Over the coming weeks, this newspaper will be publishing election manifestos for five fictional parties championing policies which reflect thinking from across the political spectrum.
The parties will outline their vision for the Island in a number of policy areas, from education and the environment to population and tax. The manifestos will then be brought together in a special election supplement in the week beginning 9 April, during which nomination meetings will be held for Deputies and Senators and the first hustings will take place.
You can view the manifestos by visiting jerseyeveningpost.com/news/election.
Once readers have got a feel for the parties and their policies, readers will be asked to vote for the one they think has articulated the best vision for the Island. And Islanders can join the debate on Twitter and Facebook using #JEPfantasyelection.
Here, the five parties – Aspiration Jersey, Advance Jersey, Big Plough, For a Better Life and Jersey Together – introduce themselves and set out their stalls.
JEP editor Andy Sibcy said: ‘Over the past three or four years, the Jersey Evening Post has, through its daily leader column, called for the introduction of party politics to be seriously considered as an antidote the some of the shortcomings of the current political system – a lack of clarity, accountability and the effective checks and balances necessary in a democracy to act as a counterweight to the power of the executive.
‘The experiment launched today has been devised to enable readers to get a feel for how an election might look if Jersey had a party-political system. The manifestos present sets of coherent policies which we hope will fuel informed and constructive debate ahead of this crucial general election on 16 May.
‘Jersey has a record of woefully low turnouts and the newspaper should use its unique position at the heart of Island life to encourage political discussion and positive engagement – and to get people out to vote.’
He added: ‘I would like to thank the five contributors who have spent a great deal of time thinking about and writing the manifestos. Each one of them is passionate about Jersey and about setting the Island on a course for a better future. We will not be revealing who they are until after the general election.
‘I invite all readers to join the debate and to comment through our letters pages and online, whether at jerseyeveningpost.com or via social media.’
*You can view the manifestos here: jerseyeveningpost.com/news/election
