We Need More Improv in the States — And Here’s Why

When I first stood for election back in 2016, it was Guernsey’s unique political system that made me want to put myself forward. Unlike most places, we don’t have political parties in the traditional sense. We don’t have a government on one side and an opposition on the other. Instead, we have consensus government — a system where every deputy is part of the government, and policy is meant to be created collaboratively.

That concept — of building something together rather than fighting to win — felt instinctively right to me. After all, I’d already spent 20 years (29 now!) performing and teaching improvisation. In improv, you learn that the best outcomes come from listening deeply, trusting the group, and working to make your partner look good. You create in the moment by building on each other’s ideas, and the results are often far stronger and more imaginative than anything one person could come up with alone.

That ethos — of ensemble thinking, rather than individual ego — felt like a perfect match for how Guernsey should be governed.

But over the past few years, I’ve watched with growing frustration as that consensus ideal has started to slip. Instead of collaboration, we’ve seen confrontation. Instead of shared ownership of problems, we’ve seen political point-scoring and committees working in silos. Instead of collective leadership, we’ve seen deputies acting as if they’re in opposition to their own government — and to each other.

So I decided to write about it.

My latest opinion piece for the Guernsey Press is called We Need More Improv in the States. Not because I think we need more comedy (though that might help too), but because I believe the principles of improvisation — listening, trusting, saying “yes, and”, and making your partner look good — are exactly what’s missing from our politics.

If we’re going to tackle the big issues we face — the housing crisis, cost of living pressures, long-term care, infrastructure investment, and the fiscal black hole — we’re going to need to work together. Really work together. Not just say we believe in teamwork, but understand what it actually demands: generosity, humility, shared responsibility, and the courage to support something even when it’s not your idea.

This June, I’m standing for election again because I still believe in Guernsey’s potential — and in the power of good collaboration to unlock it. I’ve seen what it looks like when we work together with purpose. And I’ve seen what happens when we don’t.

You can read the full article in the Guernsey Press here: Read: We Need More Improv in the States

Thanks for reading. Let’s stop performing — and start solving.