Election 2008

Our two poll toppers are serving Deputy Al Brouard from the West and from the Vale first time candidate Matt Fallaize.

Newspaper roundsman 26-year-old Matt Fallaize described how he felt: "I mean obviously elated, delighted and shocked, but I'm not stupid enough to think that everybody that went into that booth put a cross specifically next to my name."

"People wanted change, there's been dissatisfaction with the States over the last four years and I've just been lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time," Fallaize added.

Al Brouard was just as shocked: "I didn't think it would happen, I was just absolutely blown away by the margin. A fantastic result for me and a really big thank you to everybody in the West who gave me their support."

Asked why he thought he'd been re-elected Brouard was not sure: "You'd have to ask them to be honest, but I have worked pretty hard in the States for the last four years, been very sensible in the propositions I brought forward."

"It's related very much to the electorate, they see a very similar view, what I have is what they have, and a very reasonable campaign to get re-elected as well so I think it's a combination," said Brouard.

"I think the people in the West wanted the continuity and that structure, someone that they could trust, someone they knew, someone who had worked in the douzenies before or someone they had some comfort in. I think that helped me a lot, I think that’s probably the main – a stability issue."

One issue really got the Deputies Elect going and that was Zero-Ten.

Fallaize said, "We had to change to some extent and I'm not entirely satisfied that we changed in the right direction, I think we perhaps went too far too soon, but it's interesting looking at the results last night as obviously Al's done well, so has Mark Dorey who didn't vote for this form of Zero-Ten, Barry Brehaut topped the poll, Charles Parkinson has had a fantastic result so there has obviously something of a swing in the way the public have voted on that issue.

Brouard commented, "A lot of people didn't understand why we had to go so cheap on tax for the banks, yes a zero product we definitely needed that but there was no reason for us to go that low on the banks. I don't think it will be tampered with in the short term, I think we've got to let what what we've got in place to run for a year or two and then look to see what can be done."