Paul Craine has been researching our population for well over 40 years and he’s concerned about the Manx birth rate falling to it’s lowest since 1920. Births in the Isle of Man are now 43.9% lower than in 2010 with just 574 babies born last year. What’s causing this trend and how concerned should we be about it? Paul Craine joins me on this evening’s Agenda at 5.30pm on Manx Radio to consider these weighty issues. Demographer Paul Morland outlines the extent of the global decline in births and concludes that: “…governments can have no higher priority than addressing the demographic question”. He advocates “…the making of a pro-natal (pro-birth) culture” and suggests that this is “a role for all of us”. Reckon I’m getting too old for that sort of thing.

The Department for Enterprise is progressing a new Employment (Amendment) Bill which will feature new rights for rest breaks, neonatal care leave and carer’s leave with the Bill being framed round feedback from a series of public consultations held in 2024. The Department will also be undertaking further research on a number of other areas including statutory annual leave provision, the maximum awards available at the Employment and Equality Tribunal, and reforms to the licensing of Employment Agencies and Businesses.We’ll also hear about the local economy strategy. Yes they’re busy bees at the DfE!

Retired law lecturer Peter Murcott is concerned about Michelle Haywood’s private member’s Bill which provides for Safe Access Zones and Protected Public Places. He believes that if enacted this law would lead to a significant erosion of free speech and could criminalise people merely for living in their own homes. If his interpretation of the Bill is correct than this should be a concern for us all, but is he right? He presents his case to Agenda this evening at 5.30pm on Manx Radio with me Phil Gawne. Is it reasonable to expect to be able to go about your business without being harangued by a vociferous campaigner? I guess the answer is yes but who decides what’s reasonable and is this Bill pushing us down the slippery slope to an authoritarian regime?