Out and about on Mann

Gorgeous pictures.

 

Today I was supposed to be doing some housework and baking a loaf.......so this is where I ended up with my other half.

Pictures of the bay at Port Erin, south of the island. Some shots are a little hazy as the light was fading. That's my excuse anyway!











A house that Nigel Mansell had built and then moved back to England a few years later.


More to follow

 

Following on at Port Erin.

 

A very lovely part of England you live in Sheal. A lot of space and never far from the sea - very nice,
Jenny

 

Thank you Jenny, but I think a slip of the tongue there. The island is not part of England although it's owned by the crown (Queen Elizabeth II). It's addressed as Isle of Man, British Isles and has it's own government, Tynwald.

 

Do you have your own currency, parliament and unique voting rights Sheal?

 

We have the same currency as you but our coins and notes are different to England's and we can't use them anywhere on the mainland. Tynwald is our parliament, said to be the oldest in the world and we have no voting rights for the English parliament. When we moved to the island we had to go to our local council offices in Essex and literally sign ourselves out of England. Tax is paid here as well, not to England. We do have reciprocal rights for the NHS should we be taken ill in England, or the English here, but if transport is needed to bring us home that has to come out of our own pocket.

 

Very interesting Sheal. Confess to being ignorant of a lot of this.
Do you pay the same rate of Income tax as us? Are you in as much debt as we are? What generates income on the island apart from the TT races.?

 

Although our tax rate has gone up here in recent years it's 10 per cent at the moment. Some of the tax paid here goes to England, we have Gordon Brown to thank for that. No, our debt is quite small as we're semi independent and not part of the EU either. We still use the old rates system as well for property and that differs around the island, included in that are our water and sewage rates, so we pay just one amount which is a lot less than you pay as individuals for just your council tax. Inflation is 3.1%.

Although the TT does generate income it's just a small amount and being as it's expensive to get here, holiday here, tourism is very slack.

Being an island we obviously have to generate income from within. Yes, we have a fair amount of offshore businesses here but we also have a large amount of 'home grown' businesses. Most people on the mainland think it's the back of beyond but surprisingly there is an amazing amount of new technology that has left here and is in use not only in the UK but abroad as well. We even have our own developing space technology!

It's also not true that everyone here is a tax exile and that we're all rich. A large amount of the rich here are from the UK. As you saw above, the likes of Nigel Mansell, Jeremy Clarkson, the late Norman Wisdom to name but a few.

Day to day living makes it expensive, especially as things like food, fuel etc. have to be imported. Housing is dearer too, a one bedroomed flat in a reasonable area will cost approx. £175,000 to £190,000, to rent the same about £600 plus.

Petrol is dear £1.50 a litre, but car tax and insurance cheaper. Car tax is paid on engine C.C. and emissions. By the way there is no M.O.T. here.

I could go on forever, but unless you want more I'd best stop.

 

Oh dear Armandii! More, okay! Questions would be helpful along the way please.

Every boy racers dream!........Our no speed limit areas are exactly that, no speed limit and no top speed restriction. But if you're caught driving dangerously the law won't be as lenient here as in the UK and that goes for all crime! Our crime rate is very low, but it's not easy hiding on and escaping an island! Car prices are similar but lower mileage on vehicles. We can learn to drive and take a driving test at sixteen. When a person has passed they are restricted to 50mph and carry an 'R' plate for the first year. The standard of driving here is worse, even though the driving test is harder.

There are no motorways and no dual carriageways to speak of, unless a couple of hundred yards counts. So if you're stuck behind a tractor, you're going nowhere in a hurry. Larger vehicles are restricted to 50mph and caravans are banned from the island. Motorhomes are permitted.

We have a modern hospital and prison and our Fire Service/vehicles are top notch, said to be the best in Britain. Schools/Education are of a high standard too.

 

Sheal, thank you for this enlightenment. Quite different from UK mainland. Home is where the heart is and if you are happy........
Jenny

 

More pictures......on the east coast today.

Maughold Head (pro. Mackold) and lighthouse. If you look closely (above the horizon) on the second shot there is snow on the peaks in the Lake District.





Cornaa - A small, stoney bay and river.





More to follow

 

More of Cornaa.