Mec Vannin - History

History

Isle of Man

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the Isle of Man
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Mec Vannin's growth can be considered to be directly parallel to the Isle of Man's status as a tax haven. In particular, they have campaigned strongly against immigration to the island, particularly from England. This continues to feature strongly in their current platform and policy:

"In a small island nation such as ours, in default of policies to control the growth of the finance sector, policies to control the size of the population are essential for the achievement of economic, ecological and cultural sustainability. The rapid and unnatural population increase, due to an open door policy on immigration, has increased the burden on the island's infrastructure and environment whilst eroding the fabric of community life. As a result, Mec Vannin believes the immediate introduction of immigration controls to be a priority."

In the 1976 election Mec Vannin put up ten candidates. Only one was successful though, Peter Craine. He remains to this day the only person to be a Mec Vannin Member of the House of Keys (MHK), although several ex-members have gone on to become MHKs, such as Treasury Minister Allan Bell, Phil Gawne and Hazel Hannan.

Peter Craine subsequently left the party, joining the short-lived breakaway Manx National Party which was formed in 1977 and disbanded in 1981.

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