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About a month ago Paul Craine told Agenda about the quite stark findings of his second IoM population atlas. The statistics showing a significantly aging population were bad enough in Mr Craine’s first population atlas but the latest version tells an increasingly concerning tale. So what’s to be done? Find out on this week’s Agenda. Have we been too focussed on policies to keep growing the economy and the public services we need and enjoy? Should we instead be developing policy that leads to a happier, more contented society that’s not forever chasing its tail. Anyone out there bold enough to have a dream?!

The Public Accounts Committee heard from the Treasury Minister and some of his officers last week. During a lengthy session topics included the structural deficit in the government’s budget, the sustainability of ever increasing health spending, government pay and the triple lock pension guarantee. Listen to some of the highlights of that session on this week’s Agenda. The Treasury Minister was talking a tough talk on getting public finances but will we see the talk turn into real action?

Kirstie Morphet has certainly not allowed the grass to grow under her feet since being elected to the Legislative Council just over a year ago. She’s not shy of tackling issues like homelessness and social exclusion and is not afraid of rocking the political boat to get things done. In tomorrow’s LegCo sitting she’ll take the lengthy Justice and Home Affairs (Reform and Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2025 through its final stage which should result in much needed reform to our criminal justice system. Find out more about this new kid on the Tynwald block on this week’s Agenda. Has Tynwald found a new radical voice?

Before becoming an MLC Paul Craine was a geographer and judging on his latest publication he still is in his spare time. So what is a population atlas and why should we be quite concerned about the evidence contained in this second edition? The statistics showing a significantly aging population were bad enough in the first population atlas but the latest version tells an increasingly concerning tale. Dry statistics have never been more exciting than this - you’ll be on the edge of your seats by the end of the program - be warned.

Michelle Hawood and Ann Corlett have recently returned from the annual Commonwealth Women’s Parliamentary Conference. It’s a sad reflection of the world we live in that it is still felt necessary to hold such events but, unlike the Isle of Man, most parliaments around the world continue to be male dominated. Find out why women continue to struggle to get equal representation on Agenda with Amy Griffiths. Are women unfairly targeted in social media just because they are women? Why is it so hard to break down centuries old prejudices? And how have the women faired in this more equal House of Keys?

Douglas Central MHK Ann Corlett may not be the most vocal of our politicians but she is definitely busy. In a wide ranging interview for Agenda she explains how the Gas (Economic Regulation) Bill will help protect customers, discusses her role as Deputy Speaker of the House of Keys, and tells us what she’s doing as a member of the Enterprise Department. She also gives an update on her often misquoted proposal to make the streets of Central Douglas safer. Mrs Corlett’s Gas Bill seems to be timely with the Iranian war driving up prices, making it the only gas bill people will be pleased to see!

The Legislative Council considered four Bills at it’s sitting last week including Bills covering Gambling Legislation, Public Records, Income Tax and Employment. Legislation tends to be the poor relation of all the duties performed by Tynwald but it really does influence all our lives. In an attempt to bring these Bills alive to you Agenda spoke with MLCs Gary Clueit and Tanya August-Phillips. E-gaming represents a big part of our economy so it’s important Tynwald gets the regulation right and what’s not to like about cementing Income Tax rules so that large international companies based here pay a bit back to fund government services?

Fed up with all the hype and spin surrounding last week’s budget? Still not entirely sure what the budget was supposed to deliver? Agenda caught up with the Treasury Minister before his budget was debated in Tynwald to find out what he hoped it will achieve and why it was formed in the way we eventually saw last Tuesday. To find out what he thought before he had to react to public comment listen to this week's Agenda. It’s understandable that Chris Thomas maybe isn’t fully behind a budget that was largely constructed before he got there but he puts on a pretty good show of sounding convincing.

Agenda 16.2.26 - Chris Robertshaw and Future IoM Former Douglas East MHK Chris Robertshaw has a new political vision for the Isle of Man. Describing itself as a movement towards good governance, Future Isle of Man has three core pillars to its thinking. ‘The Democratic Process’, which introduces the concept of holding Referenda into our existing system; ‘A Unified Government’ which bring government operations together under a single legal entity; and the introduction of high level cross-departmental strategic thinking. Is the Manx political system fundamentally broken or have we just been the really, really unlucky victim of events over the past few decades?

The Isle of Man’s native language and status as the world’s first whole-nation UNESCO Biosphere Reserve were highlighted at the Celtic Forum in Scotland this month. It was the first time the Isle of Man has attended the forum, which brings together Celtic regions to collaborate on shared interests. Education Minister Daphne Caine tells Agenda all about this relatively new Forum and how the Isle of Man could benefit from it. The Forum appears to offer some big opportunities for Manx musicians and linguists but could it provide invaluable links for Manx business. Oh yes, … and how’s the new Castle Rushen High School progressing

Legislative Council sittings are generally quite brief affairs but lately they have been stretching out as Keys and Council of Ministers have finally realised that part of their role is making good laws to assist society. In last week’s LegCo sitting the Extradition Bill, the Safeguarding (Amendment) Bill and the City of Douglas Bill completed their passage through Council, the Public Records (Amendment) Bill was read for a first time and the Elections (Keys and Local Authorities) (Amendment) Bill almost made it through its Clause Stage. Find out how these Bills will impact on you on this week's Agenda. And why have the Captains of the Parish been sharpening their pitchforks and raising the militia?

Depending on which side of the growing divide in Manx politics you sit, last week was the best of times or the worst of times. As the old Treasury Minister faced the Cannan guillotine a new Treasury Minister rose back up from the political abyss. So what can Chris Thomas really achieve in the relatively short eight months he has as new Treasury Minister? And was departing Treasury Minister Alex Allinson naively persuing his personal ideology or pragmatically implementing what Tynwald thought it wanted? Find out on this evening’s extended Agenda. Are we heading to a political winter of despair or is a spring of hope just round the corner?

They say that a week is a long time in politics well, if today is anything to go by, it’s going to be a long week! Just after 8am this morning we learned that Alex Allinson had stepped down as Treasury Minister and then shortly after Michelle Haywood had left her role as Minister of Infrastructure. The new DoI Minister is Tim Crookall (this is his third time as Infrastructure Minister since the 2021 election) and as Chanelle Sukhoo was getting Lawrie Hooper’s reaction to the departures we learned that Chris Thomas takes over as Treasury Minister.

The Tynwald Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs and Justice is reviewing the Manx Ministerial System which has been in place now for nearly four decades. So far the Committee has heard plenty of evidence to suggest that in good times Council of Ministers works very effectively but when circumstances are difficult CoMin has struggled to take the tough decisions. On Agenda we hear part of the evidence given by Chief Minister Alf Cannan who seems keen to focus more power in the Chief Minister’s hands. Is that good for democracy and will it help get things done, or is this returning us to the days when the governor had absolute power to rule?

Onchan MHK Rob Callister was in the Falkland Islands last month as part of a Commonwealth Parliametary Association team of election observers. You’ll be pleased to know this visit was not funded by the tax payer but you may be interested to know what the Isle of Man can learn from such trips. Mr Callister tells us all about the trip on Agenda. With a 90% turn out in Falklands elections it seems trust in politicians is much higher there than it is here. Unlike here they don’t call each other clowns in the Falklands government but is it ok for us to call Tynwald members clowns …. or just think it but don’t say it out loud?