Celebrating Jersey's oldest political campaigner

On the Voice for Protest blog they have a photo and details of a new portrait of 97 year old Jersey political campaigner, Emile Collins.

Emile was born in St Helier in September 1912 and has lived in the parish ever since.

Emile has been an active member of political movements in Jersey for over 60 years, including membership of the Jersey Democratic Union in 1944.

That was during the Nazi Occupation of Jersey when it was punishable by death to be a member of a political party.

In those early days the JDU members would meet in a house in Stopford Road trying to dodge the German patrols and the curfew.

The Jersey Democratic Union later became the Jersey Democratic Movement after the Occupation.

Even now Emile is still an active political campaigner in Jersey, regularly attending rally's and contributing to BBC Jersey's lunchtime phone-in and our weekly Sunday political phone-in.

And in 2009 Emile was made an Honorary Patron of the islands only political party, The Jersey Democratic Alliance.

Team Voice said in their post that they wanted to recognise Emille's contribution to Jersey politics for future generations.

We have chosen to commission this "one off" portrait because we want him recognised now and by future generations as one of the unsung people who have campaigned so that we all might enjoy the privileges of a democratic society.

How sad then, that there should, at this time, be so many divisions in the "progressive" arm of Jersey politics.

The portrait is currently on display at the Falle Fine Art Gallery opposite the States of Jersey building in Hill Street.

But the people behind the Voice for Protest blog hope someone will sponsor or buy the artwork and "make it available for public exhibition, in an appropriate place, for many years to come."

Thanks to Voice for Protest for the photo and story.