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Desire to serve the community? Career ambitions? Masochistic tendency? In this month's column in Connect magazine, and with only hours to go before a new Assembly is elected, the Fool tries to understand what is it that drives people to stand for election.
"By the time the Fool’s nonsense reaches you this month, the island will be well on the way to entrusting, along with a commitment to pay the thick end of £10 Million in future wages and expenses, a whole new group of individuals to take important decisions on our behalf for another four years.
"Each one of them, at least at this early stage, should be applauded for their bravery, because in a world where social media has equipped everybody (on a scale from ‘slightly agitated’ to ‘completely off the deep end’) to constantly shout their opinion at you, no matter how deluded or personal that opinion might be, well, why would you ? Or is that promise of a party whip just too alluring for those of a certain masochistic tendency?
"This risk of the potential compromise of your personal life is of course even more extreme in Jersey, where the chances of coming into actual close physical contact with your, let’s be charitable and call them ‘critics,’ is a real danger (or who knows, a benefit, for those of the aforementioned lifestyle choice) of the job. As we have seen in recent years, it renders tough choices much harder to make when there’s a strong chance of bumping into one of those people who life has been negatively impacted by the decision you had a hand in making.
Pictured: For the Fool all candidates standing for election should be applauded for their bravery.
"And on that very subject, with many States departments now dancing to the ‘my way or the highway fiscal rectitude blues’ stylings of a certain Mr Charlie Parker, how much cash is likely to be available in forthcoming years to achieve much? (And where do you suppose the blame for any purse string driven failures might be apportioned in the future?) Which sort of makes you wonder, what is it that drives people to stand for election?
"Let’s start with the nice stuff, the sort of ‘Insta-politician script’ you’ll see written on the flyers, long since discarded, like so many candidates, to the verges of the island for another four years. Among the most oft-quoted are the desire to serve one’s community, and an aspiration to change or improve things for your fellow man. Seriously, it could bring a tear to a glass eye. Ascending further the greasy pole of truth, others see it as a career (a strange choice when one faces the very real possibility of being sacked by your employees every four years), whilst for others, the lure of filthy lucre seems to do the trick.
Pictured: Among the most oft-quoted reasons for standing are "the desire to serve one’s community, and an aspiration to change or improve things for your fellow man."
"What is interesting however, and this has been considered in countless volumes of research over the years, is to focus not on the reasons each candidate gives for standing, but the many common personality traits of those who seek the rarefied air of high office.
"Any of those ringing a bell with certain elected (or hoped to be elected) individuals?
"Of course the desire for power and attention are traits shared by many people, not just would-be politicians; however, when taken in association with the other common attributes, well, you start to see a pattern. Now surprisingly (or perhaps not), this combination of traits is shared by another minor section of society. In the words of Jack, ‘Here’s Johnny’, say hello to the psychopath. Put that in your Venn diagram and smoke it.
"So the choice we face when confronted with our ballot papers would seem to be between the gluttons for punishment, the ones who just want to tell you what to do, or those you probably wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving your dog with whilst you went on holiday for a couple of weeks. Don’t be downhearted at the percentage turnout. It’ll be surprising it is as high as that."
You can read the Fool's column every month in Connect magazine, here.
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