The island’s consensus-based political system is “broken” and “past its sell by date”, a former senior government communications figure has said.
In a frank assessment, Alistair Ramsay, who served at the heart of the Council of Ministers, argued the ministerial model introduced in the 1980s is no longer fit for purpose amid major economic challenges and a “dysfunctional” administration.
He highlighted a fundamental flaw in accountability, noting the public “don’t vote a government in and we can’t vote one out”.
Instead, voters elect local representatives who then “sort it out amongst themselves”, leading to a regime with no collective mandate.
The recent turbulent politics, including the Chief Minister appearing to distance himself from his own government, was cited as evidence of a system in crisis which Alistair said has It’s made Tynwald “look quite kind of naive and weak”.
He called for evolution, advocating for a clearer public mandate, possibly through a directly elected Chief Minister and a stronger division between the executive and parliament to restore accountability and decisive governance.