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While Policy and Resources starts to implement plans for an early general election the possibility of another deputy lodging a motion of no confidence in the Committee itself grows ever more likely.
The President of P&R, Deputy Peter Ferbrache, announced his Committee’s intention to pursue a general election immediately after the Assembly voted against its flagship policy for a goods and services tax (GST).
It has since been revealed that P&R has sought advice from the States Assembly and Constitution Committee to understand the ramifications of launching an early general election and whether the timeframe before one could be compressed.
“I spoke to Deputy Ferbrache on Saturday morning... we have to discuss the general election initiative because it needs to come back to SACC – we need to look at this in more detail to see what the logistics are,” said SACC President, Deputy Carl Meerveld.
“Peter said the Committee wants a meeting with SACC to discuss it further – we were consulted on Friday morning on a potential amendment calling for an early election, but that wasn’t laid.”
Pictured: Deputy Meerveld not only presides over SACC but led the charge against GST.
Deputy Meerveld said further talks will now be held by “rushing an election possibly compromises that election”.
If SACC had been instructed to get the wheels turning on a general election on Friday, Deputy Meerveld said a potential early election could be held in October 2024, however this timeline has now been delayed by roughly three months according to Deputy Meerveld because the earliest a proposition could be debated will be during the next debate.
Deputy Meerveld said the dust still hasn’t settled after Deputy Ferbrache’s shock announcement last week and he doesn’t think P&R will be successful in its plans, which would essentially require the current tranche of deputies to fire themselves.
“I think there is general surprise and disappointment at the thermonuclear ‘let’s have an election bomb’ - from a political perspective I can’t see the value in them doing it
“And of course, people have to remember, unlike the UK where the prime minister can call an early election, in Guernsey the turkeys have to vote for Christmas. You have to come back to the deputies and ask them to fire themselves.
“What are the members going to say – P&R has failed twice to get its flagship policy through the states, the assembly is more likely to say ‘you are the leaders, and it was your failure to persuade us and the public to support your initiative, so instead of us resigning...you’re fired’.”
Pictured: Deputy Ferbrache told the media after Friday's debate that his Committee would be pursuing an early general election.
And the proposal doesn’t even need to make it that far if a motion of no confidence is lodged first.
“Policy and Resources has exhausted its one option,” said Deputy Charles Parkinson,“they only had one tool in the box and its broken.
“I think the call for an early general election is the right one, but in the meantime I don’t think P&R should remain in office.
“I will [put forward a motion of no confidence] if they don’t resign.”
Express understands that P&R will be publishing a statement shortly on its plans for an early general election.
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