Blogs

The World Haggis Eating Championships 2015 have been held at the Birnam Highland Games in Birnam,(Scottish Gaelic: Braonan) which is in the central Scottish county of Perthshire (Scottish Gaelic:Siorrachd Pheairt). As reported in the Scotsman newspaper Scotsman Lee Goodfellow  set a new world record – after he ate a whole 1lb haggis in just 47 seconds.

The disastrous proposals being put forward on mass population growth on the Isle of Man need to be fought by all possible means. Comments in favour of population expansion are being put out by the likes of Micky Swindale of the Chamber of Commerce and her ilk. They do not have the best interests of the Manx people at heart. They are proposals driven by greed and self interest. Swindale and KPMG her employers only see the Isle of Man as something to be used to increase their profits, regardless of the destruction they cause to this island in the process.

Campaigners are fighting a desperate battle to save restored ancient woodland and a known red squirrel habitat in Anglesey (Welsh: Ynys Môn), which is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. A planning application for a Llangefni link road will be considered by Anglesey Council planners on Wednesday, September 2.

Coed Cadw, the Woodland Trust, has objected to the link road and have said:

News from Mannin Branch Celtic League

The Chamber of Commerce were recently waxing lyrical about the need for the Island to grow its workforce with as many as 15000 extra workers needed according to them. However you can bet your bottom dollar the Chamber will not be insisting appropriate rights be afforded for those workers to organise themselves in Trade Unions.

News from the Celtic League

What was described as ‘a landmark agreement on sharing tax information was signed on Friday 13 December 2013 by the Isle of Man and the United States.

The Isle of Man Chief Minister Allan Bell and Matthew Burzan, US Ambassador to the UK at the US Embassy in London signed the agreement on behalf of their respective countries.

At the time Allan Bell, the Isle of Man Chief Minister, said:

News From Kernow Branch Celtic League

It is indeed sad to see on other Facebook sites including that of BBC Radio Cornwall, comments such as 'You are English, get over it' 'You should be grateful to the English' and so on often made in the most aggressive of tones.

The fact of the matter is that the Cornish people have now been recognised, are no better nor worse than anyone else including the English but are not English.

The official Government announcement is here:

News From The Celtic League

The Manx Chief Minister has said that the Island does not need an expansion in population but an increased workforce taken with recent comments by the Infrastructure Minister it seems to be a change of tack from the previous announcement about freeing up land for ‘development and growth’.

It also seems to contradict statements from the Chamber of Commerce about the need for another 15,000 workers. That number together with families would involve a seismic increase in the population.

Adam Wood is about to finish his term as  Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man. Many Manx people would be forgiven for not having a clue who he is. Certainly he has been rarely seen out in public since he took the position in 2011. The Lieutenant Governor is the representative of the British monarch, who acts as the Manx head of state. The Isle of Man is an internally self-governing Crown Dependency. In reality the Lieutenant Governor represents the interests of a foreign power, the United Kingdom, in its colonial possession the Isle of Man (Mannin).

Despite the unfavourable weather conditions which plagued the one hundred and twentieth anniversary celebrations of the Snaefell Mountain Railway, many people made a pilgrimage to the summit for this special occasion.

Proceedings got under way at Laxey Tram Station with a performance by members of the National Methodist Youth Brass Band, who were on an extensive tour of the Island.

August 2015 has seen a number of commemorations and the unveiling of a plaque to mark the 850th anniversary of the Battle of Crogen that took place in the Ceiriog Valley (Welsh: Dyffryn Ceiriogin) in north-east Wales. The Welsh in 1165 faced a determined Henry II of England who brought his full resources in order to conquer Wales once and for all.