Gorst's grab for personal power

Charlie Parker's efforts to integrate his team of foreign consultants into the States apparatus and consolidate his and the Chief Minister's own power rumble on.

Yesterday, Parker announced that his gang of four - Anna Daroy, Stephen Hardwick, Jacquie McGeachie and Camilla Black - that made up the so-called "transition team" brought in to review the running of the civil service, having already cost the taxpayer £432K, will all be retained and be given permanent positions within the government apparatus. According to Parker, his four pets will be retained to support the delivery of "specific initiatives" - the details of which are unknown, effectively making them a permanent part of the States structure for the foreseeable future.

This comes only a week after the States (narrowly) approved the Chief Minister's grand plan for government reform - it will allow the Chief Minister to hire, fire and reshuffle ministers at will, move budgets between departments of his own accord, forms a single legal entity called the 'Jersey Ministers' under the personal control of the Chief Minister, and, most importantly, puts all States departments under the central direction of the Chief Executive - a person appointed by the Chief Minister. Given the amount of power being concentrated in the hands of a e structure of the government at will, bypassing such inefficiencies as scrutiny or public debate. Parker will be responsible for centrally directing all States departments in the way individual ministers do at present, and for ensuring that States money is spent "in an efficient way" - no word on how this will be defined, or what Parker's punishment will be if he should fail, and given that his position is by appointment, there will be no way for the public to hold him accountable.

With this additional announcement that Parker's people will be retained as a permanent part of the government structure, Parker - and by extension, the Chief Minister - are consolidating their own power and ensuring that even more of the government remains under their personal direction.

We've seen consolidation of personal power before - the introduction of the ministerial system of government in 2005 took power away from States members as a whole and vested it in the hands of a few - but at least under that system - the current system - ministers can be booted out at an election if the public judges them to have failed in their duties. The public has no way of getting rid of Parker or any future Chief Executive - he can't be voted out, his position isn't dependent on public approval of any kind. He serves at the pleasure of the Chief Minister, and as such is little more than an extension of their power. His new powers are little more than the Chief Minister taking direct control over all sections of government, except that should the Chief Minister make a serious mistake Parker is there as a fall guy.

The continued consolidation of power in the hands of the Chief Minister is possibly the most dangerous development in Jersey's political system since the introduction of ministerial government. Our government is and should always be the States of Jersey, not the all-powerful Chief Minister and his appointed lackey in the Chief Executive role. The problems within the civil service require a shift in organisational culture - handing off more and more powers to the Chief Minister will not solve the problem.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. This is nothing more than a personal power grab, Gorst and Parker trying to grow their own power. In pursuing it, both have shown their utter contempt for democracy.