As 2026 splutters into action this evening’s Agenda takes a look at the year ahead and offers a few predictions and insights into the year that lies before us. This year will see 24 members elected to the House of Keys for a new 5 year term so will any of the current members who stand again fall victim to public dissatisfaction. Also, with the Treasury Minister being stretched in all directions will he be able to deliver a popular budget to help sitting Keys members retain their seats? Will our political crystal balls prove to be accurate? Hmmm - Probably not!

Just over sixty years ago the BBC produced an extraordinary film which couldn’t have been more critical of the Isle of Man had it tried. If you think Donald Trump was hard done to last year by the BBC well this short documentary the Other Island is a master class in how to destroy a country’s reputation. Was it a coincidence that Manx Radio was established the year before much to the BBC’s great displeasure?

Stu Peters tried to persuade Tynwald to ask the public what they think of Tynwald and government’s net zero policies. As the overwhelming majority of Tynwald members back the net zero initiatives they rejected the referendum call and suggested this will be better settled at the 2026 election. Chris Thomas narrowly missed out on persuading Tynwald to reopen gas exploration and John Wannenburgh succeeded in persuading Tynwald and government to do more to back Manx produce. Was Tynwald right to reject the referendum call and instead rely on who you choose as your MHK to make the right decision?

The Extradition Bill 2025 is making its way through the legislative process and for all but a handful of people its impact on our lives will be minimal. So why do we need this legislation? Well, according to the notes on the Bill, no one should be able to escape justice simply by crossing a border, and our current extradition law relies on a largely repealed piece of dated UK legislation. In other news the electricity inter-connector is 25 years old and during its life 25 billion units of electricity have been exported to the UK providing the MUA with an £80 million profit. Exporting electricity and criminals - some good news at last.

There are two new Bills progressing through the House of Keys at the moment and on Agenda we find out what the motivation is for bringing them forward and what their impact will be on our lives. The Education Bill is a mere shadow of the Bill which had previously been brought forward by the education department but it will have a significant impact on home schooling and children with additional educational needs. And do we really need a law to give women access to free period products? The Education Minister has taken her department back to school to produce the slimmer Bill but will the Keys give it ten out of ten or a “see me after the lesson?”

The Area Plan for the North and West would have completed the planning picture for the Island but it was defeated in and extraordinary vote in Tynwald with both Keys and LegCo tied - 12 - 12 and 4 - 4 which meant the President of Tynwald had to use his casting vote which by convention means voting against change? So what happened in Tynwald and why did Tynwald vote to defeat this plan which was the result of around five years hard work by officers. On Agenda we hear some of the highlights of this unprecedented debate. Was there some filibustering going on? Was government complacent? Were the Tynwald members who voted against right to demand facts and detail to back up the shaky housing figures?

The Bishop’s vote moved a step closer to extinction last Tuesday when the Bill which seeks to abolish it finished its passage through the Legislative Council. The Bill had been paused for some time while a LegCo committee considered the impact of this measure but despite setting out clearly that the loss of the Bishop’s vote would most likely result in the loss of a Bishop of Sodor and Mann LegCo supported Key’s resolve to remove what many see as an undemocratic vote. Two of the more prominent speakers in the debate Gary Clueit and Paul Craine explain the process and the two sides of the debate on Agenda. With the Bishop’s vote all but gone will Keys shift their attention to the undemocratic Legislative Council next?

Agenda 10.11.25

Is government’s whistle blowing policy fit for purpose? Well a new Tynwald Committee has been set up to answer that very question? Should concerned government employees be able to take their concerns directly to an MHK or is this best left to HR experts to handle? Also, there were several questions raised in October Tynwald about young people not in work or education, is government flip flopping on apprenticeship support, are reservoir repairs over the top and concerns in the south over changes in the rating system. Agenda blowing the whistle on the big political stories of the day ........ or was that just the kettle boiling?

The Government’s Transport Strategy was considered by Tynwald last month and while there was no request for it to be supported it was merely noted by our politicians. Where does leave the strategy if it’s not supported by Tynwald? Also why did Tynwald pick one of the highest year’s for green house gas emissions as the base line on which future emissions reductions are referenced? Has Tynwald done a disservice to itself in not acknowledging significant impacts of previous political actions to reduce climate harming emissions? Is our transport strategy on a road to nowhere and should emissions reduction targets be allowed to go up in smoke?

The Area Plan for the North and West was defeated by three votes in last week’s Tynwald sitting and while it remains possible that it could scrape through in the November sitting it will require all of Cabinet Office Minister David Ashford’s political guile to make that happen. So why has it failed? On Agenda this week Chris Thomas and Paul Craine explain what their concerns are and even the Treasury Minister acknowledges weaknesses in the process. With no plan B, defeat of the plan means the north and west are relying on plans now several decades old. Is Tynwald playing high stakes poker with our planning system?