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Just when you think that all the Manx ‘politicos’ are packing their trunks, buckets and spades and heading for the beach there is a political frenzy in Tynwald.

Of course as the Chief Minister averred in one of his recent MTTV interviews everyone remains glued to their desks during the summer recess and ‘the business of government goes on’. However we all know that’s a load of tosh because it's obvious they are in holiday mode already DEFA Minister Geoff Boot has even had his first barbeque while singing: ‘I don’t want to set the world on fire’.

Manx Radio have got an item that suggests we are set to become the next Silicon Valley which would be good because some of our business interests have been more akin to Sicily than Silicon of late.

https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/isle-of-man-a-new-silico...

While we export vast sums of money to the UK in terms of broadcast licence fees the Isle of Man does not have any TV services of our own. I often marvel that a enclave like Transnistria (effectively a country within a country) one of the poorest places in Europe has four TV stations.

For the time we only have MTTV and the Manx Radio Portal and even the latter has been quiet of late almost as if the novelty has worn off.

I can’t shake of the fact that Richard Butt thinks David Doyles witterings warrant a story (see earlier blog on ‘The Deemster’) still that’s the the price we pay for a ‘free press’ and anyway Doyle is still robed as First Deemster - Jane is still well down the ladder!

I’m in to one of those Thomas Beckett modes - a la - ‘Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest (or in this case Deemster)’ moods when the Argentinian actor Ricardo Darin comes to my aid - I’m watching ‘Tesis sobre un homicidio’ (Thesis on a homicide) don’t ask where I find these films.

I thought the First Deemster (David Doyle) had gone but not yet it seems he pops up in the columns of IOM Today holding forth about the impeccable credentials of a free press and bemoaning social media:

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/article.cfm?id=41841&headline=Outgoing%20First...

Eddie Powers Crown Dependency website has the Manx police responding to a couple of items on social media that have generated concern of late (link):

https://www.facebook.com/crowndependencypoliticalnews/posts/194731213528...

Leaving aside ‘mad dogs’ the most serious item would seem to be a video purporting to show heavy handed restraint - something the police vehemently deny.

It's ironic that the British parliament should chose to honour Countess Markievicz this week given that just over 100 years ago they sentenced her to death for her part in the Easter Rising (link):

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/uk/constance-markievicz-honoured-i...

The use of wild animals in circuses across Wales will be banned. A statement released this morning from the Welsh Government states: “The way animals are treated is an important reflection of society and over the next 12 months, a bill will be introduced to ban the use of wild animals in travelling circuses on welfare grounds.”  Animal welfare campaigners have hailed the decision as an important stand to stop the suffering of animals in circuses in Wales.

Stockbridge in Edinburgh became the gathering point for the Edinburgh Sunday Assembly. This is the first Assembly group in Scotland. The Sunday Assembly movement was founded by people who liked the elements of traditional worship and the community around it, but did not believe in God. So they created a movement which combined the parts they enjoyed without it being affiliated to any doctrine or religion.

Media Release from Culture Vannin:

Culture Vannin is pleased to announce the official launch of the on-line Manx Gaelic course, Glossika. Glossika is a team of linguists and polyglots based in Taiwan that are dedicated to changing the way people learn foreign languages: the aim is fluency through a natural immersion self-training method.