Blogs

The Manx Chief Minister this week gave a State of the Nation address to business folk that was divorced from reality. This is the true 'State of the Nation; in 2019

FOOD BANKS

FUEL POVERTY

BENEFITS CUTS

WAITING LISTS

HOMELESSNESS

CHILD HUNGER

ZERO HOUR CONTRACTS

POVERTY PAY

MEANS TESTING OF THE ELDERLY FOR CARE

MISERY FOR SOME

WORKERS RIGHTS TRASHED

FREE HOLIDAYS FOR MHKs

CASH FOR THE CHAMBER

BLISS FOR THE GREEDY FEW!

After the victory in the Irish High Court last month for An Taisce (The National Trust for Ireland) which effectively scuppered plans for oil and gas exploration in the Celtic Sea another pivotal case is in the Court.

This time Friends of the Irish Environment are seeking a judicial review in an attempt to block plans for a Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) plant on the Shannon estuary.

An unlikely ally in the fight is the fate of the Bottlenose Dolphin.

Reports here by Green News ie:

‘Our work to end poverty and homelessness in the Isle of Man goes on’. (Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK 1st February 2019)

I eventually get round to reading ‘the great man’s’ (aka Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK) words in his ‘State of the Nation Address’ given to something called ‘The Alliance of Compliance Professionals’ which sounds like a paramilitary wing of the Chamber of Commerce.

Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse for postmen and women Mr Micawber's wife Emma turns up played by Howard Quayle MHK.

Emma's (sorry Howard's) maxim of course was that despite all his foibles 'she' would ‘never desert Mr Micawber’. Our modern day of version Mr Micawber is Alfred Cannan MHK who is micro-managing the Post Office dispute from Treasury HQ.

When we reported plans in Ireland to phase out peat burning power stations and switch them to more sustainable biomass it seemed like good news. However Green News ie reports that US environmental groups are unimpressed:

‘The ESB said that the transition from peat to sustainable biomass at its Midlands stations is part of its “commitment to leading Ireland’s transition to a low-carbon future”.

Air traffic controllers working for Highlands and Islands Airport Limited (Hial) are being balloted on strike action in a dispute over pay.

Controllers who are members of the Prospect union rejected a 2% pay offer made last year.

The union said it was balloting its members because efforts to resolve the dispute had failed.

Hial, which operates 11 regional airports, said it was committed to continuing "constructive discussions".

Full report here at the BBC Scotland web site:

It's not just in the Isle of Man that Industrial action beckons. In Ireland Nurses, members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), recently announced that the will strike for an additional two days bringing the total of actions plans to three events spread over three days (nine days in all). Indeed Irish Nurses will be out on the picket line on the same date as Manx postal workers, members of the CWU.

On Tuesday night (29th January) the 2019 festival of Up Helly Aa saw the skies of Lerwick in Shetland lit up with burning torches during Up Helly Aa. The event included a procession of about 1000 guizers celebrating their Norse heritage. There is a Guizer Jarl (Chief Guizer) who leads a Jarl Squad, which is one of the many Guizer squads participating in the event. Dressed in Viking clothing and marching through the town with battle axes and torches, they dragged with them a ceremonial Viking longboat. Thousands of spectators lined the route on Tuesday night.

Perth City Hall in the Scottish city of Perth (Scottish Gaelic: Peairt) is now to be converted into a new heritage and arts attraction. The B-listed building, constructed in 1911, had lain empty for 14 years. It had been under threat of demolition for some time. An outcome which according to campaigners would have been an  ‘act of civic vandalism’. Now funding has been secured to turn Perth City Hall into a major new museum attraction. Architect Mecanoo have been identified as the preferred designer for the redevelopment.

Relaxing in my local last night when out of the blue a pleasant surprise. A good friend from Dublin, Tom Hanley, walks in - on the Island for the funeral of Brian Stowell.

Tom, who is not a member of the Celtic League, gave me a whistle stop tour of all the republican sites in Dublin back in 2015 when I was over in the City for the AGM of the Celtic League held that year at the HQ of Conradh na Gaeilge (The Gaelic League). He also recently helped me track down some video footage of the Mec Vannin party taken at the 1966 Easter commemoration in Dublin.