Maybe God does hate Ireland
The Westboro Baptists were big in the news last year with their 'God Hates Ireland' website (homosexuals in the Senate apparently = major smiting). But in the space of twelve months we have had our economy devastated, our football team denied a chance to go to the World cup because of a handball that makes Maradonna's 'Hand of God' look the picture
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Man seems to me to rather like UK's Puerto Rico (or more strictly, that of the British Crown, rather quaintly), with a status that's utterly anomalous, and that no-one has any real interest in normalising. (Presumably either by full-fledged independence in every sense, or by greater integration.) Though to be fair, I'm not quite sure what the IoM gets out of the relationship: in theory, I suppose, defence. But a more cynical government would presumably just take the view that "we're pretty safe out here, they'd have to go through Britain first anyway". (After all, that's more or less what the Republic does...) I guess the "negotiation" happens in a mirror, when then head of government of the UK, agrees it with the leader of the main subcommittee of Her Majesty's Privy Council. So, I'm both in accord, then!
The passport thing isn't much of a practical difference, as things stand. UK&I aren't in Schengen, and so border controls are still in effect between 'em and The Continent. And the current interpretation of the IE-UK "common travel area" (Schengen's little brother, as it were) is in effect that when travelling between the two you need to show your passport in order to establish your right not to show your passport. (Franz K would be proud.) If either ID cards or joining Schengen ever actually happen, that'd of course change.
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Actually we get the distinct impression that the current UK government hope to force us into some sort of greater integration by doing what they can to make life difficult for us. This saddens me, as I am by nature much more a supporter of Labour or Lib/Dem policies than Conservative ones.
We currently pay the UK for defence - personally I reckon we shouldn't bother, to make up for the VAT thing - but then there is a final nasty little clause in something somewhere, where the Queen, as Lord of Mann, has given to Her Majesty's Government in Westminster the power to 'ensure good governance' of the island - so if we were to stop paying to be defended 9and currently our biggest enemy seems to be the very government we are paying to defend us...) - they could declare it poor governance. Although I'm not sure what they would do next.
You are quite right about the 'negotiations' - they seem to be vry much as you describe them.
There are distinct differences between us and UK citizens when travelling in the EU - but as I tend not to travel very far I am less aware of them than my daughter. Having to take out full travel insurance is one of them, I know.
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I'd guess that the motivation is much more along the lines of "your monies: we'll be needing all of those". But I'd be relatively unsurprised to learn either of either a cunning plan to force integration, or a spectacularly mishandled attempt to achieve the opposite. (The Tories' "Unionist" policies and their prospects of achieving a yet-speedier disintegration of same spring to mind as such a case.)
I imagine there would be lots and lots of travel differences, and have very little idea what they'd actually be; was just quibbling (doubtless over-literally) about the "passport" particular.
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