Dear Party Member I write this New Year message in difficult times. I was surprised when I was asked by the Chief Minister to be a member of his Cabinet, and I think he was even more surprised that I accepted. For him to invite the biggest antagonist against the „one party state by patronage‟ system of government to be a Minister is incredible. That system has left a terrible mess and many opportunities have been lost over the last 10 years. Now I have to try and deal with that „mess‟ which was augmented by Tony Brown and his administration. Action should have been taken sooner by government but, of course, it wasn‟t. I know many people are unhappy that I accepted the position as Minister and many others feel that it is a „poisoned chalice‟. There is no denying that being in the Council of Ministers is very frustrating particularly as most of the other members have the baggage of bringing about this mess in the first place. It is ironical that after all these years I have now become a Minister when the good times are over. I am not denying that it would be far easier to lambast and humiliate this administration from the back benches for the years of abuse that I have had, on my own and with a very unfriendly media to contend with. I have been proven right time and time again about the patronage and incompetence that existed but that the Liberal Vannin Party is about introducing the good systems of Government. When I met with Allan Bell he said four things that persuaded me to accept his offer. He said that:

1. There was little in the Liberal Vannin manifesto that he could not support 2. In the past, he would often have preferred to have supported many of my

suggestions 3. We are in unprecedented times regarding the economy 4. Everything will have to be reviewed to turn things around for the Island.

Mr Bell and I were both under pressure, he from his ministerial colleagues and me from my Liberal Vannin parliamentary members. But I believe that Mr Bell is sincere in his commitment for a government of national unity and despite what can only be called “difficult negotiations” I still believe it is my duty to help and support this Government as long as it sticks by its commitment to bring about fundamental changes in the way that the nation operates.

House of Keys Legislative Buildings Douglas Isle of Man IM1 3PW British Isles Telephone: 01624 685505 Fax: 01624 685509

Y Chiare as Feed Oikyn Slattyssagh Doolish Ellan Vannin IM1 3PW Ny Ellanyn Goaldagh Chellvane: 01624 685505 Facs: 01624 685509

There has to be a change in the process of executive government if we are to have any chance of helping the Chief Minister to bring about the improvements he wants to achieve so that we can have a brighter future for all our citizens. It will be extremely difficult because of the „baggage‟ left by the Council of Ministers and all of the wrongly thought out policies. Allan Bell appears to be a Chief Minister who recognises this and is prepared to make changes; we cannot afford to cover up all the mistakes that have been made but we need to learn from them. I agree that we now have a chance to start a new era, and one that can be built on firm foundations, but it will be very tough and Mr Bell will need all our support from the Liberal Vannin Party. As the New Year approaches, fundamental vision needs to be put in place for almost everything starting with our being more self-reliant and transparent. We need to deal with problems that have existed for a long time – getting on and off the Island - Steam Packet and airlines, energy costs, telecommunications etc. We need a policy for enterprise – but not at the expense of the vulnerable. We need to bring about changes for all of us and not just for the few who exploit the rest of the community. Far too often we have allowed people to abuse the system. The Liberal Vannin Party will introduce policies to change fundamental principles. We hope to bring about a property owning democracy, helping to make us an inclusive society and not an exclusive society as we still have two diverse sections on the Island – those that have and those that don‟t have. I am sure that the Chief Minister agrees with my aspirations. We must try to unite the Government and make it work for the people, and the Liberal Vannin Party aims to do that. The new administration must not be blighted. We must go forward positively so we can live in what should be a remarkable nation. We must learn from mistakes of the past and be brave enough to own up when we make mistakes so we can break the insanity that has been allowed to exist. The boom times are over and this new administration will have difficult lessons to learn. There is hope for the future and the „Bell Administration‟ if we work openly, fairly and transparently. I would like to give a special thanks to Kate and Zac for their loyalty through these difficult times. May I wish you – blein vie noa Hon Peter Karran MHK Leader of the Liberal Vannin Party