Unholy row with Bailiff shuts down States debate

Wednesday 07 October 2015

Debate on financial plans worth millions of pounds was sensationally derailed this morning when a politician and the Bailiff got into an extraordinary row about Jesus.

The Bailiff, William Bailhache, told Deputy Montfort Tadier to leave the Chamber after he refused to take back a comment he made during his speech about Jesus not attending a Tory Party conference.

It's the first time in years that an elected politician has been expelled from the Assembly, and is likely to reopen the debate about whether the Bailiff, as the Island's Chief Judge, should really be presiding over the States Chamber at all.

During a debate on whether higher tax rates on top earners should be used to fill the £145 million black hole instead of benefit cuts that affected the most vulnerable, Deputy Tadier had said that there was some hypocrisy in the States Chamber. He said that if Jesus were alive today he would not be at the Conservative Party conference - he would be standing up for the little guy.

The Bailiff told him that the remark fell foul of rules against "offensive, objectionable or unparliamentary language" and told him to withdraw it, but the Deputy refused. Mr Bailhache told him to leave the Chamber - prompting Deputy Tadier to say that the Bailiff was abusing his own powers.

The sitting was suspended for an hour, but has now resumed.

Several Members stood up to defend Deputy Tadier - including Chief Minister Ian Gorst, who said that he was a Christian, but did not find the remark offensive.

Another Member, Deputy Jeremy Macon, told Bailiwick Express: “I didn’t feel that his comments were offensive, he was being illustrative to make a wider point."