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The Bailiff has used his Liberation Day speech to urge islanders to use their right as free people to vote and “influence our future”.
Jersey’s general election is taking place in June, and there are just days left for islanders to register to vote.
Addressing crowds in Liberation Square, Bailiff Timothy Le Cocq urged islanders not to approach the election with “cynicism but instead listen to those who offer themselves, and decide who we believe best represents the values of the Jersey we want to see and what we hope for in our community.”
“I make no apology on this day of the celebration of liberty to urge you to exercise our right as free people to influence our future. It is a choice many in the world do not have,” he added.
The Bailiff also used his address to share words of unity and inclusion, telling the 1,600-strong crowd: "We are all to my mind the inheritors of Liberation Day whether born here or more recently have made the island our home."
Elsewhere in his speech, he reflected on islanders’ efforts to support those affected by the war in Ukraine, and deal with the climate crisis.
Pictured: The Bailiff addressing a packed Liberation Square.
“The world is an uncertain place and we may ask how can this all be solved and what can we do to make it better? The answer is, we do what we can and we have hope,” the Bailiff said.
“In recent months we have shown our solidarity with the people of Ukraine, we have sent supplies, we have donated money- we give what we may give. We play our part to address global warming, knowing that we cannot solve it alone but hoping that we can solve it together. A very old expression was used in the States Assembly in a recent debate – ‘It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. Well, by these positive actions and others we light candles.’”
He concluded his speech by paying tribute to Constable Sadie Le Sueur Rennard, who sadly passed away last month, and whose funeral was held last week.
Video: The full Liberation Day 77 ceremony.
“The 2016 Liberation Day speech in the States Assembly was given by the late and much missed Connétable of St. Saviour, Sadie Le Sueur-Rennard. Her rendition of ‘Beautiful Jersey’ in English and Jèrriais was one of the central points of Liberation Fay celebrations for many years and she ended her speech like this: ‘We have so much to be thankful for in this Island and yet even today we are still learning from humanitarian events around the world.
"'So I would like to say on my mum and dad’s behalf, and everybody who was here: ‘Mèrcie bien des fais, à la procheine, à bi.’’”
The deadline to register to vote is at 12:00 tomorrow (Tuesday 10 May). Click HERE to register.
The Bailiff's full speech can be found HERE.
Pictured top: The Loyal response from the Bailiff. (Max Le Feuvre)
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