We, in this island, are as near to politically irrelevant as it is possible to be right now, writes Sam Turton.

The Chief Minister and his colleagues spent part of last week at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.

This week, they were at the Tory conference, in Birmingham.

Yet for the life of me, I can’t see why.

Last week, Howard Quayle and Laurence Skelly MHK were explaining how the island had diversified its economy. I can only assume their aim was to achieve the same this week.

In among all of this, talks were held on the issue of Brexit and how it will affect the island.

I hate to break it to them, Brexit is not about giving the nations of the British Isles more powers.

It is about the internal fighting within the Tory Party about the European Union.

And this is what it has always been about.

If you look at history, the past three Tory prime ministers have crashed and burned over Europe: Cameron, Major and Thatcher, I suspect May will be the fourth.

Although whether she delivers Brexit or not, she seems finished come next year’s conference season, if not before.

But then that made me think, in a year’s time, will Mr Quayle be turning up in Brighton or Manchester or wherever the next conferences are held?

Will he be trying to argue the island’s side and talk to ’senior UK politicians on issues of direct concern to the Isle of Man’?

It’s all well and good sharing pictures on Twitter of meeting MPs.

But here’s another idea: be brave and bold.

In Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon is plotting and waiting for her moment to call #IndyRef2.

In Northern Ireland, Mary Lou McDonald (leader of Sinn Fein) is making whispers about a referendum for a united Ireland, as the Good Friday Agreement pointed towards.

And Adam Price (leader of Plaid Cymru) has suggested Wales could explore its destiny in the event of a no deal Brexit.

And when was the last time anyone heard Gibraltar even being discussed?

With all of that going on, and May’s government largely ignoring those issues, what chance have we got to be heard? It is all well and good taking pictures and smiling for Twitter and making positive noises.

But the island needs positive leadership and needs to explore an alternative.

We should signal our intent, that if Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are to have referendums, so will we.

We have to be taken seriously that the Isle of Man is prepared to turn away from Westminster and work with Holyrood, Dublin or even Brussels.

I’m not saying we all go out and join Mec Vannin, but, the island is a small, and proud, nation.

Where is the pride in being forced to slither up to a party which only cares about power and arguing with itself and another which seems to think we are all millionaire tax dodgers?

This is why the time has come to be brave, to state the Isle of Man has some red lines of its own.

Brexit could have delivered opportunities but they seem to be slipping away.

And for people saying we could get a great deal with America the island will once again just be an after thought.

If Brexit ever really was about independence and sovereignty the island should explore those same possibilities.

Why can’t the island have a serious debate about where we are best off going?