The Celtic League Director of Information (DoI) has said the Isle of Man should consider all options including independence following recent unilateral actions by the United Kingdom government which have impacted on the Crown dependency.

In the latest move the United Kingdom has unilaterally revised a long standing tax receipts agreement which will lose the Isle of Man hundreds of millions of pounds over the next few years. (Note 1)

This move comes hard on the heels of a separate initiative to cancel a bilateral health agreement which means Manx residents will be charged individually for health care if they fall ill in the United Kingdom (Note 2). This week Manx people were told that from April they must take out private health insurance when visiting the UK

The news also coincides with news that the UK wants to reactivate a plan to introduce passport control between the Island and the United Kingdom.

The Celtic League DoI also pointed out, in an interview with Manx Radio, that higher education fees levied on the Island by the United Kingdom are appreciable higher than UK domestic rates (Note 3).

The DoI said he could not join with the condemnation voiced by some Manx politicians of the UK and said the UK was simply looking out for the interests of its own citizens and that the Isle of Man government should do likewise.

Finally, the DoI said that the UK moves should be seen as an opportunity for the Island to have a serious debate about its future looking at all options (Note 4) including independence.

The, edited, Manx Radio interview can be found on the Manx Radio (Listen Again) site here:

(voir le site)

The report can be found on Friday Mandate am (in the second portion of the programme after the 8:00pm news.

Also a news clip here:

(voir le site)

Note 1: Changes to the Common Purse Agreement

Note 2: The Isle of Man has to date paid a lump sum to cover health care for Manx residents when in the UK. The UK is cancelling this agreement. Off Island specialist treatment and care is paid for separately by the Island and this in unaffected. Howver the Islands DHSS is looking at options to purchase specialist care treatment in Ireland or Scotland as the traditional area which provided it (the North west UK) appears to have been hiking up its charges.

Note 3: University course fees charged to Manx students are roughly twice those charged to UK residents – the IOM government has (to date) fully funded all of Island course fees for students.

Note 4: The United Kingdom has other ways of squeezing money out of the Isle of Man.

It levies broadcast licence fees on the Island with the agreement of the Manx government (Approx £3 million per annun) however the broadcast service is generally poor and the Isle of Man government has to fund its own Radio Station separately.

Also the Island pays several million pounds for something called Defence and Common Services although quite what the UK is defending the Isle of Man from is unclear!

J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League

23/10/09

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