Election day has come and gone. For those elected, now the hard work starts.

A different election, with much more ‘online’ discussion, and for some, Artificial Intelligence has been central.

Whilst modern technology will obviously have a key role in messaging in the time ahead, I do think that campaigns should be broader than that. I feel the ‘one-to-one’ doorstep conversations are important and, if seeking the trust of the electorate, most voters want to actually meet the candidates.

An over-reliance on AI could promote an average candidate with words that may give an over-optimistic view of their capabilities.

I noticed many comments about the late or non-receipt of manifestos, which is incredible, and the old ‘Sorry I missed you!’ cards when no real effort has occurred. New camera doorbells clearly show the card being put through the letterbox whilst the householder is actually in the house.

Standing for a national election, an early announcement of your intention is important.

Whilst, for those who have everyday work commitments, this can present real issues, the candidate should declare early and work around such commitments. In 2021, my daughter Sarah [Maltby] declared in January whilst still working full-time in order to make the time to meet those she was wishing to represent.

In manifestos, candidates cannot make promises of what they will achieve. Our system depends on convincing other elected members of the validity of your argument or proposal. All the time that I was elected, requisition meetings were the part I didn’t look forward to, as some people naturally have ‘the gift of the gab’ and could sell ice lollies to Eskimos, but it does not necessarily follow that they constitute the best public representative.

For obvious reasons, I have avoided any comment here about the General Election, but now it’s all over, can I share a few of my views on the five years ahead?

Central to progress will be the election of a politically mature Chief Minister, and here I make no apologies for referring back to the first Chief Minister, Sir Miles Walker, who established a pattern of bringing differing political perspectives into his Cabinet. This pattern was followed by a number of those who followed, and it was successful inasmuch as all voices were heard and joint progress was made.

It followed a difficult time economically, where in 1985 well over 3,000 people were unemployed and financial reserves were virtually non-existent. Employment and equality rights were overdue reform and, by working with business and employee representatives, Government set sail on 40 years of unbroken economic growth. This was not without significant social pressures, which required resolution, but there was a clear team ethic to improve things on the Isle of Man via the tagline “The development of a prosperous and caring society”.

Much later, and at a time of some discontent in Tynwald which was not conducive to continuing to make progress, I suggested a way of trying to unite Government and Parliament via the establishment of a ‘Government of National Unity’, which did not attract support.

Sadly, over the more recent past, we have witnessed once again a more unstable environment and, of course, we are not immune from external influences in an equally unstable world.

To be clear, such a suggestion would not preclude effective scrutiny of the Executive and, indeed, Scrutiny Committees, as well as the Public Accounts Committee, together with questions and motions in Tynwald from non-Ministers, which remain a vital part of any democracy.

We have witnessed uncertain times for Ministers in the past five years, with a lack of stability and a revolving door to the Council.

Plus, an unsuccessful attempt at a vote of no confidence in the Chief Minister, which reflects similar situations in adjacent jurisdictions. The results from our General Election indicate a clear dissatisfaction with the path that has been followed of late, and this has resulted in a number of casualties.

On a more optimistic note, with an unprecedented 15 new Members of Tynwald, all charged up and full of ideas. I do hope the new Chief Minister will bring a more collaborative approach going forward.

An historic day with 18-year-old Daniel Davison in Glenfaba and Peel.

Let’s encourage more education for all on our political system in the time ahead. As someone who attended all but three of the televised constituency debates, I was pleased to see at least three new candidates, of those participating whom I took the time to wish well, duly elected.

As stated at the start, I have strictly steered away from politics in this column for quite some time, but with your indulgence, can I suggest some things I would like to see seriously considered and, indeed, if agreed, acted upon in the time ahead?

For me, in a number of areas, there has been too much discussion in relation to a number of matters that have required attention, but little in the way of real action. This needs to change!

Affordable housing was the top issue at our last General Election, and this remains the case. We need our young people to return after further education, or, if they remain on the land of their birth, rather than having to leave, which is a tragedy. In terms of new local authority housing, Douglas Council has led the way, and it is good to see others adopting this approach. Bricks and mortar and new construction techniques are a sound investment, and Government must facilitate progress.

The same applies to house purchase. At the moment, young people find it impossible to save for a mortgage, and this was an area which previously saw real support from Government.

I moved the Residence Bill in 2001, which, like other Commonwealth jurisdictions, provided ‘skill gateways’ where we need such, whilst providing protection to prevent a negative impact on Government revenues. It has been gathering dust since.

Early action to provide security at our ports is welcome.

Communication with the public and access to Ministers to explain new policy proposals and their impact has been a major failure of the last Council of Ministers. Where accurate information is not provided, it leaves a gaping hole for misinformation. This must be addressed.

The world does not owe us a living. We need to get ‘hungry’ again and support local industries and new initiatives. The economy is a top priority. The relationship between Treasury and Steam Packet needs to be refined to place a clear emphasis on it being a key part of the development of the economy.

I am not a supporter of the ‘one-step detached’ model; it can create expensive duplication.

The relationship between a Minister and Chief Executive is an important one. Both need to understand their respective roles. As a Minister for 18 years, I was the Department. Officers would offer advice and policy proposals, but it was specifically me, and also the Department, that determined policy.

Those negotiating on behalf of Government must be the most capable. Spending extra then would save in the longer term.

Finally, closer to home, I am proud of my daughter Sarah. Despite the lower turnout because of the unpopularity of the outgoing Council of Ministers, she increased her vote and majority. All due to remaining closely in touch with her constituents and working hard for our island.