Bailiff to go?

Saturday 26 April 2014

Politicians could be on the verge of a reform that would end centuries of tradition by removing the Bailiff from the States.

Chief Minister Ian Gorst has signalled that he will support this week's backbencher proposition from St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft to remove the Bailiff as “Speaker” of the House. The crossover of having the the Island’s chief judge sitting in the political arena has been criticised by the 2000 Clothier Report and the 2010 report by Lord Carswell.

Mr Crowcroft is taking a proposition to the States Chamber to act on the recommendations of the Carswell report after the committee responsible for States reform said that they would not be acting on it, and now Senator Gorst has come out in support of it.

He said: “A decision by States members to elect their own Speaker would seem to be in the best interests of democracy and the best interests of justice. Change is inevitable. The best way to safeguard the role of Bailiff for the future is to take the initiative and adapt to keep pace with the times.”

He says that the final decision should be made by the States after the October election.

Former Bailiff Sir Philip Bailhache, who now sits full-time in the States Chamber as Jersey’s “Foreign Minister”, has lodged an amendment that would stop any change until Islanders have had their say in a referendum on the subject.

If the vote goes through this week, an elected speaker could be doing the job from January when the current Bailiff Sir Michael Birt is due to retire. The current Deputy Bailiff – William Bailhache, the brother of Sir Philip – is due to take over from him.