Chris Thomas MHK a reincarnated 'St Albert' perhaps?

Despite what some in the Keys may think I don’t hang on their every word so it was only today that someone told me that Chris Thomas MHK had added some cryptic mutterings on his MHK Facebook page about me on International Day of Older Persons. Apparently Chris has two Facebook pages I hadn’t worked that out either - its awful when you are old and slow!

Chris is always giving me advice and he joins a growing band of ‘Bernie obsessionals’ such as Treasury Minister Alf Cannan MHK who mentioned me in his budget speech and that lawyer chappie who...well wasn’t very pleasant.

Chris being a great thinker believes I should be more active but I’m retired now and anyway I had done a lifetime's work before Chris was born. To put it crudely I’ve had ‘my ass in the grass’ and am doing just nicely thanks to the attentive care of the DHSS/DHSC and ‘good living’ over the years.

Anyway having had Chris and his latest thoughts drawn to my attention I pondered that seeing as Alf Cannan (aka St Jude) astonished with his ecclesiastical leanings where would Chris fall on the Saintly calendar and I eventually opted for the 13th century ‘Saint Albert’ or ‘Albertus Magnus’.

Like Chris Thomas ‘St Albert’ was a great thinker (and talker), There are mixed views on him. To some contemporaries and writers since he is regarded as one of the great saints. Others are not so kind and one commentator described him thus:

"Albertus repente ex asino factus philosophus et ex philosopho asinus" [Albert was suddenly transformed from an ass into a philosopher and from a philosopher into an ass].

Yes I think with Chris we’ll opt for his reincarnated beatification as St Albert!

Bernard Moffatt