States of Alderney
Encyclopedia
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
of Alderney
Alderney
Alderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The area is , making it the third-largest island of the Channel Islands, and the second largest in the Bailiwick...
, part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. The origin of the States is unknown, but has operated from the mediaeval period. The States of Alderney comprises ten Members, and a President of the States of Alderney
Leader of Alderney
Alderney is a dependency of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Its leader has traditionally been appointed by the British Crown and has been known by various titles including Lord of Alderney, Governor of Alderney, and the current President of Alderney. The President of Alderney is directly elected every...
, currently Sir Norman Browse
Norman Browse
Sir Norman Browse has been President of the States of Alderney since 2002. He is a retired surgeon.-Professional life:...
since 2002.
Structure
The States of Alderney includes ten members, half of whom have to stand for election every two years so that the entire parliament is changed over a period of four years. There is also a president who must stand for election every four years, although there is no constitutional limit on the number of terms they may serve. Routine government is performed by three committees, Policy and Finance, General Services, and Building and Development Control, each of which works under a different mandate and has a separate budget. Extra committees are usually formed in order to deal with specific areas of policy, such as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Management Committee. In addition, two members of the States are nominated as representatives to the Guernsey States of DeliberationStates of Guernsey
The States of Guernsey is the parliament of the island of Guernsey. Some laws and ordinances approved by the States of Guernsey also apply to Alderney and Sark as "Bailiwick-wide legislation" with the consent of the governments of those islands...
.
Legal Status
Although the island is in many respects self-governing and has traditionally had a great deal of informal independence, it is currently part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Certain services such as policing are provided by Guernsey. DefenceDefense (military)
Defense has several uses in the sphere of military application.Personal defense implies measures taken by individual soldiers in protecting themselves whether by use of protective materials such as armor, or field construction of trenches or a bunker, or by using weapons that prevent the enemy...
and Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy is a bimonthly American magazine founded in 1970 by Samuel P. Huntington and Warren Demian Manshel.Originally, the magazine was a quarterly...
are dealt with by the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, through the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
. According to custom, the British Crown does not involve itself in Alderney politics, although theoretically it has the ability to.
Current members
The most recently-electedAlderney election, 2008
General elections to the States of Alderney were held in Alderney on 6 December 2008. All 5 elected members were independents. The results were complicated by the first ever tie in Alderney's electoral history, between John Beaman and Don Oakden, both with 294 votes...
group of members of the States of Alderney are:
- Peter AllenPeter Allen (politician)Peter Allen is one of the ten current States of Alderney Members. He gained the highest total number of votes in the Ordinary Election on 6 December 2008, with a total of 520....
, John BeamanJohn BeamanJohn Richard Beaman is one of the ten current States of Alderney Members and became the Chairman of the influential Policy and Finance Committee in January 2011. Prior to this, he was the Island’s Representative for Tourism...
, Boyd Kelly, Geoffrey Sargent and Bill Walden. They hold mandates until December 2013.
The five members from the previous elections are:
- Liz Bennett, Richard Cox, Ian Tugby, Colin Williams and Richard Willmott.
Elections
The President of the States of Alderney is directly elected every four years. Half of the ten States MembersStates of Alderney Member
The ten States of Alderney Members make up the legislature of the island of Alderney. Half of the ten States Members are elected every two years for a four year mandate...
are elected every two years for a four year mandate, which means that every four years the composition of the parliament changes completely. The last election was held on 6 December 2008, and the turnout of over 700 people produced a frequency of 65.6%. The whole island is a single constituency.
History
Although the origins of the states of Alderney are unknown, it has functioned since the middle agesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, making it one of the world’s older parliaments.
Until the reform of 1948, the States of Alderney consisted of:
- Lieutenant-Governor of GuernseyLieutenant Governor of GuernseyThe Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey is the representative of the British monarch in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a Crown dependency of the British Crown. The role of the Lieutenant Governor is to act as the de facto head of state in Guernsey and as liaison between the governments of Guernsey and the...
- the Judge (appointed by the CrownThe CrownThe Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
, equivalent of the Bailiff in Guernsey and Jersey) - 6 JuratJuratJurat is the name given to the clause at the foot of an affidavit showing when, where, and before whom the actual oath was sworn or affirmation was made....
s (elected by the voters) - the officers of the Court of Alderney
- 4 Douzainiers (elected annually by the ratepayers)
- a Douzainier-Delegate (appointed by the Douzaine)
- 3 People's Deputies (elected by the voters for a 3 year mandate)