Mary's political low

Friday 09 October 2020

Mother of the House, Deputy Mary Lowe, has seen her 26-year stint in the States come to an end, in an election which saw 11 of the current deputies lose their seats.

The President of Home Affairs only secured 5,042 votes - not enough to see her through to the next States Assembly.

"I'm disappointed because obviously if you stand in an election you want to get elected," she said following the results announcement at around 02:00 this morning.

"In every election I've been in - and I've had seven successful elections - you always have to go in prepared to know they might not want you anymore and we've reached that stage.

"It's been a huge privilege and honour to be in the States and I'm going to miss it.

"I wish everybody luck and I just hope the next States will be onwards and upwards. The last States I've just finished has been the worst out of my seven terms. Hopefully this States will be able to address that and there won't be that divide."

Pictured: The election count began at 09:00 yesterday and results were announced at around 01:00 this morning.

Deputy Lowe confirmed that this election marks the end of her time in politics. 

Among others to lose their seats were President of Education, Sport & Culture, Deputy Matt Fallaize, and President of Environment & Infrastructure, Deputy Barry Brehaut - both of whom have faced public criticism over the last four years. Neither were present at the declaration. 

Deputy Fallaize received a lot of public attention over the past year, after his committee brought plans for a 'two-school' model for secondary education.

Deputies Rhian Tooley and Mark Dorey, who served on ESC alongside Deputy Fallaize, were also unsuccessful in their attempts to be re-elected.

Meanwhile, Deputy Brehaut was criticised for his committee's actions to reduce speed limits across the island and for proposing the infill of inert waste at Spur Point.

Pictured: Deputy Barry Brehaut was among those not to be re-elected.

Deputies Shane Langlois and Sarah Hansmann Rouxel, who also served on the committee, joined Deputy Brehaut in losing their seats.

Other incumbent deputies included Deputies Jennifer Merrett, Jeremy Smithies, Jane Stephens and Dawn Tindall.

"It was very disappointing the numbers I got but when you look at the makeup of the people who got elected, the Guernsey people have just said one big, loud 'let's go back to what we had before'," said Deputy Tindall. "I do fear for all the stuff we've done during the last four-and-a-half years, I feel there's going to be a huge change.

"That's what the Guernsey people want and I wish them all the best, but there are some very differing views in that mix and it's going to be fireworks."

Many fresh faces will appear in the new States Assembly, including Mark Helyar of the Guernsey Party, who received the most votes of any new candidate with 11,408 - putting him fourth in the polls after Deputies Gavin St Pier, Heidi Soulsby and Andrea Dudley-Owen.

Pictured: Mark Helyar was the new candidate with the most votes.

"I'm elated, shocked and bewildered," Mr Helyar said. "We're just going to concentrate on getting a really good team together now."

Another new candidate to secure a place in the next Assembly was Tina Bury, who stood as part of the Guernsey Partnership of Independents.

"I'm shocked, pleased, excited, a little bit nervous," Ms Bury said. "There are some names in there that were definitely to be expected and I'm glad to hear some names that I wanted to get in.

"My top priority is to get collaborative working as a real natural behaviour in our States and hopefully you can do that by demonstrating it. I just really would like to see a more cohesive term."

Pictured top: Deputy Mary Lowe will soon be finishing her 26-year stint in the States.