The two candidates for the position of chief minister have produced glossy manifestos to woo MHKs to back them.

The island’s political leader will - barring any surprises - be chosen in the House of Keys on Tuesday.

The candidates are Education Minister Alex Allinson and Treasury Minister Alfred Cannan.

While Dr Allinson makes a number of bold and eye-catching promises, Mr Cannan majors on identifying problems and taking a collaborative approach with other politicians.

Dr Allinson’s tone is progressive and liberal.

’I am committed to social change and to building a fairer, more equal and more sustainable society,’ he says.

While he says the chief minister should not set out their own manifesto and it should be a collective vision, he does make a number of policy pledges.

He promises legislation to improve job security with statutory sick pay, maternity, shared paternity benefits and bereavement leave.

He wants to increase the minimum wage to match the living wage and increase child benefit.

The first-time buyers scheme isn’t working, he says. He wants to update that in terms of income and price thresholds and more secure tenancy arrangements for people who rent.

’Rather than cuts and austerity, I believe now is the time to invest in health, education and infrastructure,’ he says.

Later the Ramsey MHK adds: ’I will not shy away from targeting tax increases which are ring-fenced to fund our NHS. I will review the upper thresholds for NI contributions and reform the over-complex system we have.’

Other pledges include:

A scheme to that use paying off tuition fees as an incentive for graduates to return to the island

A review of school catchment areas

An analysis of the ’open skies’ policy, which allows any airline to fly to and from the island without any guarantees of service

Better scrutiny of government spending

Changes to the way the government budgets are devised, with more information to members

Patient access to drugs with NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) approval

Restoration of the mental health worker support for the police

Reversal of the decision not to allow import licences for medicinal cannabis

Reclassification of cannabis as a class C drug as a step towards decriminalisation and individuals would be granted a licence to grow a small number of plants at home for personal use.

He says: ’Drug abuse needs to be treated as a medical problem rather than as a criminal issue.’

He adds: ’I will commission a strategy to legalise the recreational use of cannabis within a firm regulatory framework and also bring in minimum pricing for alcohol.’

In terms of how the Keys will operate, Dr Allinson promises the creation of deputy ministers in departments to oversee certain policies.

He also says he’d introduce ’job sharing’ for ministers and wants to make sittings more family friendly hours - so sittings would be easier for members who have to care for others, including their children.

Both say they will review the collective responsibility of the Council of Ministers. That is the system in which, after a policy is agreed, all ministers back it in public or resign if they disagree with it.

Mr Cannan says: ’I seek to lead a proactive government that engages across the community, respects opinions, challenges where necessary and strives for success - a government where core values of hard work, determination, fairness and integrity lie at the heart of our approach and that seeks to underpin its vision with thoughtful and impactful policies for a strong, caring and united society.’

He promises an Island Plan for 2021-2025. However, he says that the role of chief minister demands leadership on the ’collective determination of policy’. In other words, it will have to be agreed by Tynwald rather than be his personal policies.

His manifesto is less specific than Dr Allinson’s.

’I do not set out with this manifesto to predetermine the eventual will of Tynwald in shaping an Island Plan but to provide a platform for policy formation and progress,’ he says.

He wants his Council of Ministers to be more open, focused and to listen more.

The Treasury Minister acknowledges problems ahead with inflation and gas price hikes. ’Government will have to act in the short term to relieve some of this burden on the vulnerable and low-income households,’ he says.

He backs a change in the relationship between the Council of Ministers, Tynwald and government departments and wants more open policy debate, which will include:

A September conference to allow for ’public interaction’ on key issues

An annual debate on the Island Plan

Annual reports from government departments and boards for Tynwald debate

In addition, he says that government departments can work more closely together. As part of that Mr Cannan says he will set up a policy and strategy unit to produce better policies and to work with Treasury on spending bids.

He also wants a new Covid Response Group, an Economic Development Board to look at economic policy and strategy.

A projects board would be formed to oversee infrastructure projects ’or, if the Department of Infrastructure is reformed, this could sit as the infrastructure board to advise and input on relevant matters’. He says there is a strong case to replace the DoI with smaller units.

He also wants a Climate Change Board to come up with a plan within the Island Plan - ’but it is most important that his plan is well thought through and costed’.

Mr Cannan talks about the need for a diversified economy and says we should be prepared to reassess ’targeted growth in a transparent manner’.

’It is important that government policies applicable to young families are geared appropriately to enable them to have the best opportunities,’ he says. He says they should have an ’interlink’ between housing and social policies and wants planning policies to allow for regeneration in towns.

In education, he says educational funding should be reviewed, more training and apprenticeship schemes.

He adds that Tynwald should ’look carefully’ at the provision of childcare for working parents.

On health, he acknowledges the funding problems that have beset the health system. ’To move forward, urgent issues need addressing, including how waiting times can be reduced.’

He wants a strong recruitment and retention plan for staff.

Housing in the island is fast approaching a crisis point, he says.

He suggests considering the appointment of a housing and communities minister.

The Treasury Minister says: ’This manifesto recognises that public finances remain strained following the Covid pandemic and that increased spending in areas require sensible balancing in others.

’Current economic conditions - including inflationary pressures and energy costs - will provide a significant challenge for the next administration.’

He says he doesn’t want to see a return to the pre-2017 freezes and that the emphasis will be on government to ’carefully’ priorities its policy and spending commitments.

He wants a ’careful’ review of social security support and the realignment of the minimum wage with the living wage.

At the end of his manifesto, Mr Cannan says: ’I offer not only the experience and acumen to undertake the role of chief minister but I can demonstrate a collegiate and listening approach to policy formation and problem solving, working with colleagues across government to deliver results for our island.’

The public don’t get to vote directly for the chief minister.

But we are trying to gauge opinion by running an email poll, which we believe will be better than an online poll, which can be manipulated.

We will accept only one vote per email address. Simply write the name of the candidate in the email header.

Please include a phone number on your email. We will phone a number of people who email us to check authenticity.

The deadline will be noon on Monday and the results published on the day of the vote - Tuesday.

We will delete all the emails on Tuesday morning.

There is also a paper version of the poll to cut out and post in this week’s Manx Independent.

Both candidates will speak at a public meeting organised by the Positive Action Group on Monday at 7.30pm at the Manx Legion Club, Market Hill, Douglas

The audience will be given the opportunity to raise questions with them.

The manifestos are available here:

https://www.tynwald.org.im/about/news/Documents/Alex%20Allinson%20Statement.pdf

https://www.tynwald.org.im/about/news/Documents/Alf%20Cannan%20-%20Manifesto.pdf