Agenda - Manx Radio

At its sitting on 14th March 2023 the House of Keys will elect four Members of the Legislative Council. MHKs will want to elect the best people for the job, although it is not always clear what that job entails. Following the 2021 general election two legislative council seats became available and on was filled by Diane Kelsey. Mrs Kelsey has been relatively quiet since she was elected so what doe...

An hour long irreverent look back over the year just gone and the year to come with Sam Turton, Paul Moulton, Bernard Moffatt and me Phil Gawne. Will a great light been shone in the darkness? I wouldn’t get your hopes up.

Last week Rob Mercer MLC called on Tynwald to reaffirms its opinion that the Meat Plant is a significant strategic asset for the Isle of Man which has been severely affected by a number of changes in agricultural policies and external legislative pressures over the last 15 years. At the same sitting Daphne Caine MHK succeeded in persuading Tynwald to acknowledge the global biodiversity and ecologi...

At the sitting of the House of Keys on 14th June 2022 Dr Alex Allinson, MHK for Ramsey was given leave to introduce a Private Member’s Bill which would “enable adults who are terminally ill to be provided at their request with specified assistance to end their own life”. A public consultation has been launched which seeks your views and opinions on this controversial and very com...

There is currently no statutory framework to assist where adults either cannot communicate decisions or are unable to make decisions for themselves, but all that is about to change. Last Tuesday the Capacity Bill 2022 received its final reading in Legislative Council and returns to Keys this week for final approval. So why has it taken so long to introduce this legislation, and what impact will it...

The saying goes, “there’s lies, dang lies and statistics” but Agenda this week is speaking to three people who beg to differ. Treasury Minister Alex Allinson and Jonny Platten, Head of Economic Advisory, tell us about the new Isle of Man Government dashboard and why it's important. Also, Kelvin Corlett head of Statistics Isle of Man explains how statistics are gathered and wh...

Phil Gawne challenges Courtenay Heading on his views and opinions surrounding vaccination and Covid.

Tucked away in the December Tynwald business is an apparently modest and unassuming item which seeks to allow far greater access to the Isle of Man’s beneficial ownership register, and yet this is a significant step in removing the secrecy jurisdiction  label through which the Isle of Man’s international reputation has been attached for several decades. Treasury Minister Alex Alli...

The Clerk of Tynwald’s Office is calling for interested parties to apply for a new role - the Tynwald Auditor General. The estimated budget for the appointment and their associated office is around £400,000 so how can this be justified at a time of financial constraint. Speaker of the House of Keys Juan Watterson has long been an advocate for introducing this role and he explains all o...

A Wall Street Journal article  recently accused Isle of Man firms of helping Russian oligarchs to hide their wealth from sanctions. In this episode of Agenda, Lewis Foster turns to the company in the centre of the article - Bridgewaters - as he speaks with Managing Director Mark Veale 

The 2022 Farm Conservation Challenge and Chough Awards had dozens of entries and celebrate the strong role farmers play in protecting and encouraging the Isle of Man’s rich biodiversity. Organised by the Isle of Man Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group the awards celebrate our farming community as the guardians of our cherished natural landscape, recognising that they successfully combine com...

Jason Moorhouse, MHK for Arbory, Castletown and Malew finds himself as wholly detached from any government responsibility, leaving him free to grill Ministers on all areas of policy and delivery. His approach has been criticised for being too focussed on local, constituency matters but on Agenda this week he talks about big national topics like housing, cost of living crises and an all-Island rate...

A blast from the past on Agenda this week with Liberal Vannin founder and spokesperson Peter Karran who has raised a number of topical items in recent months. Peter calls for changes to the IoM Pension supplement, broadening the 5% VAT rate, and raises concerns over human rights.

Organisations contributing to a more sustainable Isle of Man were recognised last week at the fourth UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man Awards. The awards celebrate those contributing to the Man and the Biosphere Programme’s global aims of sustainable development, conservation and education and are organised in line with Biosphere Isle of Man’s strategy, ‘Working Together for a Sustain...

Everything you ever wanted to know about the government’s economic strategy, the inaugural government conference and how the House of Keys has fared during the 12 months since the election. Does the government have a bold an exciting vision set to change our lives for the better or is it just the same old plan with a glitzy new cover. 

Our constitutional monarchy and receiving an honour - Agenda revisits part of a program first broadcast earlier this summer.

On this episode of Agenda Simon Pickering Head of Insurance and Pensions at Finance Isle of Man reveals a whole new realm to those of us who are largely unfamiliar with the world of high finance, but this is such an important sector in providing nearly half the income on which government relies to pay for the services we all enjoy. The Manx finance industry has moved on significantly fro...

Chief Constable Gary Roberts has been in post for over a decade but will be stepping back from the role at the end of the year. He talks about the changing nature of policing in the Isle of Man and the vast range of issues covered from petty crime to international money laundering. Financial pressures restrict how effective policing can be and relatively low starting salaries means that recruitmen...

The Treasury Minister has had a lot to deal with since taking over from David Ashford three months ago. A flurry of announcements this week demonstrated an understanding of the significant financial difficulties many of us are facing, and short term fixes have been delivered - but are these sustainable? Can the government continue to burn the economic candle at both ends. On Agenda Alex Allinson M...

In this extended Agenda the Chief Minister  Alf Cannan MHK explains in some depth his government’s thinking in developing this bold ambition. Is his government all spin and glitzy brochures or is there real substance to what he says? Whatever you think you really should take the opportunity to engage with government if you want your views to help shape the future of our Island...

On Agenda this week Health Minister Lawrie Hooper MHK and Tynwald Petitioner Alison Ritchie consider the health and social care complaints regulations due to be considered this week in Tynwald. In previous debates on this topic have described the process of getting your complaint heard as a bureaucratic minefield and talked about health professionals closing ranks against complainants. So are the...

Last week the Isle of Man welcomed delegates from around the world to the Small Countries Financial Management Programme. Twenty two officials representing finance ministries, central banks and regulatory bodies came to the Island from as far afield as the Caribbean, Pacific, Indian Ocean and Africa. So what is the Programme all about and does it represent good value for the tax payers investment....

What is the significance of the outdoor sitting of Tynwald, what’s actually involved in the ceremony and is there any chance we’ll resurrect settling disputes with sword fights? Will you be going to the Tynwald fair? Is it just a good excuse for tea, cakes and a bit of a yarn or does this thousand year old institution hold a significant place in Manx hearts. Maybe both?  

Fed up with the inefficiencies of government? Think the planning system is too restrictive? Or maybe not restrictive enough? Well, this week’s Agenda might well have the answer for you. Clerk of Tynwald, Jonathan King talks us through how to present a petition to Tynwald. We also hear from campaigner Bridge Carter who is concerned about the lack of a legislative framework for preventing fina...

It is said that the higher you climb, the harder the fall. On Agenda tonight we speak to a politician who still bears the political bruises of his rather dramatic departure from office just three weeks ago. David Ashford MHK had a meteoric political rise to some of the most senior political roles in Manx politics. So how does he feel after his resignation, does he have any weaknesses and where doe...