Liberal Vannin exists to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society on the Isle of Man, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, fairness and community, and in which no one shall be held back by poverty, ignorance or conformity.
We endorse both the Island’s marketing slogan: “Freedom to Flourish” and our cherished motto on the Manx Coat of Arms: “Whichever Way You Throw Us, We Will Stand”. In doing so, we will campaign to ensure all residents have the freedom and opportunities to flourish, and to support those who are unable to stand without assistance. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to contribute fully to our Island community and take part in the decisions which affect our lives.
We will foster a strong and sustainable economy which encourages the people of Mann to flourish in the full scope of human endeavours: in leading happy and healthy lives dedicated to family, to community, to faith, to business, to innovation, to service and to vocation. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to access education and skills training throughout their lives. We want to see democracy, participation and the co-operative principle developed in Manx businesses, within a competitive environment in which our government allows the market to operate freely whenever possible but intervenes where necessary, in the interests of customers and in the interests of the Island.
We will work for a sense of partnership and community in all areas of life, supporting the rights of all citizens to social provision and cultural activity. We recognise that the market alone does not distribute wealth or income fairly and we will work towards the reduction of wealth inequality. We seek to make public services responsive to the people they serve, placing the individual at the heart of service delivery, to encourage variety and innovation within them and to make them available on equal terms to all.
Upholding these traditional Manx values of freedom, individuality and social justice, we reject all prejudice and discrimination based upon race, colour, religion, age, disability, sex or sexual orientation and oppose all forms of entrenched privilege and inequality. We respect the right of all people to have freedom of conscience and will defend the right to speak, write, worship, associate and vote freely, and we will protect the right of citizens to enjoy privacy in their own lives and homes.
Recognising that the Manx quest for freedom and justice can never end, we promote human rights and social justice, a sustainable economy which serves genuine need, supporting the protection of our natural and built environment, public services of the highest quality, international action based on a recognition of the interdependence of all the world’s peoples and responsible stewardship of the earth and its resources. Our responsibility for justice and liberty cannot be confined to the Island. We are committed to the Island playing its part in alleviating poverty, oppression, hunger, ignorance, disease and protecting our beautiful planet, both at home and overseas.
We believe that people should be involved in running their communities. We are determined to strengthen the democratic process and ensure that there is a just and representative system of government on the Island, freedom of information, decisions taken in an open and transparent way and a fair voting system for all elections.
These are the conditions of liberty and social justice which it is the responsibility of each person of Mann and the duty of the Isle of Man Government to protect and enlarge. Liberal Vannin consists of people working together for the achievement of these aims.