Perspective - Manx Radio Manx Radio

Manx Care’s ambition is to become the best small Island health and social care system in the world and Manx Care’s Chief Executive certainly has the passion and commitment to try to deliver that very worthy aspiration. So why have we not seen  that ambition being delivered so far? What obstacles lie in the way of Manx Care delivering health and social services to help us all live long and healthy lives. Find out when Teresa Cope joins Phil Gawne on Perspective. If strategies, reports and plans cured illnesses we’d all be a lot healthier - so when will we start to see the real change and improvement that significant budget increases appear to promise?

Are you happy with your energy bills? Do you like the uncertainty of how much your next fuel purchase is going to cost? Are you a gardener or farmer concerned about the past four months’ above average rainfall? Is it possible to mitigate against the problems climate change will bring or has that boat already sailed? Energy and Sustainability Centre Directors Ralph Peak and Adrian Cowin think they have some of the answers, and they share their thoughts on this week’s Perspective. Whether you accept man-made Climate Change or not, cheaper, cleaner energy must be a good thing? Or do you think it’s just an unnecessary drop of Manx Green Wash in a mighty overheated global ocean?

Great opportunity to represent the Island both here and abroad, good people skills required, must be able to please all the people all the time, while taking the really tough and difficult decisions. You’ll be working with a great team, many of whom want your job, and all of your 86,000 stakeholders expect you to be instantly available to answer their call. This is a five year post provided you don’t upset too many people! Who’d want to be the Chief Minister? Well Alf Cannan seems keen and he joins Phil Gawne on Perspective. How does he think he’s doing half way through his term in office? Any green shoots waiting round the corner or is that just MHKs wielding long knives?

On last week’s Perspective the Treasury Minister made a valiant attempt to defend the Isle of Man Government’s Tax Strategy. The Strategy was presented to Tynwald this week, not for approval but merely to be received, but even that modest objective came close to being derailed by an amendment from David Ashford. On Perspective we hear from several disgruntled Tynwald members who had hoped for much more in the strategy. We also hear why Tynwald members didn’t think that it was necessary for international standards to be applied to the size of Keys constituencies. Tynwald was certainly sailing through troubled waters this week.

On Perspective last week economist John Webster identified significant areas for improvement in the Island’s economic policies. He marked the Treasury Minister’s card with - could do better - see me after the lesson. Members of the Chamber of Commerce were particularly concerned in their assessment of February’s budget and its impact on their businesses. The recently released Tax Strategy has been criticised in many quarters for being very light in substance. Treasury Minister Alex Allinson joins Phil Gawne to respond to some of the criticism. Should we be grateful for being asked to pay more tax for improved services?

John Webster is an economist, business owner and Chairman of the Manx Technology Group as well as an independent adviser to various investment funds and involved with the UN as an economic adviser to small islands. He was also economic adviser to the Isle of Man Government back in the 1980s so he’s well qualified to talk about the economic situation in the Isle of Man. On Perspective John Webster joins me Phil Gawne to talk about the Budget, the newly released tax strategy and what steps should be taken to ensure the Isle of Man prospers again in the future.