Chris Robertshaw

"My manifesto was entitled a new Approach in 2006 and 2010 and so it is again because we are still waiting for an administration to come forward that is capable and determined enough to tackle the challenges ahead – we can wait no longer’’

I spent some time in my last manifesto outlining what I thought was wrong but here I want to face the future and spell out what I believe we should be trying to do to ensure the island has a bright future.

"We cannot just cut costs - we must also find innovative ways of growing our economy in what is a very difficult and increasingly competitive environment"

At the heart of the Isle of Man’s business proposition has been the ability to offer a competitive taxation regime combined with the responsive nature of our administration to new opportunities. In an increasingly challenging economic environment however this will not be enough and we now need a new, additional engine for future growth.

"We need truly innovative thinking if we are going to bring our capital to the standard required."

In my manifesto last year I highlighted many of the problems Douglas faces and tried to look at some of the solutions. In it I argued that if we were going to make Douglas a whole, happy, well balanced and successful town in which it is a pleasure to live, shop, work and play, then there was a huge task ahead. I repeat that statement now but having had a further year to consider these issues and the growing threats facing the Isle of Man due to budgetary constraints I believe we will need to be truly innovative in our thinking.

There is much to do and I will try to tackle some major issues here but first I would like to touch on a few areas where progress is being made, all be it, slowly.

"Protecting our core and front line services needs to be much more than a hollow mantra – we need to show we mean it by the actions we take."

There are big budget cuts ahead but we all still retain a strong desire to protect funding in education (including the protection of university funding as far as possible), in health (including a wish to see surgical and dental waiting lists reduced) and in Social Care for the protection of the vulnerable. It is therefore only right that as a candidate I do not talk about making vague cuts ‘elsewhere’ but actually try to spell out my thinking.

"Our small nation is deeply blessed having self government through its own ancient parliament. But to maintain this we must ensure that we keep adapting it to meet the challenges of the age."

This updates what I submitted to you in my manifesto last year on this subject.

I have not repeated the block vote chart as shown last year, nor the details of why it is so damaging but if you would like to see it again you can find it here.

You might remember that I first raised this issue in my manifesto last year with these words:

"It is often only when someone hits a difficult period in their lives, through serious ill health, employment problems, family upset, financial worries, environmental stress or housing difficulties that it becomes possible to appreciate just how helpless you can feel."

My further enquiries into our justice system during the year since then, in pursuit of a greater personal understanding, have only helped to further raise my concerns.

"It is all well and good being enthusiastic about wind farms but there are a number of important tasks much closer to home that we must deal with."

The wind farm has become an iconic mascot in the environmental movement but the degree to which we wish to protecting our environment should not simply be measured in this way alone, because this can also distract us from other important tasks close at hand.

"We have to maintain a highly competitive tax regime whilst ensuring a sense of fairness - that is the challenge that faces the incoming administration."

With the high degree of turbulence that exists in our government’s income stream it is only right that I lay out my thinking on the subject before the election.

We have seen a dramatic reduction in the level of income from indirect taxation, the abolition of ARI which came hot on the heals of the discontinuation of DPC and we must also now be concerned about how the proposed combination of NHI and Income Tax in the UK might cause a backwash into the Isle of Man.

"We need to rediscover a greater confidence in taking actions and adopting laws which best suit our needs rather than to, all too readily, follow the UK."

Constitutional, Legislative and Political

I make no apology for repeating what I put in my manifesto last year, namely that which the UK Justice Committee on the Crown Dependencies said when it reported its findings on the degree of undue interference in our affairs:

“It is the informality of this process together with these rather broad responses which leads us to suspect that the UK Government does indeed influence island legislation at the policy level. This seems a rather paternalistic approach to island legislation”

If the UK thinks that - just what is in the minds of our political leaders?

There can be NO doubt that the next few years will be very demanding as the government tries to deal with the imbalance in its budget. In this election candidates have quite rightly been quick to defend the importance of protecting the health and education services and the vulnerable. When asked how this will be achieved the sensible and reasonable response is to argue that we will have to cut our costs and grow the economy. I concur with all of that but it is the next question 'yes but how?' which is far more difficult to answer.

The election takes place on Thursday 29th September 2011.

Between the hours of 8am and 8pm.

You should be sent a polling card by post in the next few weeks which will show your ward by a four letter prefix to your polling number.