ONE of the essential differences between deputies and jurats of the Royal Court – apart from the obvious one of their roles – is the way they are voted in. People’s representatives get in on a first-past-the-post basis so a single vote margin is a resounding victory.

Jurats, however, face an electoral college, not islanders, and the process is designed so that candidates deemed unsuitable can be rejected – or blackballed – even if there is only one candidate.

That, apparently, has happened once since the Occupation and very nearly again on Wednesday. That is unfortunate, not least because of the impact on the individual concerned.

Guernsey’s newest jurat is rightly proud of his election and is as well qualified as any of his peers to hold office.

So why did so many in an electoral college (and this is in no way pejorative) largely made up of conservative-minded, middle-aged men in suits try to vote out a conservative-minded, middle-aged man in a suit?

As we report on page four, there are a number of reasons suggested and there is also the rather uncomfortable possibility that this was something of a backlash about the process as a whole.

The single candidate, the nomination process by senior politicians, the need to find more jurats shortly… It might give the impression that this is more a process of anointing favoured individuals rather than having a robust selection of the best candidate available.

Such a view would not be dispelled by the general acceptance that elevation to the jurats’ bench is the highest accolade an islander can receive.

Yes, it is a huge honour – but also a tremendous burden because it is hard work and requires individuals to weigh facts and often weeks of legal argument before deciding on matters of guilt, frequently affecting individual liberty.

Guernsey is fortunate with the quality of its jurats and the service they unstintingly give. But elevation cannot and must not be seen simply as a reward for previous good conduct.

Islanders, particularly those who appear before the bench, need confidence in the system that selects the individuals who are judging their actions and why it has placed them there.

Wednesday has not helped that process.