Although the
politics of Jersey
The Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown dependency, unitary state and parliamentary representative democracy and constitutional monarchy. The head of the civil administration and judiciary is the Bailiff Timothy Le Cocq, while the Chief ...
has been largely based on independent parliamentary representatives, from time to time the island has had political parties. There are currently 4 active political parties in the island.
In 2000, the Clothier report noted that "over the centuries Jersey has had many parties, by which one means only a coming together of like minds to achieve a particular objective. Once achieved, the binding purpose has disappeared and the group pursuing it has dissolved. Such a grouping is not a true political party because it lacks the cement of a common philosophy of government, having only a narrow objective to hold it together until the objective is either attained or lost".
Various
parties
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...
have been formed over the years in Jersey, but since the 1950s the majority of candidates have stood for election
unaffiliated to any political party.
Current parties
History
18th century
Historically, two parties dominated Jersey politics. Originating in the 1770s, the ''Jeannot party'' formed around the radical lawyer and
Connétable, Jean Dumaresq, who opposed the cabal of
Jurat
The ''jurats'' () are lay people in Guernsey and Jersey who act as judges of fact rather than law, though they preside over land conveyances and liquor licensing. In Alderney, however, the jurats are judges of both fact and law (assisted by the ...
s who surrounded Lieutenant-
Bailiff Charles Lemprière (whose supporters became known as the ''Charlot party''). The Jeannots rapidly adopted the nickname of ''Magots'' (
cheese mites) after their opponents boasted of aiming to crush them like
mites.
Dumaresq believed in political reform and was an early example of a
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
. He believed in democratic reform - that the States should have vested in them executive power and should be composed democratically elected Deputies.
:200
19th century
After the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, the parties were still existent. St Ouen provided each party with an emblem and a name: the Charlots (the Conservatives, sporting a rose) and the Magots (the Progressives, sporting a laurel leaf).
:231
The symbolism soon became entrenched to the extent that gardens displayed their owners' allegiances, and
pink
Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
or
green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combi ...
paintwork also showed political sympathies. Still today in Jersey, the presence of established laurels or rose gardens in old houses gives a clue to the past party adherence of former owners, and the chair of the Constable of
Saint Helier
St Helier (; Jèrriais: ; french: Saint-Hélier) is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St Helier has a population of 35,822 – over one-third of the total population of Jersey – ...
in the Assembly Room of the Parish Hall still sports the carved roses of a former incumbent.
In order to help control voting in Jersey, it was not unknown for citizens to find themselves taken and stranded on the
Écréhous
The Écréhous (or in Jèrriais: ''Êcrého'') are a group of islands and rocks situated six miles (9.6 km) north-east of Jersey, and eight miles (12.8 km) from France. They form part of the Bailiwick of Jersey and are administrativel ...
until after voting had taken place. By the time of the introduction of the secret ballot in 1891, party politics had waned.
''Blues'' and ''Reds'' contested local elections into the 1920s, but Islandwide party politics lay dormant until the post-Occupation elections under the new Constitution of 1948.
After the Occupation
The first election under the new constitution saw a struggle for dominance between the
Jersey Democratic Movement
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the la ...
and the
Jersey Progressive Party
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the la ...
, led by
Cyril Le Marquand
Cyril Le Marquand (1902 - 1980) was a Jersey politician and businessman.
He was born on 6 March 1902 at Bel Royal, St Lawrence, the only son of Joshua Le Marquand and Lilian Le Feuvre. He was educated at Victoria College from 1916 to 1919, and ...
. Having achieved the political reforms it advocated the Progressive Party soon folded as an organisation, while the Democratic Movement, incorporating the tiny
Communist Party of Jersey
The Jersey Communist Party was a political party on the island of Jersey. The JCP seems to have had a semi-autonomous relation to the Communist Party of Great Britain.
During the Second World War, when Jersey was under Nazi occupation, the JCP-l ...
, continued in existence as a campaigning social movement until the late 20th century.
After the 2005 constitutional reforms
The prospect of
ministerial government and the creation of an executive and opposition, led to the formation of two political parties – the
Jersey Democratic Alliance and the
Centre Party – in preparation for the
2005 elections. A group called "Elect Jersey 2005" worked to assist some independent candidates prepare for the elections. None of the party-affiliated candidates was successful in the October senatorial elections; three
JDA members standing as independents were elected as deputies in November 2005 along with two members of the
Centre Party who had similarly stood as independents. The Centre Party was wound up in 2007.
In 2008, legislation was passed to require registration of political parties who wished to endorse candidates for election as a senator, deputy or
Connétable.
In the
2008 elections for senators, the
JDA fielded two candidates, two candidates stood as members of the campaign group "Jersey 2020" (focusing on environmental issues) and two for "Time4Change/Reform": none was successful. In the subsequent deputies' elections, four
JDA candidates were successful, but three of them subsequently left the party and continued to sit as independents. In August 2011, the
JDA announced that party members would stand only as independents in the
October 2011 elections. A branch of the '
Liberal Democrats Abroad' was formed in the island in November 2011.
On 4 July 2014,
Reform Jersey
Reform Jersey is a social-democratic political party in Jersey, a British Crown Dependency in the Channel Islands.
History Formation
Reform Jersey was founded in 2012 as a pressure group by Montfort Tadier, Nick Le Cornu, Jason Cronin and ...
became Jersey's only political party when it was registered in the Royal Court. The party contested the 2014 general election where 3 of their 8 candidates were elected. In 2021, another political party, the
Progress Party, was registered. In 2020, the
Jersey Liberal Conservatives
The Jersey Liberal Conservatives is a centre-right party in Jersey founded in 2021 to compete for the following year's general election. It was officially registered on 8 January 2022.
Founding members include former the Bailiff of Jersey Phil ...
was registered.
Former parties
* Jeannot party (Magots) (emerged 1780s)
* Charlot party (emerged 1780s)
* Rose party (formerly Jeannots) (formed 1819)
* Laurel party (formerly Charlots) (formed 1819)
* Jersey Labour Party (active 1940s)
* Jersey Progressive Party (active 1940s)
* Jersey Democratic Movement (active 1940s-1990s)
*
Jersey Green Party
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the l ...
(Senator
Stuart Syvret
Stuart Syvret is a former Jersey politician. He held elected office as a member of the States of Jersey assembly from 1990 to 2010. From 1999 to 2007, Svyret had executive responsibilities first as President of the Health and Social Services C ...
;
[Green Islands Network](_blank)
Geraint Jennings
Geraint Jennings (born 13 May 1966) is a Jersey member of Municipality of St Helier and linguist.
Biography
Born in Saint Helier, he was educated at Victoria College Preparatory and Christ's Hospital. He graduated from University College, O ...
[Geraint Jennings](_blank)
) (1980s-2005)
*
Jersey Democratic Alliance (formed 2005)
*
Centre Party (2005-2007)
*
Jersey Conservative Party
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the l ...
(formed 2007)
*
Liberal Democrats (Jersey 'Liberal Democrats Abroad' branch formed in November 2011)
[; ]
See also
*
Politics of Jersey
The Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown dependency, unitary state and parliamentary representative democracy and constitutional monarchy. The head of the civil administration and judiciary is the Bailiff Timothy Le Cocq, while the Chief ...
*
List of political parties by country
This is a list of ruling political parties by country, in the form of a table with a link to an overview of political parties in each country and showing which party system is dominant in each country. A political party is a political organizat ...
References
{{List of political parties in Europe
Politics of Jersey
Political parties
Political parties