Blogs

The problem with me is although I’m an ‘oldie’ now I still have an enquiring mind so when I see an item on Manx Radio referring to ‘The Third Sector’ I wonder just what it is. I always find the term somewhat dystopian:

https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/third-sector-plays-down-...

Carwyn Jones is currently First Minister of Wales. In an interview with the French daily newspaper Ouest France, Carwyn Jones has raised the possibility of the creation of a Euroregion between Wales and Brittany.

He said: "European interregional cooperation remains a priority. Our cultural, linguistic and commercial links with Brittany date back hundreds of years, but it was not until 2004 that our relationship was formalized."

It's almost armageddon on Manx Radio. There’s hosepipe bans, the red meat market has collapsed even the Beach Buddies dog has gone to ‘the great lamppost in the sky’.

I start thinking of that quote from Robert Oppenheimer: "I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds” and right on cue Manx Radio have an item with Enterprise Minister Laurence Skelly MHK on their pages.

The Syrian refugees are back! Remember that plan to bring a small number of families to the Island when the refugee exodus was on.

There was support here offers of accommodation and financial support for a tiny number of families. The government seemed equally supportive and met the Christian charity mob while making positive noises.

Years ago before the roof fell in on the Manx economy and population decline set in we were on course to ‘grow’ the population to over 100,000.

It would have been the final act of cultural genocide but the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce would have been pleased and over the past decade or so that's all that matters.

I sometimes think Treasury Minister Alf Cannan - he of the military penchant - is disillusioned that he never made the SAS before exiting the service.

His attitude to the Legal profession and their opposition to the idea of a Public Defender System seems to have brought out the ‘Who Dares Win’ spirit in Alf.

The Isle of Man Law Society are put soundly in their place as Alf conjectures in this item from ‘the sound box on Douglas Head’ that they jolly well have a conflict of interest because of all the millions in Legal Aid they get from the State:

Stornoway (Scottish Gaelic: Steòrnabhagh) is the main settlement of the Western Isles and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. Local newspaper, Stornoway Gazette, had a report today about a group of Islanders who travelled from Lewis and Harris to take part in the 14,000 strong march in support of independence last Saturday. The rally in Inverness was one of the largest demonstrations ever seen in the Highland capital. The article reported a spokesperson for the group who said: “Many of us had never been involved in such a large gathering and we had a great day. 

Over recent weeks there has been a spell of hot and dry weather over the British and Irish archipelago. This has caused water shortage concerns and has again raised the contentious issue of water from Wales going to England. Last week BBC Wales had an item on: "How much water does Wales pump to England?". The article points out that: 'Ever since a Snowdonia village was flooded in 1965 to supply Liverpool with water, the issue of pumping water from Wales to England has stirred strong emotions.'

The Government does very little to support the Cornish language and much is done by language activists and volunteers.

There is a call to support the development of Pellwolok an Gernewegva - Cornish Language TV. But funding is needed and a Crowdfunding project organised with the hope to raise £6000.

You can learn more about the project, and make a pledge, here:

Welsh cyclist Geraint Thomas has won the 2018 Tour de France. The annual Tour de France is the world's premier cycling race. The race was first organised in 1903 and has been held every year since then, except when it was stopped for the two World Wars. This year's 2,082 mile  (3,351 km) race started from Noirmoutier-en-l'Île, in the Vendée department, on 7 July and finished with the Champs-Élysées stage in Paris, today on 29 July.

Image: Geraint Thomas when winning Gold at Commonwealth Games.