'Veggie filled Pitta Bread around the Boot barbie' or 'Brief Encounter'

I hear the Manx Radio report on Minister Geoff Boots ‘Pauline’ conversion from being a climate change heretic. He is now ‘born again’ and extends an olive branch to the newly formed ‘Green Coalition’.

I wonder if he’s been summoned to the ‘headmaster's study and given a quiet talking to by Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK. After all Howard has enough on his plate with Brexit, Beecroft and Chris Robertshaw MHKs - not to mention the Social Attitude Survey which suggests that two thirds of the Manx population want to cast him adrift like Captain Bligh in an open boat.

I drift of and imagine a take on that scene from the discovery of DNA, ‘Life Story’, where Boot is in the Maurice Wilkins role complaining to the head of the King's College unit, Professor Randall, about having to work with Rosalind Franklin:

“I want you to to find a way of working together Maurice

Well! Yes yes of course but how?

Be flexible

Flexible?

You know me Maurice I don’t like formal structures, hierarchies lines of demarcation, I like flow, Don’t be the seawall Maurice (resignedly) be the sea ebb and flow”.

As the portal interview later indicates Boot has not shed all his heretical views and still believes that economic factors should be a consideration. However he seem to think it will be illuminating for the climate change lobby when they see just what DEFA is doing. They’ve been a disparate group up to now he avers. Apparently it’s time the Wandervogel became more regimented.

I imagine Boots barbeque next year (let's hope we have another good summer) with the burgers and sausages replaced by coalition folk clutching pitta breads filled with wholesome vegetables.

On second thoughts given Boots rather plummy accent it could be a more crowded version of the cafe scene in ‘Brief Encounter’ before the train leaves and hopes of a brave adventure are dashed.

I still think Howard should have embraced my Environment Agency idea that’s the trouble with the CM he’s so stubborn!

Here’s the Boot interview with ‘portal man’:

https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/environment-minister-res...

Bernard Moffatt