A Tynwald committee has heard evidence that government public consultations are often flawed, biased, and have “lost their way”.
Former journalist and press officer Alistair Ramsay cited the health levy as an example, noting the consultation did not ask “do you agree with the health Levy, but how do you think we should implement the health Levy”.
He argued for “some fairly strict rules about how you run” consultations and suggested they be “presented through an independent third party” to build public trust.
Chris Robertshaw, a former MHK, linked the problem to the power of government departments, stating consultations are “over influenced by the will and wish of the particular department”.
He said this “distorts and weakens the parliamentary process.”
Mr Robertshaw later agreed with Ramsay’s earlier point, stating the health levy issue “sort of crashed and burned, didn’t it,” as an example of a biased consultation failing.