Talk:Politics of Jersey

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[edit] Position of Bailiff

Have removed text here so it can be worked on for encyclopaedic character -

In the case McGonnell vs. United Kingdom the European Court of Human Rights ruled this arrangement as in contravention of the convention. Whilst steps have been taken to ensure that no further cases can be bought before the European Court with the introduction of Royal Commissioners to sit on cases in which the Bailiff or Deputy Bailiff have presided as speaker, the current Bailiff Sir Phillip Bailhache himself recognises that it is preferable to remove the Bailiff from the States Chamber rather than from his position as Chief Judge.

It ought to be made clear for the uninitiated that the ECHR has not ruled on the position of Bailiff in Jersey - the ruling applied to the Bailiff's position in Guernsey, which is (and was) different. The reference is misleading without the context. Perhaps a section on the evolution of the historical rôle of Bailiff would provide encyclopaedic context, without sounding like part of a campaign document? (Personally, I'm all in favour of having an elected President of the States). Man vyi 05:50, 4 September 2006 (UTC)

I have been researching this further and have added a section to Bailiff (Channel Islands) which puts this reference within its wider historical context. See what you think.