Blogs

The future of the Old West Kirk  in Greenock (Scottish Gaelic: Grianaig) has been uncertain for some time. It is a building of historical importance. It was built by Johanne Schaw for the people of the town after the granting of a Royal Charter by King James VI of Scotland and was opened for worship in October 1591.  As such it was the the first church built in Scotland after the Reformation in the 16th century. As the population grew and new churches were built, the Old West Kirk was closed in 1841 and the congregation moved to a new West Kirk.

The future of the Old West Kirk  in Greenock (Scottish Gaelic: Grianaig) has been uncertain for some time. It is a building and of historical importance. It was built by Johanne Schaw for the people of the town after the granting of a Royal Charter by King James VI of Scotland. and was opened for worship in October 1591.  As such it was the the first church built in Scotland after the Reformation in the 16th century. As the population grew and new churches were built, the Old West Kirk was closed in 1841 growing and the congregation moved to a new West Kirk.

Although you can count on Manx Radio News to bore us rigid with what transpires at the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce AGM later this week it will be something of a feat of journalistic genius because the AGM itself lasts just 90 minutes and for part of that time they are stuffing their faces. Yes you heard it here - the Chamber are pigging out as Manx food banks ‘thrive’!

I see this on Manx Radio News and right adjacent online is their we love the Chamber of Commerce strapline:

https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/promoting-the-constructi...

I muse is this an unpaid advertorial. Indeed does the Isle of Man population really care that five guys who seem to be some sort of advert for differing styles of ‘pilot shirt’ have come together!

Despite clear objections from the Welsh public, 100,000 signing petitions against it, demonstrations and the matter being the subject of a forced debate in the Welsh Assembly. It has now been revealed that energy company EDF has confirmed it has started to dump mud from the Hinkley Point nuclear power station in the Severn Estuary off Cardiff. 

In Yevgeny Zamyatin’s dystopian novel ‘WE’ the sinister role is played by ‘the Bureau of Guardians’ a kind of Secret Police but not in the sense we view them as ‘WE’ is set far in the future.

In the Isle of Man you wonder if we haven’t reached our dystopian future already when you read how Isle of Man Newspapers is being denied access to banal information on how the government news machine works.

‘The evil men do say or plan is best hidden’! That seems to be the mantra of the Isle of Man government as indicated by the refusal to respond openly and in full to this fairly innocuous request from IOM Newspapers for information on government policy in dealing with the media:

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/article.cfm?id=42728&headline=Our%20FoI%20requ...

IOM Today has an article on food poverty and the problems of families who utilise the school meals system which is closed during the holiday period.

A couple of contributions to the piece from Chris Thomas and Alf Cannan MHKs caused me to raise an eyebrow especially as when I think of Chris and Alf I think more in terms of ‘self satisfied’ and ‘self-centred’ respectively.

Chris is still grappling with trying to ‘understand’ the problem. I mean there is this gem:

Saturday last was the 82nd anniversary of the stance of a group of pacifists and Welsh Nationalists to halt the construction of an RAF bombing school in Wales. Two years ago to mark the 80th anniversary I wrote the article below for the Celtic League.

The pacifist stance by Saunders Lewis, DJ Williams and Lewis Valentine is continued today in Wales by groups such as Cymdeithas y Cymod who are to the fore in the campaign against drone strikes and the use of Wales for developing drone technology. (Link):

What I averred last month has come to pass CPI is on the increase. The ‘fall’ last time was a construct simply an illusion as the government changes the way these things are measured.