A southern MHK believes the time is now to start having conversations around a potential no-confidence vote in the current administration.
Speaking on Manx Radio Breakfast Arbory, Castletown and Malew's Tim Glover described the scene that played out in Tynwald yesterday with Health Minister Lawrie Hooper and department member Joney Faragher submitting their resignations as 'a mess'.
Hi, I'm Shahn, one of the news editors at Manx Radio and yesterday in Timwald we heard the Health Minister, the now former Health Minister Laurie Hooper, resign from his role over concerns over the Chief Minister's direction on health care funding. So just what has the reaction been among backbench MHKs and where does government go from here? Aubrey Castletown and Maloo MHK Tim Glover joined myself and Ben on Manx Radio Breakfast this morning. What a mess. I don't think it was a shock. Partly what they said yesterday was asking where this instruction had come from because of the language that Mr Hooper was using when he referred to it coming from on high. So I didn't see it as a shock, it was certainly dramatic and well what a mess we're in. In terms of the answers that you received to your urgent question, just reflecting back on that, what did you make of those responses? Well it was clear again from the responses and that there was something fundamentally a mess with regard to the position of the Health Minister. It was good that he stayed in post and answered those questions and the fact it went on for nearly 50 minutes with other MHKs and MLCs joining in showed there was great concern at the latest turn of events. Now the Chief Minister has said that he believes Coleman still has confidence in his leadership. You asked the Chief Minister about his leadership during the questions after his autumn statement. Do you believe he is still the right person to be the leader? Well what I said was a leader brings people with him. Did he feel that he still was bringing people within the honourable court with him and indeed people on the outside and let's just look at the bare facts now. There are five ex ministers now on the backbenchers. So you have to question whether he is able to bring people with him. After the budget earlier this year you did invite the public to give you their thoughts on whether there needs to be a motion of no confidence. Do you think it is now the time for that? Personally yes there has not been much chance for that to be discussed because it was a pretty full on day yesterday but I am sure that conversation will come up and a lot of members fundamentally believe that the health service should be free at the point of entry and I am concerned that we are putting potentially balance sheets ahead of putting people in harm's way. Would you like to see then that commitment from Komen for that free at the point of access? I would. I mean that was asked and I think Banks Radio have asked that as well and I didn't hear a clear answer from the Chief Minister. All I heard was a word soup. Mr Glover I wonder about everybody listening now are you describing it as a mess and I wonder if there are a number of our listeners saying actually we don't care about who is falling out with who and exactly who the minister is. We just want this situation to be sorted at Mankscare, the funding. So how would you go about changing this situation sorting out this mess as you describe it? Well it's all very well having calls for fiscal responsibility but you've got to look at what Mankscare is providing. I think that now is the time where the Chief Minister and Komen should be talking to backbenchers about ideas for funding and I personally think the National Insurance Holiday when new residents get a year's holiday. I don't see the need for that anymore. That will bring more money in. There's a number of different things that can be done but fiscal responsibility has to be applied right across the board and that includes the wind farm down here in the south of the island where the latest figure there is 40 million. The last thing we want to be seeing is this walking, sleepwalking into a livable landing stage fiasco once again. There's no doubt these are turbulent times for Tim Ward for Manks Politics. You've been following the going on in Tim Ward for many, many years now. First of all, in your role here at Manks Radio for many years and now as an MHK, can you ever remember a time when things have been so turbulent and perhaps there is this sort of disconnect within Tim Ward and within the Isle of Man taxpayers as well? I don't think I have. I certainly get to have conversations with people all the time and there is an enormous amount of discontent about where we're heading at the moment and personally and I'll be talking to people when I get the chance today. I think it is now the opportunity to try and lance the boil and see where we go from there. Given that there has been so much turbulence within the Council of Ministers, the various different issues going on at the moment, how difficult do you think it is to try and unite members now and try and start making some progress? Well, the Chief Minister has to do that, set that personal, personally himself and engage with backbenchers about the direction that we're heading in. That is not happening and as I say, five ex-ministers now on the backbenchers. He's not bringing people with him clearly. And just finally, if your phone were to ring if the Chief Minister were to give you a call and invite you to be part of his Council of Ministers, he's got a vacancy, what would be your thoughts? I'm no nodding dog. Thank you for making it to the end of the Manx Radio Newscast. You are obviously someone with exquisite taste. May I politely suggest you might want to subscribe to this and a wide range of Manx Radio podcasts at your favourite podcast provider, so our best bits will magically appear on your smartphone. Thank you. [Music] You
