Tim Swift, president of the island’s Law Society, says the island should be proud of its status and position in the world

Why live and work in the Isle of Man were the questions I was asked more than 10 years ago when I was planning to leave Merseyside and move here.

I had to explain to too many people that I was not only moving but I was actually emigrating.

They did not know that we are not part of the UK.

Indeed, although we have access to the EU we are not part of it, but with Brexit this may well be academic now.

unbeatable

So the answer to the first question I was asked was that not only is the Isle of Man the safest place to live in the British Isles and one of the safest places in Europe, we have an unbeatable quality of life.

We are one of the best places in the British Isles for sailing, diving, walking, cycling and mountain biking with 169 miles of public footpaths, numerous sports and activity centres, heritage museums and attractions.

Contained within our 95 mile coastline we are the only island nation to be a member of the UNESCO world network of Biosphere Reserves.

This makes the Isle of Man a unique location to live and work in.

Not to mention that we have 79 pubs – that’s one for every 1,060 of the population!

The quality of life here is unparalleled in the British Isles. But what of business, the second question I was asked, namely why work on the Isle of Man?

vibrant

This island has a vibrant economy.

On the last available annual figures the GDP of the Isle of Man grew by 7.4%.

That’s ahead of China and only just behind India.

I am a lawyer and relevant to me directly is the size of the island’s service sector of which I am a part. Some 38% of our GDP is contributed by financial and professional services with 25% of the working population employed in these sectors.

Why am I quoting these statistics?

The reason is that we are a great place in which to live and work.

We should be proud of this. The island is so often targeted by the UK press and their politicians as nothing more than a tax haven, labelling us as a place for millionaire tax dodgers, famous only for the TT.

This is untrue, except that of course we are rightly famous for the greatest road race in the world.

We are self-governing and stable with a strong regulatory framework which is one of the best in the world. More than a lot of countries can say.

You would expect me to say that the legal profession is not only central to the business sector but also to the community. So I do say it.

The reputation and work of the island’s advocates and judiciary maintains the rule of law.

This is an invaluable asset to the island and represents international ‘soft power’. It underlines that we are a safe and fair place to live and do business.

considerations

These are major considerations for companies and entrepreneurs who are central to the success of the island.

Manx advocates are consistently ranked in the top tier of legal directories such as the Legal 500 and Chambers Global, demonstrating that they are experts in the fields in which they practice.

Manx legal firms have a diverse client base including global, public and private companies, financial institutions and individuals.

Advocates provide the full range of legal services with world class experience in financial services, corporate work and restructuring, insolvency, dispute resolution, property law, trust litigation and advice.

All this as well as serving the needs of the island’s community for representation, advice and assistance in relation to their legal affairs and problems, helping people as private or legally aided clients.

With the current legal aid system no one is put at an unfair disadvantage before the law.

So I return to the question - why the Isle of Man? I think the answer should be why on earth not.

proud

The Isle of Man should be proud of its status and position in the world.

We should not be shy about what we have to offer. We should deal firmly and fairly with those who think of us in one breath as a backwater and in the next as a centre of ‘dodgy money’.

The main things holding our economy back are skills and labour shortages. So whenever we travel we should be adverts for the great place in which we live and work, getting ‘comeovers’ to become ‘stayovers’ and persuading those who have left the island to return.