Frequently Asked Questions
When was the Liberal Vannin formed ?.
The Liberal Vannin Party was formed in August 2006 fighting its first general election in November 2006. It received about 30% of the total votes from the 9 seats it stood candidates in.
Why was the Liberal Vannin formed ?.
Peter Karran MHK has throughout his political career has fought to establish open and transparent Government. He realised that the only way ahead was to form a party of like-minded people to act in unity with selected members standing for national and local Government.
The Liberal Vannin Party was formed in response to the lack of audit and accountability in the present system of Government and also to secure and protect the long-term interests of the Island and its citizens.
The ever increasing tendency towards a one party state by patronage which is undermining the whole long-term democratic process for the Manx nation is one of the main reasons why the Liberal Vannin Party was formed.
What are the differences between the Liberal Vannin Party and political parties in the UK ?.
In the UK the parties have the “whips” as party voting controllers whereas the LVP have a consensus system with an open vote for members, I.e. If a member does not agree with a party proposal they are not enforced to vote with the majority
What are the aims of the party ?.
The Liberal Vannin Party wants to be in power and be the catalyst of change that is so desperately needed in the Isle of Man. It wants to serve and be served unlike other organisations that just want to have political control.
The Liberal Vannin Party is about developing a political organisation open to all to have input into making the policies that cater for the benefit of the whole community.
The main difference between the Liberal Vannin Party and other political parties in the Isle of Man is that we want to be an inclusive party celebrating equality, justice and democracy and always recognising that along with rights there are responsibilities.
We are committed to developing the long-term policies for all and not the short term interests of the few.
Why have Isle of Man MHK's been always independent ?.
It has been thought that the Isle of Man cannot support a party system but this is not the case. For comparison click on Gibraltar where you will see that this country with a population of 29,000 has had a 5 party system for many years. In its present form the Isle of Man is controlled by the Council of Ministers who determine the passage of legislation. This is not a democratic way of managing a jurisdiction.
What difference will Liberal Vannin MHKs make in government ?.
The bottom line is that we have already been making a difference. As a lone voice for the last 10 years Peter Karran has been exposing scandal after scandal and the abuse of power within the present system of Government.
Having one Liberal Vannin MHK Peter Karran is vital because it forces debates on issues that need debating. Often the forced debates are met with silence from the Members in exposing issues within the one party state by patronage system that has been allowed to develop under the Ministerial system since 1986.
Peter has started to develop structures to put audit and accountability back into real democracy. These structures have been lacking for many years and as a result there has been abuses of power and wastage of public resources.
Liberal Vannin is making a difference to the way Government is run simply because we ensure that there are structures for accountability and audit in the interests of the public against the vested interests of the few.
They will ensure that your government acts in a open transparent democratic way. In order to progress this we need more Liberal Vannin MHKs and local authority commissioners. At present there is 1 MHK, Peter Karran (Onchan) and 13 commissioners. Should any member have any issues which they would like to be taken further you have direct access to Peter who will discuss the topic and if so determined is able to ask a question on the floor of Tynwald.
Why have the Isle of Man MHK’s always been independent?
The Isle of Man MHK’s have traditionally always been elected more on the basis of ‘who you know rather that on what you know’ and not on National issues. This is ok when we have an economic boom as we do have now which is more out of good luck rather then good management. This can only be sustained even though it has severe long-term damage through liability as a result of the present system of Government.
We have witnessed the Manx Electricity Authority scandal where as independents no one is held responsible for the horrendous long-term liabilities for bad decision-making.
The danger of having too many independent MHK’s is that independence can be of all colours as far as the political spectrum is concerned. It is often coloured by the last person they have met and often the colour most advantageous to their own political career.
One can often see many independents who are Ministers try to blame others in Government when in fact they act as a party with their block vote in the Council of Ministers. They develop policies on many of the vital issues such as housing which totally goes against the interests of the majority and cover up for each and never expose the truth on the basis they are tied to aid the Government’s interests and their own survival.
The reason why the present independent party system is so damaging to the present system of Government is that is serves only the short-term career prospects of its own independent MHK’s interests.
When one sees scandal after scandal that have simply been covered up effectively in a blanket of secrecy it challenges the very foundation of democracy and the long-term social improvement and security of the Island.
We have witnessed the Manx Electricity Authority scandal where as independents no one is held responsible for the horrendous long-term liabilities for bad decision-making.
The danger of having too many independent MHK’s is that independence can be of all colours as far as the political spectrum is concerned. It is often coloured by the last person they have met and often the colour most advantageous to their own political career.
One can often see many independents who are Ministers try to blame others in Government when in fact they act as a party with their block vote in the Council of Ministers. They develop policies on many of the vital issues such as housing which totally goes against the interests of the majority and cover up for each and never expose the truth on the basis they are tied to aid the Government’s interests and their own survival.
The reason why the present independent party system is so damaging to the present system of Government is that is serves only the short-term career prospects of its own independent MHK’s interests.
When one sees scandal after scandal that have simply been covered up effectively in a blanket of secrecy it challenges the very foundation of democracy and the long-term social improvement and security of the Island.
How are Liberal Vannin national and local authority candidates selected ?.
A panel of Liberal Vannin Officers will interview all prospective candidates to examine and discuss their suitability. The chosen candidates will receive ongoing informative advice on their strategy prior to the election.
How do I join the Liberal Vannin Party ?.
Click on membership and complete our online application form. Alternatively you can download the PDF form and forward to our treasurer
