Tag: contents page

Part Two – In the States
(Section 4: Afterwards)

Go back to Getting into Guernsey Politics
Go back to Section 2.3: Parliament – the States Assembly

Have I done enough?
What would another term add?
What effect will it have on me and my family?
What can I look back on and be proud of?
What do I hand on to the people who come after me – and how?
Do I want to remain involved somehow?
How do I pick myself up and start a new chapter?

Go on to Section 3.1: Principles

Part Two – In the States
(Section 3: Parliament – the States Assembly)

Go back to Getting into Guernsey Politics
Go back to Section 2.2: Committee Work

What does States work involve?
How much time should I expect to spend on States work?
When does the States meet?
How are States Meeting dates set?
When should I start preparing?
What happens if I miss a meeting?
How are States agendas set?
How can I get an item on the States’ agenda?
Our States agenda seems really light – is that normal?
What is the role of the Presiding Officer?

Does the States have a Constitution?
What are the Rules of Procedure?
Where can I find out more about the structure of the States?

How does the States set its priorities?
Is it worthwhile having a Plan?
How much do I need to know about what happened before our time?
How can I make sure that we make progress?
Does the States need to do everything?
Where does Alderney fit in?
What is the role of the Alderney representatives?
What is our responsibility to the rest of the Bailiwick?
Is there scope to work together with Jersey?

What kind of issues need to be taken to the States?
What are the key debates we should expect each year?
How do I find out about past States’ decisions?
How do I know who voted which way?
How come it takes so long to make progress?
Can’t we just have Executive Government?

What kind of statements do Committees give to the States?
Can I give a personal statement?
What happens during question time?

Can I challenge an election or appointment?
Can I put someone forward for an election or an appointment?
What if someone asks me to put them forward, but I don’t feel able to?
What is the States of Election?

How are laws approved?
How do I find out what laws are being drafted?
How do I make sense of the laws we’re asked to sign off?
What’s the difference between a statutory instrument, an ordinance and a projet de loi?
Is it possible to amend legislation?
What is the role of the Law Officers?
What is St James’ Chambers?

What is a States Resolution?
What happens if a Committee doesn’t fulfil a States Resolution?
How do I keep track of progress on States Resolutions?

What’s the difference between a policy letter, a minority report, a requete and an amendment?
How are policy letters written?
What is a Letter of Comment?
Can I amend a policy letter?
What do I need to include in an amendment?
Can I put a supporting report with my amendment?
Can I ask officers for advice?
Does anyone need to sign-off my amendment before I submit it?
Who can I ask to support my amendment?
Will I need to speak to the media about my amendment?

When is the States Budget debated?
Is it possible to amend the Budget?
Are there any special rules for Budget amendments?

Is there any way to stop a policy letter being debated?
Is there any way to stop an amendment being debated?
Is it possible to end a debate before everyone has spoken?
Is it possible to put a time limit on people’s speeches?

How do I write a Requete?
Can I ask officers for advice?
Does anyone need to sign-off my Requete before I submit it?
Who can I ask to support my Requete?
Why does a Requete need seven people to sign it?
Will I need to speak to the media about my Requete?

How do I write a minority report?
Can I ask officers for advice?
How do I get a minority report to be debated?
Will I need to speak to the media about my minority report?

What is an appendix report?
How can I get an appendix report to be debated?

Should I have something to say in every debate?
How do I write a speech that people will listen to?
What if I just have a technical question about a policy letter?
Why do I have to speak “through the chair”?
What if someone else’s speech provokes me to say something?
How do we vote?
Can I abstain on a vote?
I’m expecting or adopting a child – can I vote by proxy?

What if my friends or family don’t like the way I voted?

How do I build support for an issue in the States?
How do I get people to vote with me?
What happens if an issue that matters to me is being derailed?
What if someone who supported me behind the scenes now vote against me?
What if I fall out with another Deputy?
What happens if someone insults or misrepresents me?
What if someone deliberately misleads the States?
What if somebody’s integrity is being questioned?
When might we use a Motion of No Confidence or Motion of Censure?

What are States Meetings like?
What facilities are there?
Will there be people watching the debate?
Will the media be there?
Will there be campaigners on the steps of the States?
Can I go round the back?

Are there rules for how States Meetings should work, and how we should act?
Is the States bound by its own rules?
How can I change the States’ rules of procedure?

Should I build relationships with people outside States or Committee Meetings?

What is the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA)?
How do I get the most out of it?
Should I prioritise international or local political commitments?
Can Guernsey sign up to international standards?
Can I comment on international political issues?

How do I get to grips with all the issues that are outside my comfort zone?

Who can I go to for advice?
How much do I need to know if I want to be effective?
How do I respond to public misunderstanding of what’s happening?

Go on to Section 2.4: Afterwards

Part Two – In the States
(Section 2: Committee Work)

Go back to Getting into Guernsey Politics
Go back to Section 2.1: Serving Your Constituents

A quick introduction to States Committees

How do I find out more about what the Committees do?
What is a Special Investigation and Advisory Committee?
Do I need a lot of background knowledge before I join a Committee?
How can I learn more about the issues my Committee is responsible for?
What if I want a role that has an international dimension?

What does Committee work involve?
How much time should I expect to spend on Committee work?
Should I go paper-free?
Can I ask for my papers earlier?

When do Committees meet?
What happens if I miss a Committee meeting?
How are Committee agendas set?
What should I look for in a Committee paper?
How do I get the most out of a Committee meeting?

How can I get an item on my Committee’s agenda?
How can we set our priorities as a Committee?
Is it worthwhile having a Plan?
How much do I need to know about what happened before our time?
How can I make sure that we make progress?
How can I find savings opportunities?
How can we put a value on non-financial benefits?
When is a review helpful?
Is it better to tackle the bigger picture, or to take things in bite-size chunks?
How do Committees deal with the media?

What happens if I disagree with the rest of my Committee on something important?
Do Committees have ‘collective responsibility’ for our decisions?
How damaging is a Committee split?
When should I consider standing down from a Committee?
Is it possible to work with someone I disagree with?
What if the Committees I sit on are in conflict with each other?

What responsibilities does a Committee President have?
Will I have more chance of achieving my aims as President?
How do I pick my team?
Should I go for a Vice President role?

What does chairing a meeting involve?
What should I do if someone I disagree with is out of the room?
How do I deal with someone who talks too much?
Does everything need to be signed off by the whole Committee?
What if there’s bullying on my Committee?

What is the role of non-States Members on Committees?
Do non-States Members have a vote?
How do we find the right people for the role?

How do I draw the line between ‘policy-making’ and ‘operational’ work?
How do I get my head around the services my Committee delivers?
How can I be confident those services are safe and good quality?
Should we be asking the voluntary sector to take on services?
How do I understand the needs of the community?
Can I get involved in complaints against my Committee?
What is my Committee’s role in employment disputes?
Is it reasonable for staff to speak out publicly on political issues?
How much contact do Committees have with campaigners or lobbyists?
How useful are public consultations?
How can I build people’s trust in my Committee?

What kind of work is done at Committee level?
What kind of work do Committees need to bring to the States?
What is ‘delegated authority’?
How independently do Committees work?
How much cross-Committee work should I expect?
Can we hand an issue over to another Committee?
How does the public sector work?
Can I ask for advice from officers in any part of the States?
How are Committee Budgets set?
What is a business case, and why do we need it?
What is the difference between capital and revenue funding?
How do we access resources during the course of the year?
Is this really meant to be held together with string and glue?

What can I expect from the officers working for the Committee?
How do we work with statutory officials?
What if I disagree with the advice we receive?
What if it sounds too good to be true?
What if I’m not happy with a paper that we’re asked to sign off on?
Does everything need to be written in such formal language?
How do I handle a difficult relationship?
Where else can I go for advice?
How can I make use of data and statistics?

What legal responsibilities do I have as a Committee member?
Do I need to keep everything we discuss in Committee confidential?
What does good governance mean?
What counts as a conflict of interest?
Are there any checks and balances on the decisions my Committee makes?
These risks are terrifying! What do I do?
What if something goes horribly wrong?
What if there’s a protest march against us?
What if there’s an inaccurate or misleading report on my Committee?
What if we face a vote of no confidence?

So I’m a corporate parent now – what does that mean?
What have children in care got to do with my Committee’s work?

Does the States fund services from private providers?
Are these all covered by contracts?
How can we react if a service is performing poorly?
What happens if my Committee needs to renegotiate a contract?
What if a provider is lobbying us – or other politicians?
How do we manage a difficult relationship with a provider?

What if I’m not on the Committee whose work I care most about?
How do I influence a Committee from outside?
Are there opportunities to join different Committees throughout the term?
How can I get involved in Scrutiny?
How can I build support in the States for my Committee’s work?

Go on to Section 2.3: Parliament – the States Assembly

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” overlay_color=”” video_preview_image=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” padding_right=”” type=”legacy”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” center_content=”no” last=”true” min_height=”” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_sizes_top=”” border_sizes_bottom=”” border_sizes_left=”” border_sizes_right=”” first=”true”][fusion_text]

Part Two – In the States
(Section 1: Serving Your Constituents)

Go back to Getting into Guernsey Politics
Go back to Section 1.3: Election Day and Beyond

What responsibilities do I have to help people one-to-one?
Who is likely to ask me for help?
What kind of issues might I be asked to deal with?
Are there any boundaries I should set from the start?
Where can I go for advice?

Do I need to reply to every email I receive?
Should I be accessible on social media?

What if people want to meet face-to-face?
How do I make sure I stay safe?
Are there meeting room facilities I can use?

What can I do if someone takes against me?
How do I deal with insults or attacks on social media?
What if someone is systematically undermining me or spreading lies about me?
What if the media misrepresents me?

How do I make sure people know what I’m doing?
How much time should I plan to spend on one-to-one work?
How much time should I give to the media?
How do I say sorry?

Go on to Section 2.2: Committee Work

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]