A critical friend

28/9/2026

As the dust settles from the 2026 General Election, and I find myself outside of the Tynwald enclave, I've decided to indulge one of my favourite pastimes by researching and presenting articles looking at one of my favourite topics, politics. I've been a writer for many years, and I think it's a natural extension of being a lecturer and teacher for decades.

I'm not intending to write hatchet pieces, there are other political commentators that cast themselves in that role. Instead, I aim to take a reasoned and balanced view of political developments in the Island, a critical friend. I love my island home and absolutely want the best future for it, but that future will depend on the policies, strategies and legislation put forward by the new House of Keys. Much of the election material identified some of the challenges, economy, housing, education, healthcare, energy, connectivity. In fact I think every election cycle identifies the same challenges. However every administration will encounter issues that weren't the hot topics on the doorsteps but present a real threat to the quality of life here on the Isle of Man; the global Covid pandemic, Russian invasion of Ukraine, Trump waging war (although not a war if he's talking to Congress) in the middle east.

It's important to understand what members of our parliament can and can't do. Someone on social media started a thread urging the new members to 'grab the quick wins'. I rather think that if there were quick and easy wins to be had then the last government would already have tried that!

In reality we have elected MHKs with 3 main roles to fulfill;

Supporting their constituents with access to services and some pretty big challenges in life
Being part of executive government (as a Minister or Member of a Department) and helping develop policy proposals, agreeing government charges, allocating resources
Being part of the legislation process, checking and amending legislation, engaging with debates about the policy principles at an early stage.

Being a small parliament means that members have to wear a number of hats, take on different roles depending on the context and they will have hundreds of pages of documents to read. The order papers for any Keys/Tynwald sitting are published online, but the Tynwald Register of Business already has over 20 documents on which are relevant to the October 2026 sitting, and you can bet that some members have already started submitting oral and written questions!

I'll be keeping an eye on all these activities and sharing my thoughts as we go. I welcome your comments and engagement. Politics is too important not to shine a light on!

3 Comments

Bill Muir

28/9/2026 18:59:02

I look forward to reading your political reports.

Trevor Clark

29/9/2026 13:19:06

Whilst being in favour of renewable energy, I’m concerned the next administration will fail to grasp the thorn and make the hard choice.
The existing generation equipment should be replaced by 2035 - 9 years away and we know how quickly government fails to work.
Visually large offshore turbines will be very visible, but this cannot be a reason to stop them. Because the two other big farms Morgan and Mona will still be very visible from our shores.
Onshore turbines will have more environmental damage and be more visually disturbing- yet only provide 30% of demand. No mention of energy storage in these plans either!
A new interconnector is estimated to cost £300m due to material cost increases.
Many claim Orsted will not provide any benefits to the island. But the island needs green energy or we will lose businesses, yet miss the potential of other unrelated jobs coming as a result.
There are other options on funding a wind farm that may provide us with cheaper electricity, which would be welcome.
The island needs revenue streams, and Osted may not be ideal, it may provide us with breathing space. What it will also do is provide a revenue stream, at little to no cost, at a time when the island finances are suffering which makes me feel that we cannot actually afford to replace the aging generation plant!
Ultimately the island needs to decide if we want renewables, wind and solar being to be currently the most popular choice across the world.
Test their are alternatives, most of which are unproven, unavailable or unable to cope with the 100MW currently forecast without increased demands as we head towards banning fossil fuel technology of old.
Nuclear ruled out by government, but also far too expensive for the island, no facilities to cope with radioactive waste. Using an interconnector means paying UK costs (possible 49p/unit) and vulnerable to cable damage. Other technologies will become options in years to come and these should not be ruled out, but left on the back burner. Ultimately a range of different technologies will be needed.
For now, the island must make a big choice - we need electrical energy, without it, there is no growth, fewer businesses and less prosperity to look forward to.
What are your thoughts?

Michelle Haywood

2/10/2026 22:27:06

You're pretty spot on with your assessment of the different technologies. The future will be a mix. Onshore wind could provide all the summer electricity, and a third of the winter demand, and considerable savings in the purchase of gas as a consequence. An onshore 20MW would pay for itself within 5-6 years. Solar will have a part to play, but solar is best at times when the Island's demand is low. There has to be some dispatchable provision which may well come from biomass. We have lots of aged forestry plantations that could provide a reasonable supply.

Do I think the new administration will make the difficult and necessary decisions to ramp up renewables? No, I don't. Many of them have gone in on a single issue of 'stop the windfarms'. Failure to decouple our energy supply from fossil fuels will deter business investment to the Island, increase cost of living pressures and push up inflation. We will end up poorer from all of these outcomes, with high energy prices pushing more households into fuel poverty.

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Author

I've has always been interested in politics. I grew up in a household where canvassing for elections and knocking up the vote were frequent activities around election time. I regularly stay up until the early hours to wait for the results of significant elections. In 2016 I joined Port St Mary Commissioners, and in 2021 I was elected to the House of Keys. For over a decade I have written a scuba diving blog which blended science and diving with my experience and observations. This blog allows me to share my views on politics in the Isle of Man.

From Rushen with love...

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