kersal

Apologies, I am a Doctor on my day off and English was never my strong point. However, I hope people get the idea of my argument and they are presented with best intentions. Kind regards Mike

Lets think about this. Nationalists would not allow major stores like HMV,Marks & Spencers,Boots etc.. to send large amounts of money off the island. They would therefor cease to operate and would be replaced by Manx stores selling a small range of very expensive goods. People who are from the UK would not be able to return home and receive their full state pension and so would be unlikely to work here. Also, the government would not be able to fund teachers pensions and health service pensions , meaning that teachers and health service workers, most of whom are trained in the UK and are from the UK or further afield, would not want to work here. This is already happening with doctors.,who are worried about the impact of nationalism. The Nationalist government would not be able to fund these pensions because nationlalism would have such an adverse affect upon the economy. The rest of the world is in the process of 'finding friends' to amalgamate with, for example the European Union. The reason for this is that isolation is extremely dangerous, particularly if you are a tiny island that has for much of its recent history relied upon outside skills and money whether through tourism or finance. The Manx have done an excellent job since the industrial revolution of using their resources to attract outsiders, mainly via the two industries mentioned. Ultimately, if you become independent you isolate yourselves. People will not want to visit the island because the island will not have the economy to fund a tourism economy and people will not want to invest their skills or money into the island because they have too much to lose or risk by investing in an independent nation. The island has been able to use its unique position of being a crown dependency and also having some independence to its advantage. This has been very clever and says a lot about the strength of such a small nation. However, independence means isolation and isolation will mean less money,less opportunity and poorer living standards for every person who remains here. By all means be proud of where you come from, but just because the Uk can't afford to maintain the reciprocal health agreement with wealthy offshore nations that tend to use the UK health service a great deal and because they have modified an expensive VAT sharing agreement, don't try and bite the hand that feeds you. You have a good standard of liviing here because of the way that you have used the Isle of Mans advantage. Go independent and you take away that advantage.The worrying thing is that young people are being attracted by the glamour of independence and have no real knowledge of its impact. This island needs to be looking at ways to manipulate its advantageous position, not burning its bridges. Lets hope that the government can think of strategies to stop this dangerous indoctrination of young, often idealistic people. Lets all share in wealth here ! I don't want to feel that I am being pushed into going home because the island is on the verge of tipping into the sea. I already know of people who are turning down positions here in the medical profession and in education because of the widely reported rise in Nationalism. Mike