"Act swiftly, but focus on the things that matter"

Friday 09 October 2020

With two of Guernsey's new political parties making an immediate impact at the ballot box, deputies on both sides are keen for the States to move forward with a 'good team' and a 'clear focus.'

The Guernsey Partnership of Independents came out swinging, with its leader Gavin St Pier topping the polls and 11 total candidates in the new Assembly. The Guernsey Party is not far behind, with six new deputies from just nine candidates and its founder Mark Helyar reaching fourth place.

Mr Helyar said he was 'elated, shocked and bewildered' by the result, but has his sights set on where to go next: "I'd like to see us kick-start superfast fibre-based broadband as quickly as we possibly can, because we've fallen a long way behind and Guernsey needs to catch up."

The soon-to-be Deputy said he had his sights on Policy & Resources: "People have suggested I run for Chief Minister and I told them to wait and see how the vote turned out. I'm quite glad that I did that now."

"The most important thing is getting the right people in the right places, to use their skill sets for Guernsey's benefit."

Pictured: Deputy Mark Helyar, leader of the Guernsey Party

Current Deputy and Partnership of Independents member Heidi Soulsby was "delighted" by the results for both her party and the Guernsey Party:

"It's about working together, and I welcome what they did. We can't afford for the next States to be divided, we've got to work together."

Deputy Soulsby said she was aware of the animosity surrounding parties ahead of the election: "I didn't know how it would go at all, knowing we were doing something different. We'd heard people saying they wouldn't support parties, but I'm delighted that the electorate showed confidence in us."

Like Mr Helyar, she has her sights set on P&R for the next term - but above all else, she would like to see the States' more 'focused' than the previous Assembly.

"Governments try to do too much, and never get anything done; we've got to act swiftly, but be focused on the things that matter."