Senators Hustings Meeting - St Mary
The election gloves came off at the St Mary Senatorial hustings last night – and ministers took a beating.
The three sitting Senators on the podium had an uncomfortable time as the audience of around 70 applauded attacks on the Council of Ministers.
The 21 candidates continue on the hustings trail in Grouville tonight and then take a break for the weekend until Monday's meeting at St Martin's Public Hall.
Montfort Tadier started the ball rolling last night by castigating the sitting members apart from Deputies Alan Breckon, Peter Troy and Geoff Southern for voting in the new incinerator at La Collette, which he said would pose a serious health risk.
Mike Higgins produced an 'ombudsman law' he had written while working at the Jersey Financial Services Commission in 2003, and which he said had languished on the shelf ever since, and asked why ministers were only now talking about a deposit protection scheme.
When almost all the candidates had expressed their assent for an ombudsman scheme, Deputy Alan Breckon asked why all the sitting States Members on the panel apart from Deputy Geoff Southern had not voted for it.
The attacks forced the minister candidates – Education Minister Mike Vibert, Economic Development Minister Philip Ozouf and Social Security Minister Paul Routier – onto the defensive, although Senator Routier turned on his former colleague Senator Stuart Syvret, who he said had let the community down by not giving social services staff more support.
Former Magistrate Ian Le Marquand said that there were 'big problems' at Home Affairs, and youth worker Trevor Pitman said that he had lost faith in Education Minister Mike Vibert because he had voted to tax books and school uniforms.
Transport Minister Guy de Faye will be glad that he decided to miss the meeting, having attended the previous night in St Clement. Cliff Le Clercq and Mr Pitman both said that he was personally responsible for the poor bus service.
The candidates were also asked what jobs they wanted, if elected, and the answers were:
- Deputy Alan Breckon - 'not bothered'
- Deputy Sarah Ferguson - Public Accounts chairman
- Dr Mark Forskitt - Environment Scrutiny
- Mike Higgins - Economic Development Minister
- Cliff Le Clercq - Environment Minister
- Nick Le Cornu - 'not a minister'
- Deputy Alan Maclean - Economic Development Minister
- Jeremy Macon - Education Minister
- Advocate Ian Le Marquand - Home Affairs Minister
- Senator Philip Ozouf - Treasury Minister
- Nick Palmer - Environment Scrutiny
- Mick Pashley - 'not a minister'
- Chris Perkins - Environment Minister
- Trevor Pitman - Privileges and Procedures chairman
- Senator Paul Routier - Health Minister
- Deputy Geoff Southern - Social Security Minister
- Montfort Tadier - Privileges and Procedures chairman
- Deputy Peter Troy - Social Security Minister
- Senator Mike Vibert - Education Minister
- Adrian Walsh - Environment Minister
- Daniel Wimberley - Environment Minister
[ Source : This Is Jersey ]