Introduction
Mr President, Chief Minister, Mr Speaker, Ministers, Members of Tynwald, Lord Bishop, Honoured Guests.
Thank you for your kind words of welcome and for an excellent meal. The hospitality and warmth with which I have been received during my visit has been outstanding.
I confess I approached this visit with some trepidation.
A couple of years ago my former minister David Lammy visited the Isle of Man and you dressed him in a red hard hat, orange jacket and blue wellington boots and marched him to the top of the Energy from Waste plant.
More recently, and more worrying, in May when John Prescott came here for the British Irish Council summit, you squeezed him into black leathers and sped him round the TT course on a motorbike!
Don is taking me out and about this afternoon so I cannot put my trepidation behind me yet. But I am assured that we are visiting the hospital because it is new and interesting - not because I might need it!
But seriously, I am genuinely delighted to be here.
My first visit was in 2003 when I had the honour of accompanying Her Majesty the Queen on Tynwald Day - a wonderful occasion that I will long remember.
This visit provides me with a different opportunity. To spend time getting to know the people behind the strong and historic institutions I saw on my last visit. An opportunity to learn more about the Isle of Man, and its relationships with other countries and the UK.
I'd like to say something on three related issues which I have been thinking about during this visit:
Healthy & Historic Constitutions
Constitutions are a subject dear to my heart.
They should be open to scrutiny, just like any other activity by government and Parliament.
Asking questions and challenging our constitutional arrangements ensures they remain healthy.
Indeed, if we fail to review our constitutional arrangements, if we shirk from reforming them where we see deficiencies, we are avoiding facing up to our responsibilities.
But constitutional reform in no way implies disrespect for traditions and heritage.
Indeed, it is the long and proud history of the UK and the Isle of Man that has enabled our constitutions to evolve and adapt - to survive through the ages.
Constitutions and institutions are not just comprised of dusty books and old buildings. They are also embodied and given vibrant form in people.
From parish councils to parliaments, we create and recreate the constitutional relationships that bind together the citizen and the state.
UK/Isle of Man relationships
The UK and the Isle of Man enjoy a long and warm relationship.
And next month we commemorate the two-hundredth anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. In that battle, as on many before and after, Manxmen fought valiantly in the armed forces of the Crown. I am pleased that Noel Cringle will be coming to the commemoration service at St Paul's Cathedral.
Yesterday, I discussed with Don the relationship between my Department and the Isle of Man.
During our meeting Don set out clearly and persuasively the issues that concern the Isle of Man in the near and long term, and he stressed the importance of close, strong and transparent relations with the UK.
I talked about what my team is doing to work more closely with you, and to represent your interests across Whitehall. We are working hard to ensure our relationship is harmonious, dynamic and pro-active.
Relations between us are good. But we should not be complacent. We all need to keep up the momentum.
The success of our relationship lies in the willingness on all sides to change and grow. To adapt to changing circumstances. To anticipate, plan and prepare for the challenges ahead.
One of the most pressing challenges we all face at the moment is how to deal with the terrorist threat. The threat we face is global, and it is organised across national borders.
To fight it, we must be similarly organised.
The stand the Isle of Man takes is made clear to the rest of the world through your actions.
You have responded:
As members of Tynwald you should be proud of what you are achieving.
This strong relationship between us also enables us to overcome other challenges.
By maintaining open and effective dialogue, the approach the Isle of Man has taken has played an important role in getting to a situation where the Savings Directive is working.
It is not an exaggeration to say that the Savings Directive was an historic event. It saw the Isle of Man signing international agreements with EU member states.
This puts you on the map. Other states doing business with you strengthens your position in the modern world.
And let me assure you that the UK and Gibraltar are working hard to close the gap that currently exists between us. We must keep the situation in proportion - it is only savings involving the UK and Gibraltar that are affected, and the situation is temporary. But we also recognise the importance of preserving the level playing field. That anomaly will soon be closed.
The relationship between the UK and the Isle of Man bears fruit in other international environments too - for example the British Irish Council.
You hosted an enormously successful Council Summit on the topic of telemedicine in May, and I would like to warmly congratulate Don and his colleagues on it and to thank the whole Island for its continued engagement in the Council and its work.
You have once again shown yourselves as willing and able to operate on the international stage.
Like it or not, the world is getting smaller. The Isle of Man's engagement as an international player will see it continue to deal with issues on the international stage. Some will be welcome, some not.
Whatever your views on the merits of international organisations and agreements, the world we live in now means they cannot be ignored.
Engaging with these issues will benefit the Isle of Man, not least by continuing to show it should be taken seriously on the international stage.
The Future
What does the future hold for our relationship then?
I strongly believe the UK has a legitimate role in providing assistance to the Isle of Man.
I realise that one person's assistance can be another's interference, but the partnership between our two governments is not just because it is something nice to do. It is because it is worthwhile.
The achievements I talked of a minute ago are testament to that.
The UK government can help you further the international position of the Isle of Man. The UK government can help you to demonstrate further that you are a jurisdiction to be taken seriously.
This is not misplaced altruism or a sense of superiority on our behalf.
The reality is that our international relations are entwined.
We are all aware that some find that fact uncomfortable.
But while the relationship between the government you represent and the government I represent continues to be genuinely excellent, we should recognise where our shared futures lay on the international stage.
Conclusion
Over the course of this visit and my last one on Tynwald Day, it has been an honour for me to witness how the Isle of Man draws strength from its traditions and celebrates its long heritage.
I have seen the enormous pride in the Isle of Man.
I have seen your flag flying everywhere I have gone.
These visits have demonstrated to me all the positive benefits of our relationship with each other.
Long may the sounds of O Land of our birth be sung on Tynwald Day.
But let the strains of God save our gracious Queen also still be heard.