Government Rebuilt
End collective responsibility. Restore direct ministerial accountability. Remove unelected power and put government firmly back in the hands of the people.
Power must be accountable
- Abolish the Council of Ministers as a collective decision-making authority
- Make individual Ministers directly responsible for decisions and results
- Abolish unelected MLCs and create a People’s House
Abolish the Council of Ministers as a decision-making authority
The present system allows responsibility to be shared, blurred or avoided. CHANGE will end collective decision-making and place authority with individual Ministers who must answer publicly for what they decide and what they deliver.
Executive authority will rest with individual Ministers
Each Minister will carry the authority to direct their department and the unavoidable responsibility to answer for its decisions, spending and results.
- No collective responsibility
- A named Minister must approve every major decision
- Direct accountability to the House of Keys and the public
- Clear published lines of responsibility
- Regular questioning and scrutiny
Clear authority. Clear responsibility. Clear consequences.
Ministers will no longer act as figureheads while decisions are made elsewhere. They will be the accountable decision-makers of government.
Set policy direction
Ministers will set the political and strategic direction of their departments. Priorities will be explicit, published and open to scrutiny.
Sign off decisions
No major policy, expenditure or strategic action will proceed without the approval and signature of a clearly identified Minister.
Answer in public
Ministers will appear before elected chambers, answer questions and account for their decisions openly and on the record.
Publish outcomes in plain language
Every major decision will explain what was decided, why it was decided, what impact is expected, the target date and how success will be measured.
Deliver measurable results
Ministers will be judged on outcomes, not intentions. Failure to deliver agreed objectives without valid justification will trigger formal review.
Abolish unelected MLCs
Unelected power must end
The Legislative Council can shape or block laws affecting everyday life even though its members are not elected by the public and cannot be removed by them.
- It is unelected by the public
- It duplicates democratic functions performed elsewhere
- It can influence legislation without direct accountability
- Scrutiny must remain — but it must be democratic and transparent
Create a People’s House for the Isle of Man
A democratic safeguard — not a rival government
The Legislative Council will be replaced by ordinary Manx citizens selected transparently and serving fixed, non-renewable terms. They will return to ordinary life when their term ends.
- Review legislation passed by the House of Keys
- Approve or reject laws in the public interest
- Publish plain-English explanations for every decision
- Introduce People’s Bills where issues are being ignored
- Question Ministers and scrutinise their actions
Every decision must carry a name, a reason and a measurable result
Ministerial office is a responsibility, not a privilege. Authority comes with accountability, power comes with consequences and failure will be addressed rather than hidden.
Clear responsibility
Every major policy and expenditure decision will identify the Minister who authorised it and who must answer for the result.
Public reporting
Decisions, reasons, target dates, expected impacts and progress will be published in plain language.
Consequences for failure
Ministers who cannot deliver will not be protected by committees, process or excuses. Failure will trigger review and action.
What the public will be told
No vague language and no hiding behind process. Every major decision will publish the information needed for the public to judge it fairly.
Every major decision will state:
- What was decided
- Why it was decided
- Who authorised it
- What impact is expected
- When it will be delivered
- How success will be measured
Power must have a name. Decisions must have an owner. Results must be public.
This is how government will be rebuilt — democratic, accountable and firmly in the hands of the people.