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Dear Sir or Madam,
Just to confirm that I spoke at the meeting at Grouville Parish Hall yesterday evening against the proposals. I would like the Senators to be retained as they have the whole island mandate and I agree with comments made by others that they should have more authority and be the pool from which senior ministers are chosen after having gone through a period in the States as either a Deputy or Constable.
My fear of the proposals for super-constituencies is that it will be the start of the demise of the parish system and that gradually it will lead to more centralisation and less representation at the parish level. If the proposal is successful, I believe that it will only be a matter of time before a proposition is brought to the States to remove the Constables. Reform is required but not UK style reform. We should be looking at the machinery of government and how ministerial government is working (or not as the case may be) instead of tinkering with the electoral process. Our parish system works well and brings much benefit to the community. It is somewhat unique, a huge part of the Jersey way of life, and we should be making every effort to preserve it and not destroy it by introducing constituencies. Even the word makes it feel like just another part of the UK; we need to resist this piecemeal erosion of our Jersey way of life.
Regards, Charles Pinel