THE man responsible for the UK Government's relationship with the Isle of Man and other Crown Dependencies has said there is a growing awareness in the UK of the Island's success.
Lord McNally, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice, is currently in the Isle of Man for meetings with the Island's Chief Minister Tony Brown.
The visit to the Isle of Man is Lord McNally's first since he was appointed a year ago and he said it was a "really great pleasure to be back".
Speaking at a press conference today (Friday) Lord McNally said: "I have to say I am generally impressed by the dynamism of the Isle of Man and the plans for the diversity of the economy which I think bode extremely well for the future.
"We are in an era of inter-dependency and globalisation and I think the diversification strategy – the outward looking strategy – is one that will allow the Isle of Man to survive and prosper in what's going to be an increasingly competitive world."
During his time in the Isle of Man Lord McNally and the Chief Minister have spoken at length about the relationship between the Isle of Man and the UK.
Chief Minister Tony Brown explained: "We've had a number of discussions about what we do in the Island and Lord McNally has also had some meetings with officers from different departments - predominantly the Department of Economic Development in terms of our diverse economy, what we do and how we try to generate the income we need to sustain the Isle of Man and also importantly what we provide here in general terms.
"We've also had discussions about our relationship between the Isle of Man and the UK which is a good relationship, a very healthy one. Like any good relationship on occasions there can be some challenges, and that happens, and we endeavour to work together to make sure that anything we do is right for both parties.
Lord McNally has said he doesn't feel the Island is misunderstood but said it does still suffer slightly for having a nostalgic image.
He continued: "Many people have those fond memories either from themselves or family of the Isle of Man as a holiday destination but of course it has its downsides that the memory is of horse drawn trams, cats with no tails or kippers rather than space technology which I have been hearing about.
"I think there is a growing awareness that the Isle of Man has been very successful but I think it still suffers, but also benefits, from a slightly nostalgic image. I think now there is a wider understanding that you've established yourself as a very successful finance services centre but that you are also diversifying.
"I think that in a way you are better positioned than the other crown dependencies in that respect. There is generally not hostility towards the Isle of Man and indeed a fund of good will."
Lord McNally also said he was a "strong supporter" of the Isle of Man having representation in Brussels.
Chief Minister Tony Brown concluded: "It's nice to have the opportunity to show Lord McNally what we do which is part of our ongoing programme at Isle of Man Government where we go out into the UK, Brussels and sometimes to Washington to actually get that message out to people as to what the Isle of Man is, or to alter their perception of what the Isle of Man is about."
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