I think that what is important in making criticisms such as Sam does is, first and foremost, to get the facts right. Unfortunately we live in an age where people are inclined to rattle off stuff without doing their homework - I will be posting later this week on the real risks of radon as opposed to the more scaremongering stories doing the rounds.
Part of the problem is that a half-truth can often be accepted as the whole truth, but a half-truth can give a very misleading impression. Here are some facts against the misinformation given by Sam.
The Truth About the Parish System
by Adam Gardiner
https://sammezec.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-parish-system-what-democracy.html
Unfortunately Sam Mezec in his recent blog has got a number of things totally wrong. Quotes from his argument which need correcting:
1.”The States recently debated P.89/2013 which was brought forward by the Comité des Connétables to change the law to reduce polling hours in elections for Procureur de Bien Public from 8am-8pm to 12pm-8pm.”
by Adam Gardiner
https://sammezec.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-parish-system-what-democracy.html
Unfortunately Sam Mezec in his recent blog has got a number of things totally wrong. Quotes from his argument which need correcting:
1.”The States recently debated P.89/2013 which was brought forward by the Comité des Connétables to change the law to reduce polling hours in elections for Procureur de Bien Public from 8am-8pm to 12pm-8pm.”
Not true. The decision to reduce the hours was made by the States in 2003. In the meantime the article has fallen away due to a new amendments...not repealed you will note, but fallen away, so no actual change in the law. The reason then, as it is now, being that such elections are rare and even then the poll minuscule.
Although I might agree that in reducing polling times ignore the usual and accepted democratic principles, elections for ‘parish officials’ requires just as much resource as it does for a general election. It needs to be remembered too that you can prepoll and postal vote for officials in the same way as you can for political positions. https://www.jerseylaw.je/laws/revised/Pages/16.600.aspx
2. “The day before, the Constables brought an amendment to move a proposed referendum from being held on a Saturday to being on a Wednesday instead. Something which was done purely because holding a public vote is a nuisance for the Parishes, irrespective of the obvious fact that a Saturday would be more convenient for the vast majority of the voting population to vote on.”
2. “The day before, the Constables brought an amendment to move a proposed referendum from being held on a Saturday to being on a Wednesday instead. Something which was done purely because holding a public vote is a nuisance for the Parishes, irrespective of the obvious fact that a Saturday would be more convenient for the vast majority of the voting population to vote on.”
Again not true. It was not a ‘nuisance’ to the Parish. It simply boiled down to two things (i) polling officials (voluntary) across the island stated that it would be an inconvenience to THEM and therefore less likely to volunteer, and (ii) the usual polling stations also had to bring in officials on what is otherwise their day off - and they too were reluctant.
Put simply, Saturday polling is impractical. I might add that there is no evidence that polling on a Saturday would produce a higher turnout..it’s simply an assumption.
3. “In 2014, just after the previous election, the Constables brought a proposition to increase the number of people that are required to sign a letter forcing a Parish Assembly on a proposition, from 4 to 10, despite there having not been a single example of Parish Assemblies being called vexatiously.”
3. “In 2014, just after the previous election, the Constables brought a proposition to increase the number of people that are required to sign a letter forcing a Parish Assembly on a proposition, from 4 to 10, despite there having not been a single example of Parish Assemblies being called vexatiously.”
Sam is referring to a requete. While the point is taken, any proposition that forces an assembly on the support of just 4 signatories vexatious or otherwise, is itself not particularly democratic. It leads also to the notion that political candidates may also become eligible on 4 signatures. Chaos would reign if that were to happen.
If a issue is that important and is widely supported a requirement for 10 signatories seems very reasonable to me and brings it into line with other requirements we already accept. (Reform are fine ones to talk about signatories anyway!)
4. “Turn out at Parish Assemblies is very low. At the St Helier Rates Assembly last year, aside from members of the municipality, there were 5 members of the public in attendance. I couldn't tell you how many were there this year, but I bet it was pretty poor too, seeing as the meeting was organised to be held at the same time England were playing in the World Cup Quarter Final (I was watching the match, not at the Town Hall). Would it have been too difficult to just have it on another night? There really is no excuse for this.”
4. “Turn out at Parish Assemblies is very low. At the St Helier Rates Assembly last year, aside from members of the municipality, there were 5 members of the public in attendance. I couldn't tell you how many were there this year, but I bet it was pretty poor too, seeing as the meeting was organised to be held at the same time England were playing in the World Cup Quarter Final (I was watching the match, not at the Town Hall). Would it have been too difficult to just have it on another night? There really is no excuse for this.”
Shows you where SM’s priorities lie! Nonetheless, when the Rates meeting was scheduled there was no means of telling whether England would make it to the Quarter Finals, or whether it would be an afternoon or evening fixture if they did.
The Rate Assembly is in any event a fixed date in most Parish calendars. How unthoughtful of FIFA not to consult with the Parish of St. Helier!
5. “Roads Committees. These committees are the closest things we have to local councils. Their members are elected at a Parish Assembly every 3 years. There is no information whatsoever online about when these elections will next take place. Some Parishes don't even have the names of the people who serve on them on the Parishes website.
5. “Roads Committees. These committees are the closest things we have to local councils. Their members are elected at a Parish Assembly every 3 years. There is no information whatsoever online about when these elections will next take place. Some Parishes don't even have the names of the people who serve on them on the Parishes website.
Wrong. All parish Assembles are advertised in the JEP Gazette (and on the parish website) outlining also the purpose of the Assembly. By the same law that requires a notice in the Gazette a Parish must give minimum notice of 11 clear days. Sam also fails to acknowledge that while elected for 3 years in the interim members may resign or die and thus an election is called and a new ‘acertement’ enacted. Elections can be contested too as happened in St Brelade where Eddie Cuthbert lost his seat!
Just one more point, a quick glance at all parish websites reveals that Roads Committee members are noted on all but one - St. Ouen. "Some parishes" in Sam's statement - if he had bothered to check- should simply be "one parish". Why not simply ask the Constable why that should be?
6. “On 12th September there are due to be elections for Procureurs de Bien Public in each Parish. The nominations are imminent and there is almost nothing at all on vote.je or the Parishes websites about this role and how to become a candidate. At the time of writing, only 5 Parishes have confirmed when the nomination meeting will take place (which they are doing with just a few days notice).
6. “On 12th September there are due to be elections for Procureurs de Bien Public in each Parish. The nominations are imminent and there is almost nothing at all on vote.je or the Parishes websites about this role and how to become a candidate. At the time of writing, only 5 Parishes have confirmed when the nomination meeting will take place (which they are doing with just a few days notice).
Wrong again, and comment above in [5] still apply. And why not on vote.je? Nominations are made on the night - as they are in a general election. It is also the case that they are parish elections not general elections for which vote.je was set up for. Should it also carry all the parish elections? A good point and something SM should take up with Jeremy Macon before making such comments.
7. “I happen to think it's important to have a healthy democratic municipal government system and I want to see it thrive in Jersey. This doesn't make me an enemy of the Parish system, although that is certainly how they will try to tar me for having the sheer nerve to hold them to account.”
Yep, that's (a) your job and (b) SM chose to go into politics and needs to understand that not all agree with him, and (c) debate and consensus is the way to achieve change and is called democracy - whereas peddling misinformation on a website is not!
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