Election Bribes?
One of the great things about being a Minister is that you can always bribe the electorate, or is that just me being cynical.
It does strike me as remarkable that over years of inaction, suddenly as the elections come around, matters that – we are told – have been in the pipeline have just come to fruition.
So Alan Maclean is giving better student grants now, rather than last year or the year before when there was no indication that any kind of rethink was taking place. He cannot guarantee how long the new system will last, which is not surprising as it has already been cut back a bit after Reform questioned how it was to be funded. Of course education is important, but isn’t it remarkable that this should just have come to the forefront now?
Lyndon Farnham meanwhile is waxing lyrical about getting an inter-island ferry, and a lot of statistics come from him about how good it will be for tourism. Those probably don’t really stand up to scrutiny, but they are intended more to instil a feel good confidence that the Minister has been responsible for boosting tourism. He has even, dangerously, said that a new deal will be forthcoming with Ports of Jersey on the Jersey Aircraft Registry, but there he may come a cropper, in which case he will probably pass it back to poor Murray Norton to make a statement.
Susie Pinel, meantime, has come up with a good deal for new mums – better maternity provisions. Cleverly this is something which the employers fund, while she gets the votes. That’s a very clever deal, but isn’t that amazing that it only came to fruition after being worked at so invisibly it was not even on the radar – when an election looms.
Of course, politicians using their office to bring forward projects just at election time is nothing new, and goes on all the time across the world. They always protest that it is just a coincidence! So is rolling two sixes on a pair of dice five times – it is within the bounds of chance, but the more times you see it, the more you ask: are those dice loaded?
A Period of Sensitivity
In the UK, the Cabinet Office imposes a “period of sensitivity” or “Purdah” before elections. This is a period of roughly six weeks in which Government Departments are not allowed to communicate with members of the public about any new or controversial Government initiatives (such as modernisation initiatives, and administrative and legislative changes).
During a general election Ministers remain in office and in charge of their departments but it is customary for them to observe discretion in announcing initiatives that are new or of a long-term character in their capacity as a minister.
I hope that Jersey follows the same custom here.
Election Time Lag
One thing I do wish would happen, however, is when nominations are made at Parish Halls officially, that Jersey followed the lead of the UK and many other Parliaments.
When the election takes place, each individual MP assumes office immediately upon the declaration by the local returning officer. The situation in Jersey by which the old States can continue operating until the new States are sworn in does not happen. In the past, this has been extended up to six weeks (when a budget debate took place), and this does no good for democracy.
Jersey should follow the UK’s lead in that after an election, those voted out are out, and even while awaiting swearing in at the first States sitting, those newly elected represent those who voted for them.
One of the great things about being a Minister is that you can always bribe the electorate, or is that just me being cynical.
It does strike me as remarkable that over years of inaction, suddenly as the elections come around, matters that – we are told – have been in the pipeline have just come to fruition.
So Alan Maclean is giving better student grants now, rather than last year or the year before when there was no indication that any kind of rethink was taking place. He cannot guarantee how long the new system will last, which is not surprising as it has already been cut back a bit after Reform questioned how it was to be funded. Of course education is important, but isn’t it remarkable that this should just have come to the forefront now?
Lyndon Farnham meanwhile is waxing lyrical about getting an inter-island ferry, and a lot of statistics come from him about how good it will be for tourism. Those probably don’t really stand up to scrutiny, but they are intended more to instil a feel good confidence that the Minister has been responsible for boosting tourism. He has even, dangerously, said that a new deal will be forthcoming with Ports of Jersey on the Jersey Aircraft Registry, but there he may come a cropper, in which case he will probably pass it back to poor Murray Norton to make a statement.
Susie Pinel, meantime, has come up with a good deal for new mums – better maternity provisions. Cleverly this is something which the employers fund, while she gets the votes. That’s a very clever deal, but isn’t that amazing that it only came to fruition after being worked at so invisibly it was not even on the radar – when an election looms.
Of course, politicians using their office to bring forward projects just at election time is nothing new, and goes on all the time across the world. They always protest that it is just a coincidence! So is rolling two sixes on a pair of dice five times – it is within the bounds of chance, but the more times you see it, the more you ask: are those dice loaded?
A Period of Sensitivity
In the UK, the Cabinet Office imposes a “period of sensitivity” or “Purdah” before elections. This is a period of roughly six weeks in which Government Departments are not allowed to communicate with members of the public about any new or controversial Government initiatives (such as modernisation initiatives, and administrative and legislative changes).
During a general election Ministers remain in office and in charge of their departments but it is customary for them to observe discretion in announcing initiatives that are new or of a long-term character in their capacity as a minister.
I hope that Jersey follows the same custom here.
Election Time Lag
One thing I do wish would happen, however, is when nominations are made at Parish Halls officially, that Jersey followed the lead of the UK and many other Parliaments.
When the election takes place, each individual MP assumes office immediately upon the declaration by the local returning officer. The situation in Jersey by which the old States can continue operating until the new States are sworn in does not happen. In the past, this has been extended up to six weeks (when a budget debate took place), and this does no good for democracy.
Jersey should follow the UK’s lead in that after an election, those voted out are out, and even while awaiting swearing in at the first States sitting, those newly elected represent those who voted for them.
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