() is a
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...
operating in the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
. Formed in 1962, it seeks to revoke the status of Man as a British self-governing
Crown dependency and establish a completely sovereign state, which would be a
republic.
It describes its aims as being:
It is alternatively called or subtitled "The Manx Nationalist Party", but is not to be confused with the
Manx National Party
The Manx National Party was an offshoot of Mec Vannin, a nationalist party in the Isle of Man. Divisions within Mec Vannin caused the split in 1977, and the single Mec Vannin member of the House of Keys (Peter Craine
Peter Alfred Craine (30 ...
, which was a name used by another party.
History
Mec Vannin was formed in 1962 and has held minuted meetings since February 1964.
's growth can be considered to be directly parallel to the Isle of Man's status as a
tax haven
A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...
. In particular, they have campaigned strongly against immigration to the island, particularly from
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. 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."
[Mec Vannin Policy]
In the 1976 election Mec Vannin put up ten candidates. Only one was successful though,
Peter Craine
Peter Alfred Craine (30 November 1931 – 5 January 2003) was a baker and a politician from the Isle of Man and a Member of the House of Keys (MHK) for Douglas South.
Politics
He was originally elected with the Manx nationalist party Mec V ...
. He remains the only person to have been a Member of the House of Keys (MHK), although several ex-members have gone on to become MHKs, such as
Treasury Minister Allan Bell
Allan Robert Bell (born 20 June 1947) is a Manx politician who was the Chief Minister of the Isle of Man, having been elected to that position on 11 October 2011. He was an Independent Member of the House of Keys for Ramsey from 1984 to Sept ...
,
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.
Additional policy
Mec Vannin's
environmentalist
An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...
policies include opposition to overuse of fossil fuels. They support further decentralisation of power within the island, to local councils.
Other policies include:
*
Reforestation
Reforestation (occasionally, reafforestation) is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands (forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation, but also after clearcutting.
Management
A debat ...
- by native
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...
species
* Fishing as "a viable part of the economy", with stronger fisheries protection.
* Farming self-sufficiency for the Isle of Man.
* Revitalisation of Manx
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...
* A Manx
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
* A socialised health service
* Separate Manx nationality:
*: "Manx nationality must be defined by legislation and a Manx passport introduced, with Manx nationality being first citizenship. Whilst all residents would be eligible for Manx citizenship upon the introduction of legislation, subsequent new residents could only become citizens after due process of naturalisation. Only Manx citizens would be eligible to vote or to stand for representative public office."
* On customs union:
*: "The right to determine indirect taxation, including
VAT. This necessitates the cessation of the
Customs and Excise Agreement."
''Mec Vannin'' is also highly critical of the Manx legal and policing systems, as they currently stand.
''Yn Pabyr Seyr''
Distributed at least twice a year since 1991, ''The Free Paper'' is the newsletter of , publicising their policies, views and comments. The archive of back-issues available on line is being updated on an ongoing basis. Its name means "The Free Paper" in
Manx,
but the majority of content is in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
.
Office holders
* President:
Bernard Moffatt
* Chairman: Mark Kermode
* Secretary: Cristl Jerry
* Treasurer: Paul Kelly
* International Relations Officer: Allen Moore
References
External links
website
{{Manx political parties
Celtic nationalism
Separatism in the Isle of Man
Secessionist organizations in Europe
Manx nationalist parties
Republican parties
Republicanism in Europe
Pro-independence parties
Republicanism in the Isle of Man
Manx words and phrases
1962 establishments in the Isle of Man
Political parties established in 1962