Kate Beecroft

• Liberal Vannin candidate for Middle in the 2006 General Elections – came second
• Successful Liberal Vannin Candidate for Braddan in the 2007 Bye Election
• Successful Liberal Vannin Candidate for Braddan in the 2007 Local Authority elections.
• Liberal Vannin candidate for Douglas East in the 2010 Bye Election – came second

I am very fortunate as the Liberal Vannin Party has enabled me to have considerably more political experience than most. I have worked closely with the team, and particularly with our Party Leader, Peter Karran MHK, on many issues and have been able to follow their progress through the House of Keys and Tynwald.

The Party has monthly branch meetings, annual Summer Seminars and Annual General Meetings. These have reinforced my belief in the importance of encouraging people to have a voice and listening to the people you are representing.

Our Party strapline is “Bringing Politics Back to the People” and that is exactly what we do.

What is your view on health care provision on the Island?

Liberal Vannin is committed to protecting an egalitarian National Health Service that provides high quality, accessible, responsive healthcare, free at the point of use, regardless of an individual’s ability to pay. And while we recognise that medical advances have the power to transform the nation’s health, their development costs impose additional financial burdens on an already stretched healthcare budget.

It is therefore vital the health service of the future is fitter, works smarter and devoid of waste and inefficiency. To achieve this we would:

• Develop a system that benchmarks outcomes against those of nations providing class-leading healthcare;
  
  
• Obtain independent audits of policies and practices to ensure high standards are maintained and alert us when expectations are not being met;
• Ensure that the Isle of Man, as is practice in many countries, had a website listing consultants by specialty with their qualifications and experience and indicating approximate waiting times for consultations;
• Introduce a local administration committee with membership drawn from a cross section of non-health service representatives;
• Establish a patients’ association;
• Investigate statutory use of the Liverpool Care Pathway to ensure greater protection for the most vulnerable;
• Entertain all proposals to improve services and outcomes.

Does the Island provide a good education?

We should be very proud of the Island’s success in academic education and this must be maintained. We did not follow the UK in abandoning the grant system for university education and this stance is to be applauded. In these difficult economic times, efficiencies will have to be found in other areas for this to be continued. Liberal Vannin will take all necessary measures to protect the grant system as we believe that education should be based on ability to learn rather than ability to pay.

We have to accept that all our young people are not academically inclined and recognise that the skills of those who wish to use their hands are of equal importance. We need to strengthen and improve our vocational education system or we will suffer from the lack of valuable tradesmen and women in the future.

Should the Island be independent?

Independence should not be decided by a group of individuals or a political party. It has to be decided by the will of the people and there should be a referendum of Isle of Man residents to decide this.

Before full independence is achieved it is vital that the systems of good governance are in place such as the separation of executive government and parliament and the appointment of a judicial appointments commission.

What are your views on the islands taxation regime and VAT?

The finance industry is vital to our economic wealth and being a low taxation jurisdiction is vital to the finance sector so it must be protected.

The VAT revenue sharing agreement allows us to trade easily with the UK and other countries in the European Union. We should develop more trade with countries outside the European Union so that we are not so reliant on this relationship.

We need a sensible debate, with all the facts made known, on the advantages and disadvantages of abrogation so that an informed decision can be made and contingency plans put in place should the current agreement prove to disadvantage our people.

The previous regimes have allowed unsustainable government spending. Rather than increasing its tax income, government should concentrate on reducing its expenditure which is currently 30% higher than other comparable jurisdictions.

Is inflation hurting the Isle of Man?

It most certainly is and unfortunately it hurts the poorest and most vulnerable the hardest and it damages our trading competitiveness.

Some elements of inflation are unavoidable in the current economic climate but others, such as energy and transport costs, have been fuelled by the bad management and decisions made by previous governments in respect of the MEA fiasco and the User Agreement with the Steam Packet.

Had these been governed by basic good business practices the inflationary effect would have been mitigated.

Should there be state owned monopolies or free market competition (i.e. Water, Post, Gas, Electricity, Telecom's, Ferry Travel etc..)?

All our vital services should be run for the benefit of the people of the Isle of Man. Liberal Vannin will work towards a position where these services are owned by Isle of Man residents with government owning a “golden share” which would prevent ownership passing to outside interest groups.

They would be not be managed by government as being in business is not the role of government. But the ownership, profits and control will remain on the Island for the benefit of its residents.

Should we have an open seas policy like the open sky's policy?

Yes, in principle but this cannot be achieved until the User Agreement comes to an end in 2026.

This Agreement is damaging to so many aspects of our lives and livelihood. We suffer high freight charges which affect the prices we pay for basic essentials and drives away new business investment. Our Island has a lot to offer tourists but the prohibitive cost of travelling here is chasing them away to other areas of scenic beauty. Tourism makes many small businesses in the leisure industry viable and without these our choice, and quality of life is depleted.

We cannot afford to wait another fourteen years and Liberal Vannin is committed to finding a solution to this damaging situation as soon as possible.

Does the Island do enough to protect its environment?

No. Government needs to be far more proactive in its approach. Apart from benefitting the environment more employment will be created if government works with the private sector on issues such as passive housing, the development of tidal and wave power and electric transportation.

We also have a lot of flora and fauna that should be better promoted to encourage wildlife enthusiasts to visit the Island which, in turn, will help to stimulate tourism.

Where do you see the future of the Islands economy (i.e. Finance, Manufacturing, Service, Tourism, Film, Space etc)?

It is very important that no single industry dominates our economy as is currently the case. We need to diversify into many areas so that if one industry declines the effect is minimised.

We must revisit all areas that produce income to our economy and see if there is a way that these can be expanded. We must also “think outside the box” and encourage entrepreneurs and inventors to bring new ideas to the table.

It is the remit of sensible governments to create the environment to attract different industries and government needs to be more creative in its approach. Our current planning procedures are detrimental to encouraging new business initiatives and there needs to be a fast track system for new businesses that will employ more than a specified number of residents.

Unfortunately, the current situation with the MEA and the Steam Packet mean our energy and transport costs are much higher than they should be. This is a disincentive to businesses seeking to relocate here and long term solutions must be found.

Where do you think new jobs can be generated?

It is government’s job to create the environment for the creation of new jobs – see the response above – but government can help local businesses to remain financially viable buy supporting local businesses itself. The current administration has encouraged us to “buy local” but has not always followed its own advice with too many contracts being awarded to off Island businesses.

Government needs to ascertain the current skills shortage and encourage the development of those skills by Isle of Man residents to meet the demand in those areas.

Should the Chief Minister and MLC's be publicly elected?

Liberal Vannin policy is that all MLCs should be publicly elected.

With the advent of party politics the question of publicly electing the chief minister is negated as it is the leader of the successful party that will automatically fill that role.

In the interim, all those who wish to be considered for the role of chief minister should state this and publish their national manifesto. This gives voters a chance to form their opinion as to whose national policies they prefer, whom they wish to see in this role and to question prospective MHKs as to whom they will vote for. The vote for the chief minister, which is currently by way of a secret ballot, must be public.

Details will appear here.

Details will appear here.