'Breathes there the man' etc

‘BREATHES THERE THE MAN’ ETC

‘Are the Chamber patriots or d they just love money?’

Good to see the President is at work as with the exception of CM Howard Quayle MHK, suitably kitted out in summer ‘strides’, all the rest of the political class seem to be absent at present:

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/article.cfm?id=42576&headline=Bill%20joins%20M...

The President was at St Johns unveiling a Board with the ‘Roll of Honour’ to Manx Patriots. It's a bit pretentious if you ask me because aren’t most of us in our own way patriotic - hang on on seconds thoughts not me I’m toying with the idea of ‘jumping ship’ and heading for Blacklion. Can you - I wonder - be a patriot in absence?

It gets me thinking about who is not patriotic and I even start wondering are any of the Chamber patriotic do they love their country (or adopted country) or do they just love money - probably the latter!

Are High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) like ‘the two Ronnies’ and Baroness Mone patriotic or are they just passing through. It they are not patriots should we despise them?

There are so many question that's the problem when you start compiling lists its who is on and who gets left off or in some instances whose name falls down to back of the Tynwald sofa.

Anyway unveiling Boards is what Presidents do and I am sure Steve (sorry Mr President) who I have a high regard for did it with aplomb. I may even go and see it!

“Breathes there the man, with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
This is my own, my native land!
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burn'd,
As home his footsteps he hath turn'd,
From wandering on a foreign strand!
If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
For him no Minstrel raptures swell”;

(Sir Walter Scott)

Image; Mr President , Steve Rodan, and Bill Dale patron saint of clean beaches,

Bernard Moffatt