Of policies and personalities
Galvanising the silent majority on Jersey who choose not to cast their votes
Jersey now has four ‘official’ political parties. Do not hold your breath, as more are likely to appear out of the woodwork in the coming weeks. Social media is already awash with ideological arguments as each vies for attention. All seem to be agreed (why would they not be!) that political parties are the future and will prove a winner in engaging the voting public. But will they, really?
Only 43% of those eligible bothered to turn out in 2018. So why should the disenfranchised, the cynical and /or the apathetic bother raising an eyebrow this time around? To hear the same old jargon, rhetoric and false promises that have been peddled so many times before? ‘We need to do something about…’ But ‘they’ never ‘do’.
The arrogance of some, and their ignorance, shows a distinct lack of empathy with the voters they are trying to attract. Do they really expect people to get out of their armchairs or press pause on their computer game to go out and vote for characters they have never met?
I am not a betting man, but I will wager that the candidates that garner most votes in their constituency will still be the ones that have spent the last four years or more working tirelessly within their community, sorting out local issues. Not some geezer that turns up at the front door, uninvited, at election time, but someone that has resolved those local, niggling bugbears. If they do not already have a high profile in their community, potential candidates are wasting their time.
Building back local has to be high on any agenda. As the red wall crumbled in the UK elections, Preston stayed firm. On the other side of the Pennines, the Conservatives turned round a large Labour majority in Hull. Both used similar tactics. They created a local infrastructure, providing jobs for locals, supporting, and encouraging local businesses and linking in with education locally to provide the workforce. The victory of the Lib-Dem candidate, Sarah Green, in Chesham and Amersham, in Tory heartland, was more about personality than policy. She, too, had worked tirelessly, resolving local issues.
All the new parties seem only to have a handful of candidates. The impact of that party in government is going to be minimal. Unless a party can field a candidate in all/most wards, and more, what is the point of voting for them? It has been a badly kept secret that there has been a political party in all but name in control of the present government. Now that they have ‘come out of the woods’ and declared their affiliations, islanders will realise that what has been played out in government in recent times has been little more than political manoeuvring aimed at getting preferred candidates into key positions and establishing their own agenda before the needs of the public. Its callous cronyism at its worst. They hold a slim majority, repeatedly winning the day over more socially conscious independents. In essence the Connétables are also a political party, tending to vote as a block. They are invariably returned unopposed because they are seen by most in their parishes as pillars of the community. Only a fool would try and stand against them.
We do not have a populist party, yet, although the ‘Common Sense Party’ suggested by Ted Vibert is testing the waters (no women or people under fifty need apply btw). Nor do we have a personality to galvanise the populous. Somebody that actually resonates with the ‘ordinary’ folk. (Maybe Ted believes that he is the man). Satirical, serious, or senile, TV will garner votes if he stands. Not sure other candidates will flock to his flag of convenience mind you. Policies not personalities! Can you think of any in the chamber that ooze charisma? All voters see are pale, male and stale. Suits, that would not raise interest if they ran naked through the streets of St Helier.
Populism is defined as ‘a political approach that strives to appeal to ‘ordinary’ people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups’. I think most of us can identify ourselves as ‘ordinary’ when couched in these terms, especially after what the island has been through in recent times. And what is more elite than a self-aggrandised team calling themselves the ‘Competent Authority Minsters’? The battle lines are drawn. It IS us versus them. There can be no middle ground. Populist issues are likely to be housing and rents, the hospital debacle, immigration control and wages, not necessarily in that order. All are resolvable. Resorting to political mud slinging will turn away potential voters.
Where populists succeed and others fail is in getting the message to the ‘ordinary’ folk and energising them, enough for them to come out and vote. Talk taxation at your peril. It is a turn-off. How the books are cooked we do not want to know. Fiscal stimuli, economic growth, cost of living (yawn). The ‘real’ Jersey public are discerning enough to know that fancy talk is designed to lead them up the garden path. The present cohort signed up to ‘five-pledges’ and have kept none of them. Weasel words are not to be trusted, so many choose not to vote at all. Potential candidates tell it like it is. Be honest. A party can play fair and suggest ‘a fairer tax system’ or it can go for the jugular with bold statements like ‘tax the rich’ or ‘£10 a week extra in your pocket’. But then we go back to the point that all this is empty rhetoric without having a majority in the States chamber.
The government is there for the taking. Mainly as a consequence of the mis-handling of the pandemic, the ‘Alliance Party’ have alienated almost all of those in their employ. I doubt many teachers, nurses, doctors, social workers, care workers etc will vote for those that are in charge at the moment, but will they bother to turn out at all? The same is true of those in hospitality and those that have lost their jobs. The list is a long one. All are potential voters
In the 2018 election only 32% of 16–34-year-olds voted. Why would they bother this time around after the way they have been treated? Left to the vagaries of covid, mental health in tatters, careers stymied, cannot afford to rent a house, never mind buy one! More reason to vote this time around. Logically yes, but who is going to reach out to them? And how?
The Alliance Party could never be described as populist. They are not even popular. At least voters will know what they will get if they do give them their precious vote. Their modus operandi is one of secrecy, poor communication, stifling debate, delaying critical reports and, of course, they are adept in ‘The Jersey Way’, ignoring criticism, anticipating that it will wither on the vine. Yet, unless things change, they, or their ilk, are likely to get in for another four years. They are reliant on the fact that few will turn out to vote. Their supporters are in a minority, but they are loyal, and they WILL come out in force and vote. Populist issues do not affect this voting minority’s quality of life. The opposition can form as many new parties as they like but nothing will change unless they mobilise the non-voting public. The silent majority choose not to cast their votes. Solve that conundrum and they have a chance.
