Election Looming For Two Places On Legislative Council

[Theodolite]

Just when we thought we had had enough of elections another one now for two MLC's.

 

There were originally 6 candidates:

Charles Cain former MHK

Alan Crowe former MHK and MLC,

John Lightfoot Peel commissioner

Peter Kelly local historian

Leonard Singer former MHK and MLC

Adrian Duggan former MHK

 

Charles Cain has been through all this MLC election thing before and despite having all votes available to him over 4 ballots, the highest number he received was 7 (13 needed for election)

 

Alan Crowe completed a term as MLC but did not go for re-election. He was originally voted in after there had been quite a struggle to find a candidate back in 1998

 

I don't know anything about John Lightfoot.

 

Peter Kelly seems a decent enough bloke and if elected I hope he gives Tynwald some speil about their new building, the new brickwork into the main entrance is little short of disgusting and would not pass a first week brickies' apprentice course at the IoM College. Seriously.

 

Leonard Singer former MHK and MLC.

 

Adrian Duggan has been through the process previously but has dropped out according to IoM Newspapers although Manx Radio haven't caught up with that yet

 

There are calls for the Legislative Council to be elected by the great unwashed rather than just by secret ballot in the House of Keys. We can influence the vote though, by contacting MHKs to give them our opinion.

 

 

PS

I have just realised that this post should really be in Local News.

[Charles Flynn]

Our opinion? How can we do this as we have no idea what the candidates policies may be, although MHK's are given a personal statement from them.

 

How can they have a mandate?

 

Are any of the candidates willing to campaign to abolish this method of election?

[Tugger]

Leonard Singer - not good enough for the electorate, but good enough to be a member of the legislature through this process.

[teapot]

Just when we thought we had had enough of elections another one now for two MLC's.

 

There were originally 6 candidates:

Charles Cain former MHK - could be useful

Alan Crowe former MHK and MLC, could be useful

John Lightfoot Peel commissioner and failed business man - not very useful. Wasn'te he formally Legends Travel! Now in with Street Heritage and Jonathan Irving!#

Peter Kelly local historian could be useful

Leonard Singer former MHK and MLCbloody cheek standing - pension enhancement!

Adrian Duggan former MHKbloody cheek standing - pension enhancement!

 

 

Charles Cain has been through all this MLC election thing before and despite having all votes available to him over 4 ballots, the highest number he received was 7 (13 needed for election)

 

Alan Crowe completed a term as MLC but did not go for re-election. He was originally voted in after there had been quite a struggle to find a candidate back in 1998

 

I don't know anything about John Lightfoot.

 

Peter Kelly seems a decent enough bloke and if elected I hope he gives Tynwald some speil about their new building, the new brickwork into the main entrance is little short of disgusting and would not pass a first week brickies' apprentice course at the IoM College. Seriously.

 

Leonard Singer former MHK and MLC.

 

Adrian Duggan has been through the process previously but has dropped out according to IoM Newspapers although Manx Radio haven't caught up with that yet

 

There are calls for the Legislative Council to be elected by the great unwashed rather than just by secret ballot in the House of Keys. We can influence the vote though, by contacting MHKs to give them our opinion.

 

 

PS

I have just realised that this post should really be in Local News.

[copycat]

hopefully they won't elect Singer or Crowe - theyv'e both had a go and its time for some new faces.

[Lonan3]

Peter Kelly seems a decent enough bloke and if elected I hope he gives Tynwald some speil about their new building, the new brickwork into the main entrance is little short of disgusting and would not pass a first week brickies' apprentice course at the IoM College. Seriously.

 

Manx Radio Link

 

A candidate for one of the two vacant seats in the Legislative Council says he would welcome facing a public vote in the future.

Local government administrator and historian Peter Kelly is one of five candidates in the forthcoming election - a secret ballot in the House of Keys.

But there are growing calls for members of LegCo to be publicly elected.

Mr Kelly says if he's elected under the current system, he'll use his influence to change it - from the inside:

 

So... let's have a few more declaring their positions on this - and it wouldn't do any harm for the CM to take the lead on it.

[John Wright]

Alan Crowe stood down voluntarily from Legco after being taken ill. He has now recovered. Never rejected by the electorate or the Keys

 

Charles Cain was an MHK. I think Irecall if he stood down because of ill health in 1986ctorate. He has previously been nominated for Council and not got in. Previously rejected by the Keys

 

 

Adrian Duggan has just stood down from Keys, he has not lost an election. I am surprised I understood that he had health grounds for his decision. He has been nominated before but not eected. Is it confirmed he has dropped out.

 

Mr Singer having spent a relatively short period in the Keys went to the Council and decided to stand down to face the electorate again, he failed, there can be no justification for electing him.

 

That leaves 2 non politicians

 

1. Peter Kelly, never held elected public ofice. Nice guy and I like his expression of view on Legco elections. may tend to get a little lost in the detail.

 

2. John Lightfoot I do not know, but he didn't seek a mandate at the Peel election two months ago, so why does he think he is ready for the national stage now

 

Link mem bers of keys since 1417 http://www.tynwald.org.im/keys/1417-chronological.shtml

[Moghrey Mie]

Alan Crowe stood down voluntarily from Legco after being taken ill. He has now recovered. Never rejected by the electorate or the Keys

 

Charles Cain was an MHK. I think Irecall if he stood down because of ill health in 1986ctorate. He has previously been nominated for Council and not got in. Previously rejected by the Keys

 

 

Adrian Duggan has just stood down from Keys, he has not lost an election. I am surprised I understood that he had health grounds for his decision. He has been nominated before but not eected. Is it confirmed he has dropped out.

 

Mr Singer having spent a relatively short period in the Keys went to the Council and decided to stand down to face the electorate again, he failed, there can be no justification for electing him.

 

That leaves 2 non politicians

 

1. Peter Kelly, never held elected public ofice. Nice guy and I like his expression of view on Legco elections. may tend to get a little lost in the detail.

 

2. John Lightfoot I do not know, but he didn't seek a mandate at the Peel election two months ago, so why does he think he is ready for the national stage now

 

 

Adrian Duggan has more integrity than most. He said he was not going to seek re-election and he didn't.

John Houghton put his name forward for the LegCo but Adrian has never sought 'election' to LegCo himself.

 

The role of LegCo is to scrutinise draft legislation that has been through the House of Keys.

But as David Cannan MHK said some people think they can just walk in off the street and take a seat on Leg Co.

And at present they can with 13 votes from members of the House of Keys.

 

Then can also be put in the Department of Transport without having been elected by the people of the Isle of Man.

Roll on the day when we get democracy here.

 

Link mem bers of keys since 1417 http://www.tynwald.org.im/keys/1417-chronological.shtml

[Moghrey Mie]

Alan Crowe stood down voluntarily from Legco after being taken ill. He has now recovered. Never rejected by the electorate or the Keys

 

Charles Cain was an MHK. I think Irecall if he stood down because of ill health in 1986ctorate. He has previously been nominated for Council and not got in. Previously rejected by the Keys

 

 

Adrian Duggan has just stood down from Keys, he has not lost an election. I am surprised I understood that he had health grounds for his decision. He has been nominated before but not eected. Is it confirmed he has dropped out.

 

Mr Singer having spent a relatively short period in the Keys went to the Council and decided to stand down to face the electorate again, he failed, there can be no justification for electing him.

 

That leaves 2 non politicians

 

1. Peter Kelly, never held elected public ofice. Nice guy and I like his expression of view on Legco elections. may tend to get a little lost in the detail.

 

2. John Lightfoot I do not know, but he didn't seek a mandate at the Peel election two months ago, so why does he think he is ready for the national stage now

 

 

Roll on the day when we get democracy here.

 

Link mem bers of keys since 1417 http://www.tynwald.org.im/keys/1417-chronological.shtml

[Moghrey Mie]

Alan Crowe stood down voluntarily from Legco after being taken ill. He has now recovered. Never rejected by the electorate or the Keys

 

Charles Cain was an MHK. I think Irecall if he stood down because of ill health in 1986ctorate. He has previously been nominated for Council and not got in. Previously rejected by the Keys

 

 

Adrian Duggan has just stood down from Keys, he has not lost an election. I am surprised I understood that he had health grounds for his decision. He has been nominated before but not eected. Is it confirmed he has dropped out.

 

Mr Singer having spent a relatively short period in the Keys went to the Council and decided to stand down to face the electorate again, he failed, there can be no justification for electing him.

 

That leaves 2 non politicians

 

1. Peter Kelly, never held elected public ofice. Nice guy and I like his expression of view on Legco elections. may tend to get a little lost in the detail.

 

2. John Lightfoot I do not know, but he didn't seek a mandate at the Peel election two months ago, so why does he think he is ready for the national stage now

 

 

 

 

Link mem bers of keys since 1417 http://www.tynwald.org.im/keys/1417-chronological.shtml

 

 

Adrian Duggan has more integrity than most of them.

He said he wasn't going to seek re-election to the House of Keys and he didn't.

He didn't seek election to LEG CO. John Houghton put his name forward and Adrian said he didn't want to stand.

 

Now as David Cannan MHK said a couple of people think they can walk in off the street and join LegCo.

 

The main role of the Legisative Council is to scrutinise draft legislation that has been through the House of Keys.

But people with no qualifications for this work can put themselves forward.

 

And once they are 'elected' by the members of the House of Keys one of them will be put in the Department of Transport without any mandate from the people of the IOM.

Salary -Tynwald member £34,151 plus Departmental member £10,245 total £44,396

 

Roll on the day when we get democracy on the island.

At the moment we don't know who these people are and they are not obliged to tell us anything. How many O levels have they got?

[Fido]

If all members of Tynwald are popularly elected, you may as well have 33 MHKs, so do away with LegCo altogether.

 

Think it through, and see if you will change your mind

[Lonan3]

16 constituencies each electing 2 MHKs. Everyone has 2 votes (no 1s or 3s as at present). The 8 most senior members are 'promoted' into the revising chamber, i.e. Legco. (If two are equal in seniority, MHKs are balloted)

 

Where is the problem??????

[Moghrey Mie]

If all members of Tynwald are popularly elected, you may as well have 33 MHKs, so do away with LegCo altogether.

 

Think it through, and see if you will change your mind

 

 

One of the proposals David Cannan MHK mentioned in the House of Keys today was a 'bold and radical approach' with 24 elected MHKs and do away with LEGCO.

 

Other options were 32 single seat consituencies or 16x2 seat constituencies with a separate LegCo.All members of Tynwald to be elected by the public.

 

Mr Cannan was granted leave to introduce a Bill on Constitutional Reform. Maybe they will actually do something this time round.

[Theodolite]

They will probably do something and that is vote the Bill out. Not for no reason either, as the Bill will be fully debated.

 

When a workable solution is offered then I am sure it will happen. the 16x2 MHK constituency seems fair enough, but why make the senior (or any) members LegCo? Some would say make the junior members LegCo, but that wouldn't work would it.

The House of keys and the Legislative Council can have very different functions and powers. The problem is that there are simply not enough suitable candidates. It is not uncommon for there to be fresh nominations called over 5 or 6 meetings of the House of Keys in order to manage to get an MLC elected.

 

For example, in 1998 there were 4 candidates for 4 places and each MHK had 4 votes. If the candidates were considered suitable they could have had 23 votes each on the first ballot (1 member was absent). So sorted? Instead it took many ballots over 6 separate meetings of the House before they finally filled up the vacancies. 2 of those involved in that particular episode are now vying for places again. Maybe they have short memories or perhaps the voting MHKs still in the House have short memories.

 

The present system can be democratic, but through the choice of our MHKs.

 

The Legislative Council is a real opportunity to bring intelligent, knowledgeable and public spirited people directly into Tynwald, although what it has tended to do in the past is 'promote' our more experienced MHKs and subsequently bring in a newbie. So the House of Keys loses out on experience, although it has to be said that some of our more noteable politicians have been brought in on an MLC promotion bi-election eg. Anne Craine, Phil Gawne, John Rimington, Peter Karran, David Cretney, Bill Henderson.

[Theodolite]

http://www.manxradio.com/ReadItem.aspx?ID=...mp;cate=General

 

I note that Peter Kelly would "welcome public vote for LegCo".

 

It all sounds very good and popularist but I wish he had suggested and discussed an alternative system, you know, just to show he knows what the job is he is applying for, although I must say he does seem a nice chap and certainly could make some useful changes, Anyway, it gives me an opportunity to post these pictures of the entrance to the plush new building. Apparently the Project Architect says there is nothing wrong with this brand new brickwork and I wonder if Mr Kelly could provide his opinion on the building he may soon be sitting in?