Why did I choose to become a candidate? I live on the Isle of Man with my family, so naturally I am interested in the wellbeing of the island.

The economical situation as well as the political situation seems to be out of control. In maritime terms you could say, the ship is drifting in stormy seas without steering and we urgently need people who can bring the Isle of Man back on course.

The Chief Minister admitted two weeks ago that his government strategy was the biggest mistake and had failed. Such a statement is a declaration of political bankruptcy. The Chief Minister also mentioned who he thinks is guilty of this failure, he mentioned the government departments. The same departments he and his ministers should lead.

Instead of stepping down, we will see the same people to continue with the failed course until the next general election in 16 months.

Dominic Delaney, one of our previous politicians said: ‘Our politicians are not qualified to lead departments!’

Unfortunately this is correct with the present people and it shows very clearly the reason why we are in such a desperate situation.

Departments are not there to make policies. Politics should be made by politicians and they have to control their departments.

All politicians have identified the need for a change in politics, in departments, problems in the health system, education, agriculture, environment, pensions, the elderly, infrastructure and especially the economy.

The economy is the only entity that creates the revenue any nation needs to pay for all expenses.

Our economy is clearly suffering; we have helpless ministers and politicians. We need to grow the economy; we have to make the island an attractive place for a variety of businesses by developing a complex strategy which provides the right legal, fiscal and administrative framework. We have to modernise and slim down our overburdening administration, make it efficient and fit for the present global challenges.

We need to look at and develop existing opportunities, such as tourism, agriculture and fishing. We have to look at other issues from a new angle, for example the access to the island by air and sea.

Once we bring the economy back on course, we will be able to increase the quality of life in the island. We will then be able to offer all our people, including the young and the elderly, stable and good living conditions. This includes a good education and health system.

All people should understand that they are like shareholders of this nation. The government will hold you fully liable for all their losses and will take it from you by increasing tax on income, VAT and property. Ultimately they may put their hands on your savings, like in Cyprus.

Identifying the economy as the focus point of interest we need to have politicians who are business professionals with the right level of experience.

I have this experience and a long successful track record.

In a few days’ time the by-election will be over and you will have chosen your new MHK for Douglas North.

I would love it to be Maire Booth that is called on Thursday night; you will have used your vote to achieve the positive change that only LibVan can deliver for both the constituency and Island.

I, like so many of you, am tired of my disposable income shrinking, stealth taxes and frivolous spending of government funds on various schemes that remain incomplete or go over budget.

A democratic government should have three priorities: health, education and social care.

We need an infrastructure that allows the economy to grow so that funds are available to enable these to be focused on.

We need new faces in Tynwald. We need people who will actually listen to the electorate and not just tell us what to do. I don’t want to be told we can’t have a referendum because we won’t understand it – how condescending!

We need to make the current administration realise that we will no longer sit in silence and accept their decisions with no questions asked.

There have been far too many mistakes where ‘lessons have been learnt’. The Sefton debacle, IRIS, The Crown Post Office shambles and MEA loan to name a few leaving it to us, the taxpayers, to pay for others’ ‘mistakes’.

The government need to remember it is our money that they are wasting. We need to move away from the mindset that the money-pit is bottomless – it’s not.

Every penny spent by government needs to be justified and accounted for.

No more closed tenders, no more deals behind closed doors. All decisions should be open and transparent. Trust needs to be built again.

My manifesto – which is available online – goes into detail on how LibVan and myself can help change the island for the better. Unlike others I don’t make piecrust promises. I want to achieve all that is stated in the manifesto and believe that we can do all this if we change how the budget is distributed and ensure there is priority spending.

I will be representing the people of Douglas North but will be aware of the island’s needs as a whole. I am accountable to those in my constituency and fully expect to receive calls and emails daily from them either agreeing with me or letting me know what they feel I can improve on. I am always happy to talk to you.

As part of a political party I will go into Tynwald with at least two guaranteed supporters, plus there are many MHKs who hold the same principles as us but are not party members. LibVan is the first step in bringing a better type of politics to the island to replace the now defunct independent system.

Vote for Maire Booth on May 21 and it will be a vote for a fairer, positive future.

We have the opportunity to work together, respect each other and share our success.Our urgent priority is to balance the books.

For someone who has run a business for 23 years, it is clear to me that we have to grow our economy. Many people have asked how this can be done; the answer is to work smarter.

Anyone who has run their own business understands their first goal is to have more income than outgoing. It is clear the Isle of Man’s urgent priority is to do the same; that’s balancing the books. We have to stop using up our financial reserves. 

I’m heartened by the number of people I have listened to on the doorstep who understand this and believe now is the time for people with business experience to be given the opportunity to grow the economy.

We have to lead by example, and those with that knowledge, experience and understanding are best qualified to deliver this.

We have to commit to the true meaning of value for money – economy, efficiency and effectiveness – and be prepared to tackle the issues that will have the most impact, in an open and honest way which is the best for the island in the short, medium and long term.

Our important priority is the return to a proud nation.

In times of stress and austerity, important priorities can be put off time and time again, but it’s the important priorities which are needed to return the Isle of Man to a sustainable future. Strong leadership requires a positive outlook, to enable opportunities to be seen and acted upon, confident in their beliefs and willingness to listen to the people. 

Beginning by a commitment to lead by example, share a clear vision of who the country is going to be run for and how that future will look, the respect of the people will be followed by a belief and a desire to attain that future and once again be proud of our nation.

I believe we are best to work together for the benefit of Douglas and the Isle of Man. If elected, I will work with the other Douglas MHKs to provide a stronger voice for the people of Douglas North. I believe teamwork is how to achieve great goals.

MHKs have an elected responsibility, firstly to their constituents, and then to the people of the Isle of Man. A group of independent politicians have the greatest opportunity to work together and deliver what is best for the island and the people of the Isle of Man. This does require effort to agree and reach a clear goal, and then the willingness and determination to put the effort and hard work into the process to achieve the desired results. I know I have experience and determination to achieve my goals, I know the effort required to achieve this.

I want to stand up and be counted, considered a catalyst for a change for the better and use my determination and effort, to deliver. I want to be judged on my performance over the next 15 months.

As a candidate I bring with me seven years of established political experience on Douglas Council and also two decades of private sector experience across many key sectors of our economy such as financial services, insurance and retail and hospitality.

If elected, my established political experience will allow me to ‘hit the ground running’ from day one, something that I feel is essential given the fact that this is only a maximum 16 month term of office and also the nature of the serious decisions that need to be taken for our island’s future over that time.

I am a true independent candidate and will be free to represent constituents’ views without being tied to any party policy. Equally, if elected I would judge any proposal on its merits. It doesn’t matter to me if it was a Lib Van policy, a government policy or an independent policy – if I agree with it, I would vote for it; if I disagreed, I would vote against it.

I would be a hard-working constituency member, never losing sight of those that I would be there to represent.

If our island is going to survive and prosper in the modern world then we need to change, and start that process of change now.

We need to not just grow the economy but also diversify it so that we are not overly reliant on one or two particular sectors.

Also, the cost of living is now having a detrimental effect on people’s lives and there are many now struggling to make ends meet with the endless flow of new charges.

Government needs to remember that every pound they take out of our pockets is one less pound for us to spend in the economy.

Government needs to be smaller and smarter working towards a 30 year plan rather than simply focusing on the five years until each election.

Many sections of our society feel a disconnect with government, that it is not representing their views.

We need to get back to a government that not just listens, but acts upon the needs of all sectors of our community.

There needs to be a culture change in government and I believe I can play an active part in bringing about that change.

My name is Amy Burns. I am a 32-year-old woman who was born and raised in the Isle of Man.

I have been married to my husband Gary since 2004 and we have four children. We all live in the centre of Douglas South constituency in Harcroft Meadow.

My main influence on my decision to stand for the House of Keys is because I believe it’s time for change, time for the people to be represented by one of the people. I understand the everyday needs and that we need a future for our community. I know what it takes to find solutions, navigate complicated issues and how to get things done.

I have worked in telecommunications, the shipping industry and e-gaming during my working life to date. I ran a successful family business for several years, in between raising my four children and investing myself into the role as mother and homemaker.

I campaigned locally against the toilet tax and closure of state-funded pre-schools. My team and I achieved a positive result with the Council of Ministers going back to Tynwald and agreeing on a scheme that has seen funding found for an alternate scheme. This has given me the drive and experience which has led to my decision to stand. I spent vast amounts of time in Tynwald during long debates, watching, listening, learning our system of government and believe there are many issues that we need to press for a better outcome for us all.

Representing you requires the understanding and ability to relate to our community.

I have spent a great deal of time talking, listening and trying to help people in our community already and understand concerns and frustrations of people from all walks of life.

I am under no illusions that we have to rebalance the books. However, we should work from the top down. Lead by example, which is why, as a starting point, I will not be taking my expenses allowance. This is not something that is applied for – it is a tax free amount of money given in salaries each month. I feel immoral taking this when society is having to cut back. If my refusal is ignored I will take the money each month and reinvest it to charity in our community.

I offer a combination of business and social experience. To help the business community and economic growth but represent my constituents. We seem to have lost our way with the present government – no leadership, no vision, lack of clear policies, and quite often seen turning their back on the less well off in our community.

I want to see new diversity and direction for our island. I feel a strong importance that we maintain a balanced society and care for those less fortunate and more vulnerable. We need a stronger understanding to actually identify who the vulnerable people in society are.

If elected, I intend to serve honestly, approachably and efficiently, and as your voice.

I am a Manx-born 63-year-old electrical engineer, company director and father to three daughters. I have lived in South Douglas for over 20 years and represented South Douglas as an MHK from November 2006 until September 2011.

Since then, I have continued to serve Douglas as a Town Councillor.

We need to increase our profile on the global stage, diversify our economy, build our tourist industry and increase our revenue from inward investment rather than higher taxation. Government needs to trim its cloth according to its means, instead of going for picking the pockets of Manx residents.

Diversifying our economy must be at the heart of government policy. It is essential that we find new sources of revenue and reduce the burden on individual taxpayers.

We have a strong, active and important private sector on island. We must continue to engage with them to ensure further growth.

We should take control of the Steam Packet Company. I strongly believe that ownership of the Steam Packet should be under the control of the Manx people – not a foreign bank.

Let me categorically state that I am totally opposed to the renewal of the User Agreement in its current form.

There will never be a better opportunity to take back control of this extremely profitable company, through government investments and reserves – at a fair and realistic price. Our island’s lifeline needs to be secured for the benefit and protection of our current/future generations.

We deserve a well-funded, world-class health service fit to serve our society

The Manx health system requires radical reform and additional funding. We can achieve some of this by redirecting funding to provide more on-island treatment.

Without good health, we have nothing. Our children deserve an education that prepares them for a long and fulfilling future. Ensuring our young get the best educational start in life is essential.

I support projects such as the Nunnery ICT project and the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre. These facilities will help ensure local businesses have a steady stream of new recruits with the skills demanded by a modern economy.

We should look after our pensioners and prepare for our future.

We must stop further retraction of pensioner benefits like free bus/rail travel and TV licence concessions.

Local government needs to be streamlined and an all-island rating system introduced

We must do everything we can to maintain our safety and protect our homes.

Advanced Passenger Information (API) should be made available to our law enforcement agencies.

We need better information about who is coming to our island – to help preserve our security and protect our treasured quality of life.

The interests of Douglas South constituents will be best served by a candidate with eight years political experience – who will make their voice heard from day one.

Police are investigating after vandals attacked ‘several’ vehicles.

The offence took place between 5pm on Monday and 9am on Tuesday.

The vehicles were in the process of restoration.

These vehicles were stored in the yard of Millmount garage at the rear of Mylchreest’s garage on New Castletown Road.

This is also accessed at the rear of the National Sports centre.

Messages are to be displayed on fruit machines in licensed premises throughout the Isle of Man to try to encourage problem gamblers to seek advice.

Stickers, which pose questions such as ‘Are you playing the machine … or is the machine playing you?’, are being used to promote GamCare Isle of Man’s free and confidential counselling service.

The initiative is sponsored by Celton Manx and supported by the Isle of Man Licensing Forum, a partnership between government, the licensing industry and the police.

The stickers will be placed on or near fruit machines in pubs and clubs to encourage people to consider their gambling habits and to contact GamCare if they feel they may have an issue. GamCare Isle of Man, a branch of Motiv8 Addiction Services, offers specialist support and advice for anyone affected by problem gambling.

Statistics show the Isle of Man’s gambling addiction levels are consistent with other parts of the British Isles and this initiative is designed to highlight that help is available for those in need.

Thea Ozenturk, director of Motiv8, said: ‘In 2012 the Isle of Man Gambling Prevalence survey suggested approximately 5 per cent of the island’s population is at risk of developing a gambling problem.

‘We are grateful for the opportunity to promote our services in licensed premises throughout the Island. Through this initiative it is hoped those who may experience issues with their gambling can take note of these motivational messages and feel confident to contact us, either via or website or by calling the office on 622011 or 498985.’

Bill Mummery, executive director of Celton Manx, said: ‘We are pleased to be given the opportunity to support the work of GamCare here in Isle of Man. This is part of our broader involvement with their work, which is extremely valuable’.

BEACH Buddies and Isle of Man Friends of the Earth have joined forces to send out a polite message to the women of Ramsey and the north: please stop throwing tampons, babywipes and cotton wool buds down the toilet.

Volunteers collected more than 7,000 such items during the latest Beach Buddies’ cleaning event on Ramsey beach, only three months after removing thousands more from the same stretch of coastline.

Among the volunteers was Phil Corlett of Isle of Man Friends of the Earth.

He said: ‘I was pleased to be a volunteer on another worthwhile Beach Buddies event, but I was utterly taken aback at the thousands of sanitary items we and the other volunteers cleared off the strandline.

‘I don’t understand why items like pads and tampons are even being flushed down the loo nowadays. Surely, ladies should know these things don’t biodegrade and just lie around for many, many years.

‘The motto should be: ‘Don’t flush anything unless it’s toilet paper’ which is particularly important in the north, as this material is going into Ramsey’s marine protected area.’

Beach Buddies estimates that somewhere in the region of 50,000 tampons, babywipes and cotton wool buds a year are being needlessly disposed of loos in the north alone, causing massive pollution and a potential health hazard.

Beach Buddies founder Bill Dale said: ‘What is even more worrying is that all other sewerage outlets in the island have a filtering system which traps items such as tampons and babywipes.

‘So, it’s wrong to assume that it’s just the ladies who live in Ramsey and the north who are depositing these items down the loo. We estimate 50,000 annually in the north, but for the whole island it’s got to be into the hundreds of thousands.’

He added: ‘We understand entirely that people are doing this because they don’t think it’s wrong, and there is no advice on the packaging to say otherwise.

‘However, it’s obvious to anyone who walks along Ramsey’s North Promenade beach that there is a major problem in this area, and the only way to prevent this is to offer polite advice.’

The charity had 22 volunteers in action on Ramsey beach at the weekend, collecting a total of 7,204 items. The vast majority (80 per cent) were tampons, and the remainder was made up of babywipes (10 per cent), cotton wool buds (5 per cent) and miscellaneous items (5 per cent) of normal beach litter such as bottle tops, plastic bottles and tin cans.

The prize of a box of chocolates for the nearest guess on the number of items was won by regular volunteer Yvonne Knight who guessed 6,250.

• It’s understood that a filtering system is due to be installed at the Ramsey sewerage outlet, probably in 2016.

• This weekend Beach Buddies will be tackling Spaldrick, Port Erin, at 10.30am on Saturday.

Move It dance studio is celebrating after students scored impressive results in exams with the International Dance Teachers’ Association.

The studio entered 120 young students, aged 3 to 17, in a total of 204 exams across four different singing and dancing genres.

Not only did all the students receive passes, but 44 received a top score of distinction.

Move It, in Westmoreland Road, Douglas, was opened in March 2014 by owners Kate Caine and Linzi Brown and teaches various dance styles, including freestyle, cheer, lyrical, street, musical theatre, ballet, tap and many others.

Kate said: ‘We are so proud of each of our students that sat exams. It’s been a brilliant year for us since we opened our doors, with a show at the Gaiety Theatre last September, winning the People’s Choice award at this year’s Junior Achievers “Next Big Thing”, through to the recent exam success.’

Linzi added: ‘We are now looking forward to taking a squad of 30 children to represent the island in November this year in a “Cheer” competition in Blackpool Tower.’

Grace Hoodless, who has been a support member of the team, is now a fully-qualified dance teacher after passing her teaching exam with a distinction. In addition, Kate has added to her qualifications by gaining a diploma in anatomy studies.

Athol Street advocates Carter Jones McDonald has announced the internal appointment of advocate Tracy McQuillan as a director.

Miss McQuillan was called to the Bar in 2006 and has been with Carter Jones McDonald since February 2013.

As director she will take on a number of executive responsibilities with the company and in particular will execute the company’s strategic plan.

Terence McDonald, director and founder of Carter Jones McDonald said: ‘It was an easy decision to make this appointment as I am committed to giving opportunities to very able lawyers.’

Tracy McQuillan is part of the family law team and specialises in all aspects of family law including childcare issues and adoption law.

She has specific expertise in property transactions with experience of both commercial and residential sales and acquisitions, landlord and tenant leases and licences and other direct and indirect real estate issues.

The appointment is part of the restructuring and expansion of the company to better meet clients’ needs.

‘I am very pleased to have been given the opportunity to be part of a long established company with a hard won reputation of providing a fabulous service to their clients’ said Tracy.

An event to promote a group for ME Support (IoM) was well supported.

The special walk for ME (myalgic encephalomylis) took place along Douglas promenades.

ME Support (IoM) is working with the government to improve the support given to patients suffering from ME or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

A number of ME Support walk volunteers are pictured.

Pupils at Ballakermeen school and around 30 organisations supported Orange Wig Day to educate people about allergies and raise funds for the Anaphylaxis Campaign, which supports people with severe allergies.

Most of the money raised will be used in the island to provide training and publicity in schools and other institutions.

Various individual donations have already boosted the funds, including one of £500 from JCK and £5,900 raised so far in sponsorship from Hartford Homes provided director James Greenhalgh wore a wig all day.

See www.justgiving.com/James-Wiggy.

The British Army held a launch and recruitment drive for its planned Army Reserve Unit on the island on Friday, with around 150 candidates putting themselves forward.

The army plans to establish an Isle of Man Reserve Force, the first for almost 50 years, as part of its aim to increase the role of reservists.

Equipment including a light artillery gun, engineering vehicles, transport and logistics vehicles and a field hospital demonstration tent, was on display on Harris Promenade in Douglas to launch the unit and encourage recruitment.

A spokesman for the army said: ‘It went very well, we had around 150 people express interest in joining an island reserve unit.’

The Army Reserve, formerly known as the Territorial Army or ‘TA’, last had a unit in the Isle of Man in 1968.

The Army believes there is an opportunity on the island to recruit personnel as part of the Army 2020 plan which will see reservists play an even greater role in defence.

The new Isle of Man Reserve Force which will consist of a range of military trades such as infantry, engineers, artillery, logistics and medical.

Deputy Commander of 42nd Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North West, Colonel Philip Harrison, said: ‘The Isle of Man has always been a strong supporter of our work in defence and continues to provide regular and reserve personnel across all three services.

‘We want to offer would-be reservists better training, closer to home.’

------------------

Celtic League opposes army unit

The Celtic League and Manx nationalist party Mec Vannin hit out over news that the British Army will set up an Army Reserve Unit in the island.

Writing on the League’s website, Peddyr Mac Niallan, of the Mannin branch, describes the move as ‘a recruitment drive for a foreign army with a somewhat soiled reputation.’

Talking about payments made to Britain for defence of the island, Niallan goes on to ask why we should pay for an army that has ‘oppressed and abused our own nation as well as many others’ and says there is ‘no current threat to Mannin nor is one foreseeable’.

Bernard Moffatt, League director of information and Mec Vannin president was equally scathing, quoting an old Vietnam war protest slogan saying: ‘Join the army, travel the world, meet interesting people and kill them’.

Voters in two Douglas constituencies go to the polls tomorrow (Thursday).

The by-elections in Douglas South and Douglas North have been triggered by the elevation in March of long-standing MHKs David Cretney and Bill Henderson to the Legislative Council.

There are three candidates standing in Douglas North and four in Douglas South.

We asked each of the candidates to outline their reasons for standing for the House of Keys - and why they believe they deserve the vote of the electorate.

Click the links below to read what they have to say:

Douglas North: David Ashford

Douglas North: Maire Booth

Douglas North: Ralph Peake

Douglas South: Kurt Buchholz

Douglas South: Amy Burns

Douglas South: Keith Fitton

Douglas South: Bill Malarkey

Polling cards for Douglas North were posted on Friday while those for Douglas South began to be delivered on Monday.

Polling stations for Douglas North are at Willaston Methodist Church, Cronk y Berry School and Project 21 Centre (A) for voters on the Glencrutchery electoral roll and Project 21 Centre (B) for those on the St Ninian’s electoral roll.

Polling stations for Douglas South are at St Matthews Church Hall (Quay and St George’s electoral rolls), Pulrose Methodist Church, Anagh Coar Primary School and Scoill Vallajeelt (Ballaughton electoral roll).

The opening hours are 8am to 8pm.

Time is running out to enter a charity golf event.

Teams are being encouraged to sign up for The Children’s Centre’s golf day, which will be held at Douglas Golf Club on Friday, May 29.

Louise Craddock, fundraising volunteer at The Children’s Centre, said: ‘The annual golf day is one of our most important fundraising events.

‘This is the tournament’s ninth year and in that time it has raised almost £50,000.

‘It’s always a lot of fun, and every who takes part knows that they are making a significant contribution towards helping families and children by supporting The Children’s Centre’s work across the island.

‘We are extremely grateful to our main sponsor B&B Furniture Ltd for supporting the event, and to plan.com, Richmond Square Group, Creechurch Capital, Knox House Trust, Tower Insurance, and MAC Financial Services for also sponsoring the golf day. However, there are still opportunities for more sponsors which all offer some great branding opportunities. There are also places available for teams to take part in the tournament.’

As well as a chance to win the Children’s Centre Golf Day Trophy, there’s also an award for the second placed team, individual spot prizes for nearest the pin and the longest drive, plus a wooden spoon award and a ‘beat the pro’ competition.

The event starts at 11am with breakfast baps, tea and coffee followed by registration which opens at noon.

Teams will make their way onto the course at 12.45pm with the tournament starting at 1pm.

The format is a shotgun start, four person Stableford AM-AM with the best two scores from each hole to count.

Men will play from yellow tees, and ladies from red tees. Maximum handicap for men is 24, and 30 for women.

The day finishes with a meal and prize presentation.

The entry fee is £300 per team, or £500 for two teams.

Closing date for entries is May 22.

For more information – or to book a place for the Golf Day or inquire about sponsorship opportunities – email fundraising@thechildrenscentre.org.im or call 676076.

Full details about the event can be found at www.thechildrenscentre.org.im

One of the candidates in tomorrow’s Douglas South by-election was not available to discuss politics with her rivals at a public meeting last night.

A requisition meeting was called in the constituency for would-be MHKs to face the public.

While Keith Fitton (Liberal Vannin), Captain Kurt Buchholz and Bill Malarkey, who lost his seat in the constituency in the 2011 general election, attended, Amy Burns did not.

Mrs Burns sent a statement to be read out to the constituents at the meeting.

It reads:

‘This is not a decision I have taken lightly to not attend this requisition meeting.

‘I will be attending another meeting arranged with other electorates (sic) of Douglas South, organised prior to this invitation.

‘Also, with the limited timeframe available and short notice I have decided to concentrate on what my electorate have asked me to do.

‘As the numbers were so low at the Douglas North meeting last week I feel this is more beneficial for my campaign and the electorate as a whole. I will also be canvassing door to door on Tuesday & Wednesday to the areas I have yet to cover.

‘I do not feel a Liberal Vannin-engineered requisition meeting would be more beneficial to my campaign than answering what the electorate have asked of me, and they are my one and only agenda.

‘However, if anyone in attendance would like to send me any questions or arrange a meeting in the short space of time left then I will be more than happy to do this. During my campaign I have been attending several meetings arranged by the electorate and this has proven so beneficial to me and them alike.

‘If I am blessed and elected on Thursday my intention is to introduce weekly surgeries and be available to everyone. That is my preferred method of communicating, being more focused on the individual(s) concerned rather than media constructed presentations which limit people’s interactions with me as we have all witnessed over the last few weeks.’

Mrs Burns has written on this website and the Isle of Man Examiner to say why she thinks she deserves to be an MHK

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/politics/douglas-south-amy-burns-1-7267836|Click here to read it.}

On Isle of Man Newspapers’ Facebook page, Mrs Burns has responded to one reader who said: ‘If she is not prepared to stand up in front of and face the electorate at this stage, does that tell us something?’

Mrs Burns replied: ‘I understand your response and apologise that you feel this way.

‘Unfortunately I didn’t get an invite till extremely short notice when another meeting had been put in place.

‘I have conducted and stood up in front of five meetings with up to 60 people over the past few weeks and it has served well and given electorate a chance to ask me what they needed to. But thank you for your feedback.’

Four candidates are standing the Douglas South election tomorrow. There are three standing in a by-election for Douglas North.

Each has written for us to say why they’d be the best candidate.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/keys-by-elections-douglas-north-and-douglas-south-go-to-the-polls-1-7268317|Click here for links}

Requisition meetings are frequently called before elections.

For example, {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/120-pack-into-hall-to-hear-candidates-1-5680437|this video} shows one in Douglas West two years ago.

The Chief Minister has suggested the Manx taxpayer could help to fund a new landing stage for Manx ferries in Liverpool.

The current landing stage, near the Liver building, is in disrepair and money is needed to construct a new one. So far no agreement has been reached but Allan Bell told the Isle of Man Examiner he had not ruled out financial support from the government.

‘We are looking at the options and we are open to all suggestions,’ he said.

‘It is conceivable that the Isle of Man government might build the landing stage but in any event the people of the Isle of Man can rest assured there will be continued access to Liverpool. No decision has yet been made on funding but it is an option.’

Mr Bell said the long term plans by officials in Liverpool were to build a cruise liner berth at the current landing stage so in any event the berth for the Isle of Man ferry would move.

The current agreement with the Isle of Man to use the Liverpool landing stage expires in around 18 months, Mr Bell said, so securing an alternative was a priority.

Peel Ports, owner of the Pier Head landing stage, says it needs substantial commitment from the Steam Packet before investing £15m in a landin stage.

But the Steam Packet says it cannot give that commitment without a deal to extend the user agreement, which gives it effective monopoly use of the landing stage in Douglas. The current user agreement has another five years to run with an option to extend it until 2026.

Peel Ports, which owns the landing stage, has said it wants a significant financial commitment from the Steam Packet before it invests the money required for a replacement landing stage.

At the end of last year the government asked for expressions of interest in operating ferry services from the island.

The Steam Packet is urging a quick resolution to the situation so it knows its long-term future before it invests more money on ferries and facilities.

When the government placed its notice looking for expressions of interest, the intention was to report to the July Tynwald.

Meanwhile, Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne MHK has been holding meetings with Peel Ports about the facilities in Liverpool.

The island’s sea link to Liverpool is so important that the Department of Economic Development, the Cabinet Office and the Treasury have all been consulted about it.

In Keys last week Mr Bell suggested the Manx government might want to secure ownership of the landing stage to secure the berthing right well into the future for the people of the Isle of Man rather than a specific company.

Mr Bell was responding to a question from Onchan MHK Peter Karran who inquired about the negotiations.

But he added: ‘There’s no question of a take it or leave it situation. We are aware of the time frame. There will be no gun held to our head. Discussions are amicable. We are developing a good working relationship in Liverpool.’

In Tynwald this week Michael MHK Alfred Cannan will ask what progress has been made following the invitation for expressions of interest.

When services are no able to dock in Liverpool, the Steam Packet has been docking in Birkenhead instead.

Employees at Zurich International Life recently celebrated the company reaching the significant milestone of USD 10 billion Assets Under Management (AUM) with a reception led by the company’s chief executive officer Clive Baker.

More than 220 employees joined in the celebration at the insurance company’s base on Athol Street in Douglas and enjoyed taking a look back at how the milestone has been reached.

Established 33 years ago, Zurich International Life achieved USD 3 billion AUM in 2002, reaching USD 5 billion AUM in 2007.

Seven years later and the company has reached USD10 billion AUM, with further growth plans in place for the future.

Clive Baker said: ‘Reaching this milestone is a fantastic achievement for our employees, and is testament to their continued hard work in staying ahead of the market and providing solutions which meet the challenging demands of our customers and distributors worldwide.

‘Our retail business in the Middle East continues to perform well and we are also seeing significant growth from the international corporate savings market.

‘I am looking forward to seeing how long it takes us to reach our next major milestone!’

Zurich International Life Limited is a company incorporated in the Isle of Man and operates through regional branch offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Taiwan and Argentina. It was established in the Isle of Man in 1982, and employs 220 staff from its office on Athol Street, Douglas.

More local services – including waste management and housing – could be delivered at a local level.

Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne says the transfer of a range of highway maintenance functions on to local authorities has been very successful – and he wants to move on to the next phase.

A total of 17 out of 24 local authorities have now signed a formal agreement to take on services transferred from cental government. Many have already started to carry out hedge cutting, street sweeping, verge clearing and weed spraying.

Mr Gawne said: ‘I anticipate the rest will sign up in the next few weeks. It’s been very successful and we are now moving on to the next phase looking at the thorny issues of waste and housing.’

He said he hoped those discussions would result in agreement by December.

Only one local authority had any negative comments, he added.

Castletown Commissioners is one of the authorities that has agreed to deliver more services and has taken on a private contractor to carry out additional street sweeping duties.

Chairman Alwyn Collister said it made sense for certain functions to be better provided at the local level. He said: ‘It’s in the early stages. We’ve a contractor to do the cleaning for us but he only started two weeks ago. Our own men are doing the job with the smaller sweeper.’

Deputy chairman Kevin Weir agreed: ‘It’s worked out very well. It’s started very positively.’

The initial transfer of functions has had no impact on the rates as waste disposal charges were frozen this year.

But asked about the impact on the rates if further services are transferred, Mr Collister admitted: ‘I worry how much it will cost at the end of the day.’

Mr Weir pointed out there has been no increase in Castletown’s rates for five years.

Mr Gawne insisted: ‘This is not about the transfer of costs. We want to make sure we don’t have duplication. I am approaching this with an open mind and no fixed view on what needs to change. This approach has been welcomed as it allows all views to be treated equally and fairly, rather than central government dictating to local authorities.’