Both young candidates and young voters are needed for Guernsey’s 2025 election, said one of those who has already put their head above the parapet to say he’s standing.
Tom Rylatt is 25-years-old and has publicly stated his intention to stand for election as a member of Forward Guernsey – the only political party to so far say it will field any candidates at the upcoming election.
Mr Rylatt has not stood for election in Guernsey or anywhere else before, but he told Express he felt compelled to because there is a lack of representation for younger residents in the current States.
“When I see my peers leaving Guernsey, when I see that they are shut out of the property market, when the cost of living is prohibitive to living here, and then I look at the government that’s supposed to be helping solve those problems and encouraging them to stay, I don’t see that voice or that perspective represented at all.
“Out of 40 deputies, I don’t think we have one under the age of 37 or 38 which means there’s, I think over 20,000 islanders without direct representation there. So I’d love to try and represent that voice and be able to help keep the next generation of islanders on Guernsey. Because if we don’t do that, there’s a very real risk, as I’ve said before, that Guernsey can lose its sense of self. And alongside that, I think rebuilding trust back in the States of Guernsey is another key aim and purpose of why I’m standing.”
Mr Rylatt spoke to Express extensively for a podcast alongside current Deputy Gavin St Pier, who will be seeking re-election as a candidate for Forward Guernsey.
The party will be endorsing the manifesto of Future Guernsey – a political ‘think tank’ which consulted local residents last year to find out what the island needs to set as its priorities.
“I have shared in the past, the healthy scepticism of organised politics or parties,” admitted Mr Rylatt. “You know, it’s not been always done to the best of people’s abilities in the past, as we’ve seen, but you have to, I think, balance that against the fact that term after term after term people have been dissatisfied with how much is being done, and Guernsey is facing challenges now that we can’t afford to, in my opinion, gamble another four years on 38 deputies all pulling in different directions.
“I think where Forward Guernsey strikes a really good balance is, it offers cohesion on those top six policy priorities. But also, it respects the tradition of independence that we have in our States’ assembly, in that issues that fall outside of the manifesto, and there are numerous issues, issues that I’m going to be campaigning on as well, that party members can vote however they like.
“So I think it respects the tradition of Guernsey politics while offering something new and something that we really need to consider and give serious thought to.”
LISTEN:
Gavin St Pier and Tom Rylatt discuss Forward Guernsey and their own political aspirations with Laura Clayton.