This Is Guernsey

By Joel de Woolfson

Father of the House Deputy Ivan Rihoy is fourth from the left, standing between local dignitaries Lt-Governor Sir Fabian Malbon, Bailiff Sir Geoffrey Rowland and Royal British Legion president Major Eric Le Quesne, and two of the crew of HMS Daring. (0869661)

CHIEF MINISTER Lyndon Trott has moved to clarify the Policy Council’s position in a row over the order in which wreaths were laid on Remembrance Sunday.

Emails were sent during the weekend to all deputies as States members argued about whether the Policy Council should have discussed the issue at all.

Several deputies criticised the Policy Council for being ‘preoccupied with the order wreaths are laid’ following discussions over whether a representative of the States should perform the duty before or after the Crown Officers.

Deputies Roger Domaille and Janine Le Sauvage condemned on a radio phone-in yesterday any politician who was concerned about the matter.

But Deputy Trott (pictured) emailed States members over the weekend to confirm that it had not been the Policy Council that raised the issue.

‘This matter was placed before the Policy Council at the written request of the Bailiff,’ he said. ‘It is not a matter that would have found itself onto the agenda otherwise.’

Housing minister Dave Jones today backed up the chief minister’s statement.

However, two Policy Council members released statements distancing themselves from the debate.

Education minister Carol Steere and Social Security minister Mark Dorey both said they had left the meeting before the issue was raised.

‘I was not party to, nor would I wish to be associated with an apparent disagreement over the order of laying of wreaths on Remembrance Sunday,’ said Deputy Steere.

Deputy Dorey added that he did not consider it an appropriate discussion for the Policy Council to have.

Deputy Trott said in Friday’s Guernsey Press that there had never been any suggestion of the States representative laying a wreath ahead of the Bailiff.

But it was difficult to explain why the unelected HM Procureur preceded a democratically elected representative of the Assembly, he added.

The chief minister responded after Deputy Matt Fallaize emailed all States members on Saturday to express his disgust that the Policy Council thought it appropriate to discuss the matter.

He said many members of the States were appalled by the episode.

‘As members of the States of Deliberation we are all part of a parliament which, frankly, has been brought into disrepute, and very publicly, by this shameful preoccupation with the order in which wreaths should be laid on Remembrance Sunday,’ he said.

‘A politician is invited to such an event not to represent himself or his political views, but to represent the States of Deliberation as a parliament and, by extension, to represent the members of that parliament.’

A flurry of emails was then circulated among States members with Deputy Fallaize suggesting the Policy Council could have simply noted the Bailiff’s memo.

But Deputy Trott responded: ‘The Bailiff asked for the Policy Council’s view.’

Article posted on 16th November, 2009 - 1.00pm