CHIEF Minister Allan Bell’s choice of members for his Council of Ministers reflects that the economy is of paramount importance as the Isle of Man’s parliament settles down following the House of Keys General Election.
When the Council of Ministers was announced all the talk was of the appointment of outspoken opponent Peter Karran who was given the role of Minister for the Department of Education and Children.
With the dust settling over that story, the main thrust of Mr Bell’s team of Ministers was clearly around the preservation of the Manx economy and a focus on growth to improve the revenue accounts.
However, it has to be said that there have also been some positive comments about Mr Karran’s somewhat unexpected appointment to the Council of Ministers. Some cynics predict that Mr Karran will “spit the dummy” one day soon and resign from his role at the head of the Department of Education and Children, but others believe that it could actually be a very positive move.
Peter Karran has for many years been a strong critic of over-spending by government departments and an opponent in cutbacks in education. He also expressed a strong desire in his election manifesto and the Liberal Vannin Party newsletter to uphold a fair society for all people, no matter what their education al background.
Having left school to become a joiner, before taking a role in politics, Peter Karran is one of very few of the current MHKs who understands on a personal level what it’s like to be at the bottom rung of the wage-earning ladder as an apprentice, often verbally abused by colleagues in their first few years of work as they learn their trade.
In his position as Minister, he holds a strong position in being able to formulate future spending policies and he will be able to direct attention towards the many hundreds of teenagers who leave school each year seeking vocational employment in the many trades which offer jobs on the Island.
Vocational courses have been a strong feature of the education system for many years and with the potability of further cutbacks across all departments Mr Karran’s ability to forcefully argue the case for the those students unlikely to achieve GCSE success will be put to the test.
Without doubt, Mr Karran’s appointment will result in a few fireworks in the near future and to be a fly on the wall at the regular meetings of the Council of Ministers would surely be an eye-opener. But it could be speculated that there are as many positive scenarios as there are negatives.
Any Minister who is able to retain the levels of Departmental spending enjoyed in the past will have achieved a great deal in this next five years. This is a challenge which Mr Karran will no doubt tackle with his undoubted relentless political energy.
