wasn't about child protection as such, but rather how Senator Syvret has gone about expressing his concerns. In Frank Walker's words, "so vigorously and in such a defamatory way". He said it began when Stuart Syvret answered a question in the States on the 16th July in which he made accusations about staff involved in child protection. He said if it had ended there it could have been resolved. But it didn't, not by a long way.
He went on to refer to an email written to a manager at the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service suggesting that a significant number of people employed in the field should be considering their positions, an email Frank Walker said could only be seen as bullying and harassment.
He then went on to berate Syvret for breaking the data protection act twice, for sacking Iris Le Fevre the Chairman of the Jersey Child Protection Committee in a 13 page letter in which Frank Walker said there was no supportable evidence for her dismissal and acting against the advise of his own chief officer.
Attacks on staff in his own department, he said, were driving them away and making it harder to fill their positions. Syvret had contacted the national media bringing the island in to disrepute, and Syvret had said he wanted to sack staff within his own department despite, he claimed, no evidence of any child who was not receiving adequate service from his department. He said he had defended him in the past and closed with this comment.
Now let's take a look at the case for the defence...
Senator Stuart Syvret arrived at the States this morning for one of the biggest showdowns in States history. The first ever minister to face a dismissal vote, his opinion of the whole affair was pretty clear. "This is all a bit OTT," he said. Senator Stuart Syvret's been in politics for 17 years. Now the man who's put children's services at the centre of the States agenda has this afternoon battled to save his ministerial career.
Senator Syvret said: "The reason I got so annoyed about this was based on two things essentially. One was a child protection case which was reported extensively in the media at the time. And it's absolutely clear that the Greenfields grand prix regime was harmful, neglectful and abusive to children."
He played the emotional card: "If members vote to remove me from Health Minister I would be sad to depart from Health. But I would comfort myself greatly with the thought that none of this would be happening unless a real shock to the system had occurred. And the events of the past couple of months have certainly done that."
But he ended in the same tone as he began. Senator Stuart Syvret certainly gave as good as got.
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