I am Worried

I had to leave my job earlier this year, so now I am a qualified Manx professional partially on job seekers.

I live on £275 a week – I earn 200 of that myself with the few hours work I have been able to find. Rent is £136 a week, my heating oil tank is not full for winter and I have a rapidly growing son at high school.

This is tough and I am worried. I have paid my dues paid my tax and insurance, never expected anyone to pay my way, I worked when certain trades were the first to be allowed back to work after the first covid wave – even though I had to get a hub school to take my child or risk losing job.

I sometimes wonder whether there is some prejudice about Manx people, there are plenty of skilled and qualified Manx people – and yet this “Locate Isle of Man ” scheme claims we don’t exist.

This winter is going to be a challenge for us all, tax payers money is frittered away on hare brained schemes and people that can’t/won’t do their jobs. The people at the bottom rungs of the ladder get blamed and suffer the most.

This morning, as with yesterday we are giving over Gef to you, our readers.

We will be running a series of articles which reflect the challenges people on our island are already facing ahead of a a rise in fuel bills and others costs heading into the winter months.

We are doing this because today sees CoMin meet before all Tynwald members gather for a behind closed doors discussion on what to do to help people on our island.

We hope members read these articles, they are after all the experiences of their constituents and our fellow islanders. You can also email your MHKs and all members of Tynwald with your feelings, thoughts and concerns. All their email addresses and some of their phone numbers can be found here.