When I was working in Portsmouth, in aerospace, many of the co-workers were from the IOW and commuted daily, which they felt was worth the effort, for their lifestyle. Which, having been their guest a few times, I saw their point. And enjoyed my yachty jaunts there, in other people's boats.
Not so much the hovercraft, which seemed to me rather flippy. Sadly I was correct about that.
However, that couple, with whom I still keep in touch, left. Finally. In the 2000s. No future there for them, or their children. Sadly it is the drip drip drip of the cleverest people realising that their talents may be better pursued and rewarded elsewhere that steadily drains away the brightest and best. From Scotland, and Ireland, and on a micro-scale, Wight land. Leaving behind a gene pool diminished in the wrong direction. So sad,
The glory days of e.g. Saunders Roe employment, even working on Black Night and Black Arrow, are long gone.
Sad to hear about your disinterested, mostly absent MP. But the IOW must surely be one of the safest seats anywhere, so a shoe-in for Robert William Henry Seely MBE (AKA Bob Seely). You can get to turf him out at the next election, as if that's ever going to happen.
Besides he seems to be a jolly nice man, looking at his twittering, what's not to like ? twitter.com/IoWBobSeely
Since it has piqued my interest again, I did find this official economic analysis interesting. And saddening.