Peter Karran
{{Short description|Manx politician (born 1960)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Peter Karran
|honorific-suffix = MHK
|image =
|office = Leader of the Liberal Vannin Party
|term_start = 2006
|term_end = February 2014
|predecessor = New position
|successor = Kate Beecroft
|office2 = Member of the House of Keys for Onchan
|term_start2 = 1985
|term_end2 = 2016
|successor2 = Rob Callister, Julie Edge
|office3 = Member of the House of Keys for Middle
|term_start3 = 1985
|term_end3 = 1986
|leader3 =
|predecessor3 = Roger Alan Payne
|successor3 = Brian Barton
|office4 = Minister for Education and Children
|term_start4 = 2011
|term_end4 = 2012
|predecessor4 = Eddie Teare
|successor4 = Tim Crookall
|office5 = Chairman of the Isle of Man Water Authority
|term_start5 = 1990
|term_end5 = 2003
|predecessor5 = Adrian Duggan
|successor5 = David Cannan
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|5|20|df=y}}
|birth_place = Isle of Man
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = Manx Labour Party {{small|(1981–2004)}}
Liberal Vannin Party {{small|(2006–present)}}
}}
Peter Karran (born 20 May 1960) is a Manx politician, who is a former leader of the Liberal Vannin Party and former Minister of Education and Children. He was a Member of the House of Keys for Middle, and then for Onchan, from 1985 to 2016.
He was a member of the Manx Labour Party from 1981 but left in 2004. In August 2006 he founded the Liberal Vannin Party and became its first leader.
Career
Karran worked as a joiner. He stood for election in Middle in the 1981 Manx general election but was not elected. In 1985 he contested a by-election in Middle and was elected, becoming the youngest ever elected Member in the House of Keys. In the 1986 general election, Karran contested Onchan and was elected. He repeated his success in Onchan in general elections in 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011.{{cite web|title=Peter KARRAN MHK (Onchan)|url=http://www.tynwald.org.im/memoff/member/Pages/KarranP.aspx|website=Tynwald – Parliament of the Isle of Man|accessdate=12 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203010501/http://www.tynwald.org.im/memoff/member/Pages/KarranP.aspx|archive-date=3 February 2015|url-status=dead}} He has been very popular ever since, topping the Onchan polls at most elections. (In 2006 he received more votes than any other candidate for the Keys: partly because Onchan was one of the few three-seat constituencies and so there were more votes available.){{cite web | title=Isle of Man Elections, 2006 | url=http://www.iomelections.com/2006/results/index.html | publisher= www.iomelections.com | date= | accessdate=12 April 2015}}
He was a Manx Labour Party member (and one of their two MHKs) but left the party in 2004. In August 2006 he founded the Liberal Vannin Party (LVP) and became its first leader. From 2011 to 2012 Karran served as the Minister of Education and Children under Allan Bell; however he was removed from the position for opposing the position of the Council of Ministers on the film industry.{{cite news|title=Peter Karran sacked from role as education minister|url=http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/peter-karran-sacked-from-role-as-education-minister-1-4662841|accessdate=12 April 2015|work=IOM Today|date=20 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924043044/http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/peter-karran-sacked-from-role-as-education-minister-1-4662841|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=dead}}
In February 2014, Karran renounced the leadership of the LVP in favour of Kate Beecroft MHK. Karran said that it "was time for a change".{{cite news|last1=Vannin|first1=Ellan|title=Kate Beecroft succeeds Peter Karran as Liberal Vannin leader|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-26322339|accessdate=12 April 2015|work=BBC News|date=24 February 2014}}
Around April 2016, Karran announced he would be standing down from the Keys after 31 years in Manx politics.{{cite news|last1=Vannin|first1=Ellan|title=Onchan MHK Peter Karran to stand down after three decades |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-36071001|accessdate=1 July 2016|work=BBC News|date=18 April 2016}}
Controversy
Karran has been highly critical of the Manx Government, for example about Mount Murray gate. He was criticised by many people on the island when he announced the closure of all of the island's government-run preschools.{{cite web |url=http://www.manxradio.com/newsread.aspx?id=58026 |title= :: Manx Radio :: The Isle of Man's Premier Radio Station ::|website=www.manxradio.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402105932/http://www.manxradio.com/newsread.aspx?id=58026 |archive-date=2 April 2015}} His election campaign{{when|date=December 2016}} was based around the protection of frontline services in the Isle of Man, and the school closures were seen as a direct contradiction to that.{{Cite web |url=http://election.manxradio.com/media/45130/liberal_vannin_party_national_manifesto.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=30 March 2012 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402111830/http://election.manxradio.com/media/45130/liberal_vannin_party_national_manifesto.pdf |url-status=dead }}
Electoral performance
Karran contested several elections, first for the Manx Labour Party and later for the Liberal Vannin Party.
=House of Keys elections=
| class="wikitable" |
| Date of election
! Constituency ! ! Party ! Votes ! % of votes ! Result |
|---|
| 1981 general election
| style="background-color: {{party color|Manx Labour Party}}" | |? |? |Not elected |
| 1985 by-election
|Middle | style="background-color: {{party color|Manx Labour Party}}" | |Manx Labour Party |? |? |Elected |
| 1986 general election
| style="background-color: {{party color|Manx Labour Party}}" | |Manx Labour Party |1,075 |28.1 |Elected |
| 1991 general election
|Onchan | style="background-color: {{party color|Manx Labour Party}}" | |Manx Labour Party |1,195 |29.1 |Elected |
| 1996 general election
|Onchan | style="background-color: {{party color|Manx Labour Party}}" | |Manx Labour Party |2,257 |23.7 |Elected |
| 2001 general election
|Onchan | style="background-color: {{party color|Manx Labour Party}}" | |Manx Labour Party |2,305 |22.8 |Elected |
| 2006 general election
|Onchan | style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Vannin Party}}" | |2,600 |28.1 |Elected |
| 2011 general election
|Onchan | style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Vannin Party}}" | |Liberal Vannin Party |2,074 |21.9 |Elected |
Note: Throughout the relevant period the Onchan constituency elected three MHKs and each elector was entitled to three votes. Thus for example achieving 28.1% of the vote might mean that anything up to 84.3% of the electors may have voted for him.
References
{{reflist}}
{{House of Keys 2001–2006}}
{{House of Keys 2006–2011}}
{{House of Keys 2011–2016}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karran, Peter}}
Category:British political party founders
Category:Liberal Vannin Party politicians
Category:Members of the House of Keys 1981–1986
Category:Members of the House of Keys 1986–1991
Category:Members of the House of Keys 1991–1996
Category:Members of the House of Keys 1996–2001