Discussion meeting on trust in the political system

The Policy Centre held a discussion meeting on 11 February on trust in the political system, based on a think piece, Restoring trust in Jersey politics, by the Centre’s Senior Adviser, Sir Mark Boleat. 50 people participated - members of the Centre’s Advisory Council, representatives of business, charities and government and people interested in the subject.

The meeting was chaired by the Centre’s Director, Simon Soar. Opening comments were made by –

Sir Mark Boleat

Lord Gus O’Donnell, former Head of the UK Civil Service

Alan Maclean, former Government minister

Jennifer Carnegie, COO Amicus and former President of the Chamber of Commerce

There was then an open discussion

Summary of comments by Sir Mark Boleat

• Trust in the States Assembly and Jersey’s Government is low. This has been consistently recorded since 2013.

• But this is true in most jurisdictions.

• Politicians are distrusted because of the nature of the work they do -

• Any significant decision by a politician will be viewed unfavourably by some people.

• Politicians are held responsible for things over which they have no control.

• Trust is particularly low in Jersey, exemplified by the very low turnout in elections. Special factors in Jersey include –

• Confusion as to where responsibility for decisions lies between the Government and the Assembly.

• A policy- making process that does not work well.

• Using OECD analysis, trust in the political system in Jersey can be increased by -

• Meaningful consultations with relevant organisations.

• Requiring policy proposals to have impact assessments.

• Reducing the piecemeal approach to policy formulation.

• Publishing Government reports on the Government website in an easily accessible way.

• Publishing comprehensive data, particularly in respect of social security, health and education.

Summary of comments by Lord O’Donnell

• Agree with the content of the think piece.

• It is really important to have independent think tanks. They play a crucial role in the policy-making process.

• Singapore has one of the best civil services in the world, partly because there is a high degree of trust between civil servants and ministers. Ministers generally have experience in business or the civil service. Pay for both civil servants and ministers is high, just below private sector salaries.

• Variations in degrees of happiness between countries are closely related to the strength of trust.

• Getting technology right and showcasing this is important in establishing and maintaining trust between the public and the government. Where technology works it can be effective, but often not noticed. A good example is the current system for taxing cars in the UK which is now done entirely electronically with the government accessing relevant websites.

• Trust breaks down when there is populism, with ministers blaming civil servants. There has to be trust between ministers and civil servants. Personal relationships are hugely important in this respect.

• There is a trust paradox. People say they don't trust government and yet whenever there is a problem people say the government should intervene and do more.

• There is a real problem with alienation of the young, who are less inclined to vote.

• Trust can be improved by better communications, avoiding disasters and behaving properly. The public hate hypocrisy.

• The pros and cons of policy measures need to be explained. During COVID the government gave too much weight to the medical profession as a result of which the costs of closing schools were never adequately weighed against the possible benefits of limiting the spread of the virus.

• It is important to fulfil promises but in order to be elected promises are often made that are not capable of being fulfilled, as the current Labour Government has demonstrated in respect of taxation.

Summary of comments by Alan Maclean

• Surveys show that certain professions such as nurses are greatly trusted by the public whereas politicians are not. Jersey had a nurse who became a Minister, which instantly changed that perception of trust.

• Three key issues –

o Transparency – opening up the decision-making process so people understand how and why decisions have been made and who is making the decisions. Policy decisions have to be well documented and communicated. Government data needs to be more accessible and digestible. Transparency also means addressing concerns about lobbying and political influence.

o Accountability - transparency is effective only if it is backed up by accountability. Politicians need to be held to account to the highest standards.

o Engagement – bringing people into the political process. Trust will not flourish unless people feel engaged with the political process. If people feel their views don't matter then trust evaporates. Participation particularly by younger age groups and under-represented groups must be encouraged. Technology offers opportunities for improved consultation. Jersey is a small jurisdiction which should make it much easier to foster effective dialogue between policy makers and the people.

• If we commit to greater transparency, stronger accountability and deeper engagement we can ensure that Jersey becomes a place where people believe in their government, trust their institutions and feel empowered by the process. This will enable bold decisions to be made about the future of the Island.

• There is a need to focus on the long term; one problem at present in the political system is short term decision making by politicians who are focusing on the next election. GST was an issue where government did take the right long-term decision despite significant opposition at the time.

Summary of comments by Jennifer Carnegie

• Politicians are there to serve the island, in particular to deliver a long term future. They are required to deliver on their promises and to do so with integrity and to explain to people why they have done what they have done.

• One of the hardest things that politicians have to do is to work together to implement solutions to difficult problems. This requires collaboration, which requires trust.

• Trust comes from within an organisation outwards.

• If politicians cannot demonstrate that they trust each other and can work together why should the public trust them?

• Politicians are there to provide the direction and the policies and then to allow the government machinery to do its job. If there is no clarity and continual change in policy the machinery never gets out of first gear.

Comments in open discussion

• Jersey has a children’s rights impact assessment mechanism. The model is there and could be used more widely.

• On Freedom of Information, we should have a default position that where there is information the government should publish it. This would reduce the need for individuals to make Freedom of Information requests. Openness and transparency need to be maintained and done in the simplest possible way.

• We have a UK centric view of politics. Jersey is much more about the European model with coalitions. People come together in the Council of Ministers and have to make compromises. Compromises are not so necessary in the UK political system because generally there is one party in power.

• The third sector is as important as the business sector in respect of engagement with government. The third sector has a very good understanding of the impact of policies, and needs to be given appropriate weight.

• Singapore has been mentioned as effective in respect of government but it does have human rights issues and restricts freedom of expression. It has recognised and made a trade-off between better economic performance and human rights.

• Jersey needs to focus on the best elements from different jurisdictions.

• Surveys show that people are not engaged and don't vote because they don't think it makes any difference. The challenge is that our entire economic model is built on stability, and stability to people says no change. The people are crying out for change notwithstanding the need for stability. We have to make the system in Jersey work for more people.

• We need to be conscious of the importance of the financial services sector on which Jersey is dependent. There is insufficient focus on economic growth at present.

• Longer terms for politicians might facilitate better long term decision making. Trust takes a long time to build. However, there seems to be no correlation between trust and the length of political terms.

• To encourage voter engagement could we move to compulsory voting? The two-year wait before people are entitled to vote could be removed.

• Young people don't vote because they don't want to vote and we should therefore think very carefully about forcing them to do something that they do not want to do. The system should make people want to be involved.

• That only 17% of under 35s voted at the last election should be a high priority for the States Assembly to address.

• People want outcomes, that is delivery of policies and services. There is a danger of erosion of delivery with politicians talking about themselves again in respect of the reinstatement of senators.

• Should we be looking at online voting? We trust online banking so we should be able to trust online voting.

• The relationship between the people of Jersey and the States Assembly fails immediately after the election. There is active politics during the election. Everything then goes into a black hole with the process of electing the Chief Minister by the members of the Assembly. The Council of Ministers then consists of 12 people elected independently each on their own platforms and they spend the next four months deciding what they should be doing. The Island has no say in that process.

• Vote.je produces good documentation in the run up to an election but people need to be engaged the whole of the time not just in pre-election. People need to understand that there will be many independents in the government and although they have stood on the platform of XYZ there must be an acceptance that they will not be able to deliver it. People need to be aware that what politicians say they will do is not what the government will do.

• There is a need to encourage more people to be brave and stand for election. More better-quality candidates are needed.

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