Nick Le Cornu on electoral reform in Jersey 2011 to 2019

Here are 4 video interviews with Nick Le Cornu discussing electoral reform in Jersey and related matters from 2011 to 2019.

You might like to view these over a period of time and consider how many others have consistently campaigned on these matters  over so many years?

 

The first video below deals with Nick's most recent research on election procedures in the 2018 General Election which reveal that many of our elected representatives may not have followed  the law so far as making election expenses returns are concerned and are liable to lose their seats and be fined  for this failure according to the law.

 

2019

 

The second video below features Nick in discussion with Sam Mezec on the day that Deputies Shona and Trevor Pitman were declared bankrupt and so were disqualified from being States members - it was also the day that former Senator Stuart Syvret was released from prison.
Nick and Sam Mezec successfully stood for election in the seats vacated by the Deputies Pitman.
                                                                 2014   

The third video below shows Nick explaining about the attempts to reform the electoral process and the composition of the States including the hi-jacking of the Electoral Commission so that it ceased to be an independent body.
                                                                 
                                                                  2012

The fourth video below shows Nick explaining about the election re-count that was instigated by Paul Le Claire - to which Nick became a supporting party - and deals with various aspects of election procedures which have largely not been addressed yet.
                     
                                                                   2011

Serious debate and discussion in Jersey about the issues that really matter is very difficult to organise or stimulate.
There are far too many in Jersey who express instant opinions on any subject without doing the necessary research or considering what others have to say.
Very few will watch these videos but they are offered here for the benefit of those who might be interested.
If anybody would like to record a response to the views expressed or to record a video on other matters - please make contact.

Guernsey - Election Day 27 April 2016....is it really any different from Jersey?

The following are interviews etc recorded on Guernsey Election Day 2016.
My thanks to all who co-operated;

Guernsey CM Jonathan Le Tocq returned with 1,342 votes in Castel Parish. He says he will now seek the job of "Foreign Minister" similar to that for Jersey
Part One above and Part Two below;

Russell Le Conte below was not elected in Castel and received 241 votes;

Caroline McManus below was supported by UNITE the Union and received 765 votes in St Peter Port North but was not elected - Part One;

Caroline McManus Part Two below;

Bob Lanning of UNITE the Union interviewed in 2 parts - Part One below;

Bob Lanning of UNITE - Part Two below;

3 Guernsey voters below from about 30,000 who were registered;

Some collapsed Guernsey glass - a sign of a collapsing agri-sector? - below;

 

William Le Marchant - the former autocratic smuggling Bailiff from the 18th century -

gone but not forgotten (below) ;

 

Constable Murphy of Grouville - some of his views...

Part one video is about 4 minutes - Part two about 22 minutes.

Constable Dan Murphy of Grouville

In this two part interview (the unexpected ‘phone call being the cause for a break) Dan Murphy aka “Spud” joins the discussion on the role of Constables and other things.

An “Old Victorian”, born in Jersey during the war, he tried to become a Deputy in 1993/4 when Imogen “Vera Lynn” Nicholls was elected. So he has primarily served as Constable in a Parish (population about 4,500) which quite often returns candidates unopposed.

Especially interesting here is that Dan is against the States’ purchase of Plemont and the obvious question is whether most of the other Constables will take a similar stance in the Chamber?

Presumably if a majority of the Constables vote one way or the other then they will be accused of being a “party” with a block vote.

Constable Murphy is clearly not too keen on being mandated by his Parishioners – so he will have to defy them if they did call a Parish meeting and express a view in favour of States’ acquisition. What might happen in other Parishes?

In fact, the only Parish really affected by the Plemont issue is St Ouen but it has now been made an “all Island issue”. So it will be especially interesting to see how the various factions within and outside the States play their cards.

Conservatives and ecologists are an unstable alliance at the best of times but with Senator Bailhache carrying the flag for acquisition some of the more progressive elements will have difficult choices to make!

Also revealing is Constable Murphy’s desire to build more affordable housing in his Parish. Of course, he wants to house people – but the underlying agenda is the need to have more suitable young candidates for the Parish Honorary service – currently seriously understaffed.

The traditional farming community is no longer available in Grouville to call upon and similar concerns have been expressed in other “country” Parishes too. Bearing in mind that there used to be 1,100 dairy farms in Jersey after the war and there are now only 26 (and even this number is likely to reduce rapidly soon), the “traditional Jersey future” looks bleak.

The more so since the population has increased from 50,000 to 100,000 over the same period and our leaders are already contemplating 140,000.

Yet although Dan Murphy wants more houses in his Parish – he still want to control their allocation and it seems that Housing Minister Green has already agreed to an opt-out from the common “Gateway” system…

Clearly the whole new housing strategy will be torpedoed even before launching if other Parishes and Housing Trusts are able to allocate “social” houses according to their own priorities and whims…

Thanks to Constable Murphy for his time and sorry if the image gets a bit dark towards the end.

If any other Constables would like to be video-interviewed in this series, please make contact.