Perspective - Manx Radio

The Assisted Dying Bill 2023 is being progressed now through the Legislative Council and at the Principles Stage of the Bill there was a successful call for further evidence to be taken. The vote in LegCo was seven in favour of the Bill with just one against. We’ve heard a lot over the past year or so about the case in favour and against the principle of introducing legislation to allow people to end their life so on Perspective this week we’re considering what the legislation now looks like, why new evidence is needed to be considered what concerns remain.

Why do we have a Chief Minister? Is it to provide leadership to the government or political direction perhaps? Is the role all about consensus building in Tynwald? Perhaps it’s all of these things and more? Certainly the debate which preceded the Keys “no confidence vote” this week covered all of these possibilities and more. There was some quite profound discussion and erudite thinking in the House of Keys which ultimately saw the Chief Minister comfortably survive the vote. On Perspective we consider some of the points made and what, if any, lessons have been learned? A storm in a tea cup maybe but has the cup been dangerously cracked in the process?

So much to talk about on Perspective this week. Some Tynwald leftovers - whistle blowing and a Manx framework for awarding degrees, the fallout from Lawrie Hooper’s resignation, a new chief minister candidate explains why he’s putting his name forward, energy policy, Crogga and a suggested half billion raid on our NI fund. Julie Edge and Chris Thomas give their views on all of the above and ask the Chief Minister to step down rather than facing a no confidence vote. Do you think we need a new name on the Chief Minister’s door or is political stability and getting on with the job more important?

October Tynwald proved to be a much more lively affair that we had expected. As he resigned his Health Minister role, Ramsey MHK Lawrie Hooper accused the Chief Minister of undermining Manx Care and wishing to privatise health services, and repeated his assertion that Health is underfunded not over budget. The Chief Minister responded by robustly denying that he or CoMin plan to privatise health and releasing a damning report into the financial governance of Manx Care which hadn’t been shared with government prior to the former Minister’s departure. A bit early for bonfire night but expect fireworks!

Tynwald returns from its summer recess next week so what does the Order Paper tell us about what the Government has been up to since July? You might expect members to be keen to debate the Manx Care overspend but there are just a few questions and one motion on health and perhaps surprisingly no statement from the Health Minister. Maybe the Chief Minister will reveal more in his autumn statement? MHKs Claire Christian and Rob Callister pick over the relatively small number of motions on Perspective. We’ll not be just going through the motions on this week’s show.

We’ve heard a lot from Ministers over the past few weeks about their plans and progress in getting to grips with the big issues facing the Isle of Man, so on Perspective this week we invite three private sector leaders to mark government’s card. Economist John Webster, Farmers Union official Sarah Comish and Carl Joughin from the licenced victuallers association consider what we’ve learned from the recent Government Conference and discuss how well supported businesses feel. Will government get a gold star or see me after the lesson.

The third Isle of Man Government Conference took place last week and while the event was light on big announcements it was certainly informative to those who attended. Perspective this week talks to some of the speakers from the second day of the conference. Want to know more about the man tasked with delivering over 10 million pounds of savings? Wondering why the treasury Minister was relatively low key in his speech? Interested to know why we’re suddenly more focussed on security? Well Perspective has all the answers. And is the Chief Minister steadying the ship or rocking the boat?

The third Isle of Man Government Conference took place earlier this week and it gave us all the opportunity to question Ministers, senior civil servants and businesses leaders. The Conference focussed on the economy and there were some very informative sessions but the political background to these discussions was the sharp rebuke issued to Manx Care by the Chief Minister for unacceptable health overspends. There was little clarity given as to how this issue will be addressed and no opportunity to find out about Manx Care’s success in driving down waiting lists and improving services. Air and Sea Services, economic development, Artificial Intelligence and the biosphere were discussed and you can hear some of the Conference day 1 highlights on Perspective. As for the elephant in the room …. just silence!

Education, Health and Housing will not be on the agenda at this week’s Government Conference. The Chief Minister tells Perspective why not as well as explaining why people should attend the Conference. Chris Thomas ponders the value of three years worth of government strategies and policies and offers some suggestions to deliver success. Isle of Man Government is facing some serious financial challenges but do Ministers have the resolve to address them?

The Liberal Vannin party held it’s AGM a few weeks ago and agreed that Government should be more transparent on procurement. They also asked for the proposed new government levy to be progressive and include a tax on capital or wealth. Meanwhile Liberal Vannin founder and long standing former Onchan MHK Peter Karran has renewed his call for new measures to alleviate the housing crisis. Some politically bold suggestions from Liberal Vannin which could cause a ripple of anxiety among the Island’s wealthiest residents, but is it just talk or will the Party deliver some meaningful change?