I have always been a driven individual. I never want to look over my shoulder and think “if only”. The two saddest words in the English language.

So I felt now was a time to put my money where my mouth was. To stand up and be counted.

I grew up in a divided house. My dad a staunch Labour man, a union man. My mother a devout conservative. I could never understand why they couldn’t find common ground. Why they couldn’t listen to what each other had to say but were entrenched in their views.

Over the years politics has always bubbled away beneath the surface.The older you get, the more experience you tuck away, the more you feel you have to offer. The more you realise you have to work with people, listen carefully to them  and where you can help them.

Over the last few years it became apparent to me there were decisions being made in Government that lacked foresight and there was little evidence of real debate, real opposition no creative thinking.

But more than that there was a  disconnection from the electorate. This has become more evident. You couple poor decisions to poor communications and you get disastrous results. People feel removed, disaffection prevails, apathy reigns.

We all have to play our part in getting this island back on track.

When I came up with the notion of “Think Twice Buy Local” it wasn’t for any personal gain but to respond to the needs of local retailers who were finding it difficult to compete with the internet. It was meant purely as a kind of provocation to get people thinking and discussing the matter. In short it worked.

If you adopt a “Can do” attitude with a positive force behind it you can solve all manner of problems large and small.

I have worked hard for Jersey and my local community and will continue to build upon that success. I would like an opportunity to prove myself and help create a Jersey that islanders are proud of.