Less than 7 weeks away (14 May) and the majority of current politicians (‘Deputies’) are keeping mum over whether they intend to stand.
So, while we wait excitedly for news of who our future fearless leaders might be, I’ve done a bit of digging. Please note, before anyone attempts to sue me—we all know who that is—getting information out of Deputies, on this particular topic, is like getting blood out of a stone. They’re being especially cagey this election. So too are new candidates, with only a few notifying voters of their interest ahead of time. To be very clear then, the following article is my opinion at the time of writing.
Who’s out?
Let’s start with who’s apparently out of the race this year:
- Al Brouard (confirmed)
- David Mahoney
- Lyndon Trott (confirmed)
- Peter Roffey (confirmed)
- Peter Ferbrache*
- Lester Queripel (confirmed)
*Despite claims of throwing in the towel, Peter Ferbrache may seek re-election simply to exact revenge on those who ousted him.
Who’s going to be Chief Minster?
Rather than list who I think is standing, or repeating what the Guersey Press wrote here, we might as well wait a few weeks. In the meantime, and just for fun, I take a stab at who the main contenders for Chief Minister will be:
- Love him or hate him, the indomitable Gavin St Pier comes in at number one seed.
- Closely followed by the ever popular, political chameleon, Heidi Soulsby.
- Liam McKenna (mostly due to his—fair—criticism over plans to up taxes).
- Charles Parkison (mostly due to his—fair—criticism over plans to up taxes).
- Limping in last is Rob Prow (yes, really, though it ultimately depends on whether his power base is re-elected; without them, he doesn’t stand much of a chance.)
Who I won’t be voting for
It will come as no surprise, at least to regular readers, that I think we’re best rid of Rob Prow, his loyal supporters (anyone remember the Guernsey Van party?), and current Home Affairs (Susan Aldwell, Liam McKenna, and Andrew Taylor). Ousted P&R should go, too, because of the reasons why they were sacked in the first place:
I like John Gollop, but I’m not really sure what he does? I’ll vote for him if I have no other choice. Likewise, Sam Haskins won’t be receiving my vote (if you’re confused over his policies, just ask Peter Ferbrache). Others who won’t get my vote are Andrea Dudley-Owen and Neil Inder.
Who will I be voting for?
Readers will just have to wait until 14 May!