The ‘Coalition of Convenience’

Jersey’s current government is a coming together of the left and right into a Coalition of Convenience, unlike the sensible, moderate, universally popular, centre ground that was unjustly ousted from government at the start of this year…

That’s what Jersey’s former Chief Minister, Deputy Kristina Moore, claimed on ITV News last week following the Government Budget debate in the States Assembly, where a consistent group of c.13 members provided the opposition to it all.

Of course, she is entitled to her opinion. But it did put a bit of a smile on my face, seeing this government dubbed in such a way. It made me reflect on how I was feeling this time last year in the dying days of her government, and how the whole situation was anything but convenient.

Following the 2022 election, which saw big change in the make up of the States Assembly, with members of the previous government being punished at the polls whilst Reform Jersey doubled our representation, Deputy Moore formed a government and made a conscious decision to govern without Reform Jersey. This was her right, which we respected.

What happened next was chaos. 

In just a year and a half, public confidence in the government had plummeted. There was open warfare between members of the government, with one Minister’s lack of confidence in the Chief Minister out on public record for months, which is unprecedented. Accusations of bullying at high levels in government were widespread.

All of this was compounded by the most inept communications performance across the board. Who remembers those frequent disaster moments broadcast on television as members of the government completely floundered when basic questions were put to them? It was not a pretty sight.

Whatever entertainment value we might have occasionally got out of that era, if you love Jersey and have its best interests at heart, it was painful and upsetting to watch. Jersey faces many great challenges, and our future prosperity is not guaranteed. Whatever we think of this or that group of politicians, ultimately, we have to hope that they succeed because it is in all of our interests that they do so we have the best chance of living happy lives here.

But nobody could identify anything in their platform or performance that inspired confidence. In particular, their woeful response to the housing crisis was seeing more Islanders lose hope every day. As the days grew darker, the pessimism took hold.

I’ll be honest, I actually felt pretty rubbish about it all. I worried about whether Jersey could suffer another two and a half years on that path without irreparable damage being caused.

Occasionally during those dark winter days, I would speak with colleagues and get their perspectives. In particular, I spent a bit of time with Deputy Lyndon Farnham. He was a member of the Corporate Services Scrutiny Panel which I chaired at the time, so we’d often have a catch up after a meeting. I got to understand his concerns for the Island and where we held common ground.

What struck me in him was his genuine fear too. Even though he and I reside on different parts of the political spectrum, as Jerseymen who care about the Island, we couldn’t bear to see things going so badly. He had spent some time off the front line of politics and I could tell he was relishing his time as a new grandfather. I got the impression that there was no ego or bitterness in his outlook, but just a real concern to make sure that his family and other Jersey families could be happy and confident in their futures.

Without knowing what was about to happen, but suspecting things were about to escalate, I remember thinking at that time that whatever happened, we had to put the Island’s interests first and play whatever role was best for us to try to steer Jersey back on track. 

Then came that moment almost first thing in the new year, when Deputy Tom Binet resigned from the government and proposed a motion of no confidence in the Chief Minister. Once that cat was set among the pigeons, States Members had some serious thinking to do.

During that brief period, Reform Jersey did not take an immediate instinctive position or jump on a bandwagon. We recognised the gravity of the situation and the responsibility we had. Whilst we had serious concerns at Jersey’s prospects under a Moore-led government, there was no guarantee that throwing them out of office would automatically lead to a better government. We had no interest in making things worse just to score a cheap point.

After much reflection and discussions with government members, we found we could not have faith that any introspection would occur and a change of direction come about as a result. There was only one way forward, and that meant change. The process was ugly and unpleasant, but necessary.

When Deputy Farnham was elected Chief Minister, there was no guarantee that Reform Jersey members would accept his invitation to join the government. We thought very carefully about it and seriously considered the option of not taking part. Perhaps that would have truly been the ‘convenient’ option. Overthrow a government then absolve ourselves of the blame for any consequences that occur as a result of it.

The reality is that the current government came together in a moment of crisis to try to salvage a wreck left behind by the previous Chief Minister. There was nothing convenient about it and it didn’t happen because a handful of opportunists sought only to position themselves for a nicer title. In fact, several members bravely gave up their titles in the hope it would lead to change.

We shouldn’t take anything for granted, but things do feel so much better this December than they did last year. The new government has shifted the focus away from PR and towards action. Our big achievements this year include making real progress on resolving the housing crisis, setting in stone the pathway to the Living Wage and beginning the expansion of free nursery places to more children. Things that actually make a difference for people.

This coalition was not borne out of convenience, but instead out of duty to serve our Island and a desperate desire to get things back on track after 18 months of decline.