What is your view on health care provision on the Island?
Of course this must be proteched but it will mean changes in other areas and these will have to be faced up to. Going forward the main challenge lies in responding to the trend towards ever greater gegrees of specialisation in each area of treatment.
Does the Island provide a good education?
Lik ehealth, education will suffer if it is placed under too much cost pressure - particularly having already gone through one round of cuts. Again - if we are determined to protect our education service (and we must) then it will mean adjustments elsewhere. The International Business School does however need to be revisited.
Should the Island be independent?
If by this you mean we should opt out of the common purse agreement then my answer is no. We will have enough to do in the next few years trying to get the government budget back into balance. The simple truth is we are still doing reasonably well out of the agreement.
What are your views on the islands taxation regime and VAT?
We must remain a low tax jurusdiction to survive. We must also stay with the common purse agreement as stated in my earlier answer. To protect our position we must cut costs and grow our economy - both of which are considerable chalanges, each in their own right, whilst any adjustment to the tax take must be done with very great care indeed.
Is inflation hurting the Isle of Man?
Yes of course it is. With consumer infaltion well ahead of wage inflation the impact on household budgets is very real indeed and it does not look as iff it will fall a great deal in the future. Our Island rate is made worse by the cost of ferry freight and that of course is linked to the user agreement (which must ultimately go).
Should there be state owned monopolies or free market competition (i.e. Water, Post, Gas, Electricity, Telecom's, Ferry Travel etc..)?
Water - Yes
Post - the current arrangement is satisfactory
Ferry - please refer to my manifesto
Electricity - Yes but there should be greater opportunity for viable small scale self generation
Telecoms - the current arrangement is reasonable in the circumstances
Airport - please see my manifesto
Should we have an open seas policy like the open sky's policy?
No - please refer to my manifesto
Does the Island do enough to protect its environment?
There is a need to do more but opportunities to do so will only evolve through a medium to long term commitment to a range of initiaitves.
Where do you see the future of the Islands economy (i.e. Finance, Manufacturing, Service, Tourism, Film, Space etc)?
This is a very big and important question because it is on this that so much will depend. It is too big a question to answer here but I will be addressing it in my manifesto.
Where do you think new jobs can be generated?
This is really the same question as the above one so it gets the same answer.
Should the Chief Minister and MLC's be publicly elected?
Chif Minister
The short answer is yes - the longer answer is the Chief Minister should enjoy a mandate from both Tynwald and the Electorate and there are ways this can be achived.
MLC's - Yes
Details will appear here.
