In brief: Lee Madden, who resigned as Chamber of Commerce president earlier this year over a donation he made to Value Jersey, has been appointed chair of the political movement. The recruitment specialist confirmed the donation was £5,000 and says he now intends to help Value Jersey evolve its policies, with a focus on the cost of living and public spending.
From Chamber Exit to Value Jersey Chair
It has been quite a journey for Lee Madden. In June, the founder of GR8 Recruitment stepped down as president of the Chamber of Commerce, just over 12 months into a three-year term, after it emerged he had made a personal cash donation to Value Jersey roughly 18 months earlier while serving as vice-president. The donation had been declared in the Chamber’s register of interests in April, but it raised concerns about political independence, particularly from the organisation’s retail committee.
At the time of his departure, Mr Madden described the donation as a personal matter and was notably coy about the amount, saying only that it was “not in the hundreds” of pounds. He has now cleared that up: speaking to the Jersey Evening Post about his new role as Value Jersey chair, he confirmed the figure was £5,000.
Mr Madden said the decision to take on the chairmanship followed considerable reflection over the summer and extensive conversations with people both inside and outside Value Jersey. The final nudge, it seems, came from a workshop held in London last week with the Messina Group, a political consultancy that worked with Value Jersey during the election campaign. Several States Members aligned with Value Jersey also attended. The Messina Group was founded by Jim Messina, who worked on Barack Obama’s successful re-election campaign in 2012.
Policy Ambitions: The “Purple Book” Gets a Refresh
Mr Madden is not planning to simply keep the seat warm. He told the JEP that Value Jersey’s so-called “Purple Book” of policies would be treated as a “living document,” with its contents evolving over time. The key priorities, he said, would be addressing Jersey’s high cost of living and bringing public spending under control, two themes that will resonate strongly with many islanders watching their household budgets and their tax bills with equal anxiety.
“We’ll be publishing regular policy updates, and we want to build stronger relationships with business and with the third sector that will contribute to a thriving economy,” Mr Madden said. He also addressed the ongoing relationship with the Messina Group directly, drawing a pointed comparison with government practice: “The government engages consultants in various areas, using taxpayers’ money, and this is the same idea, but funded privately by those who support Value Jersey.”
It is a fair observation. Jersey’s Government has never been shy about reaching for the consultancy cheque book when it wants external expertise, so a privately funded political movement doing the same thing is, at the very least, consistent in principle, even if the funding sources differ considerably.
What This Means for Jersey Politics
Value Jersey emerged as a notable force in the last election cycle, and the appointment of a well-connected business figure as chair signals an intention to remain a serious player in island politics rather than fade into the background between elections. Mr Madden’s background in recruitment and his former role at the Chamber of Commerce give him a broad network across Jersey’s business community, which Value Jersey will no doubt be keen to cultivate.
The movement’s stated focus on cost of living and public spending control places it squarely in territory that matters to a large proportion of Jersey residents. With the Government of Jersey facing ongoing scrutiny over its expenditure and efficiency, a well-organised, privately funded pressure group pushing for fiscal discipline could prove a useful counterweight in public debate.
Source: Jersey Evening Post
