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After a long and varied career spanning nearly 50 years in the public eye and including the roles of Deputy, Attorney General, Bailiff, Senator and Minister, Senator Sir Philip Bailhache announced earlier this month he will be stepping down from politics.
Sir Philip became the island’s first ever Minister for External Relations in 2013, a position he kept after his re-election in 2014 and which led him to lead Brexit negotiation on behalf of the island.
In recent years, he has also been known for his vocal opinion on the role of the Bailiff, which he believes should not change.
For Express, Sir Philip left politics to one side to spill the beans on what he would like to change about Jersey...
With elections on the horizon, my first change would be to implement the decision of the public in a referendum in 2013 which was scandalously ignored by the States. A large majority of voters (circa 80%) wanted to reduce the number of States members to 42 and to convert small constituencies into six large districts.
Pictured: 80% of voters called for the number of States Members to be reduced to 41 in a 2013 referendum.
No deputy would then be elected without an election, and each successful candidate would need a significant number of votes to get elected. Alas, such will not be the case in 2018.
I would prohibit the making of nasty statements about any other person on social media or online without including your name and address.
Pictured: Sir Philip says anyone who publishes nasty comments online should give their name and address.
To make hurtful, and occasionally vicious remarks under the cloak of anonymity is cowardly, and a scourge of our society.
Some people may not appreciate that most of the works of art in the States collection are hidden away in a store and rarely exposed to public view. For a long time we have needed a public art gallery, a National Gallery of Jersey, where some of these wonderful paintings could be exhibited.
Pictured: Sir Philip argues that a National Gallery of Jersey would be the perfect place to exhibit the States' collection.
The existence of a National Gallery might also encourage private collectors, of whom there are many in the Island, to donate or lend their works of art so that they too could be enjoyed by the public.
We live in one of the most environmentally beautiful places on earth. But some areas are cluttered with unsightly and often unnecessary signs, notices, warnings, and buildings too.
Pictured: For Sir Philip, Plémont should inspire other places around the island to get rid of "unsightly" signs and buildings.
I would encourage a serious effort to de-clutter the Island and to restore its natural beauty. Plémont ought to be an inspiration for us.
'Filter in turn' was one of the most enlightened and brilliant inventions of an earlier generation of politicians and administrators. It encourage politeness on the roads to such an extent that visitors to the Island very often comment upon it.
Pictured: A 'filter in turn' in action near Springfield Stadium.
I think that we ought to have even more 'Filter in turn' junctions and make Jersey a paradise of good manners amongst motorists.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not those of the Bailiwick Express.
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