Blogs

News from The Celtic League:

KNOTTFIELD LEGAL FUND APPEAL (MTTV INTERVIEWS)

Paul Moulton at MTTV has two interviews here with John Guest who is trying to raise funds in connection with taking a case in relation to the Knottfield Child Abuse scandal.

There is a warning in place from the Chief Constable in respect of sub judice issues in respect of ongoing matters so I won’t comment further.

After the Alf (Lord) Dubs off Island entreaty about Crown Dependencies helping refugees we get a helping of local thought from Manx Radio talking to the homeless charity Graih:

https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/homeless-charity-calls-t...

The report intrigues me less because of its content and more the manner in which news is balanced.

Minister Geoffrey Boot MHK is on the spot over granting seismic survey licences for gas exploration off Maughold just as the IPCC says we need to turn the global thermostat down:

www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/climate-targets-may-prove-too-di...

Boot is generally trumpeting the Islands biosphere status so how asks the reporter are the two things compatible? Geoffrey avers we may have to park our aspirations for a while. He is not it seems a ‘Biosphere Buddy’.

What better time of year to hold a storytelling festival than the days leading upto the Celtic celebration of Halloween. Halloween (Hop tu Naa in Isle of Man) has its origins in the Celtic lands and marks the end of the summer and the beginning of winter. The festival is associated with the Celtic feast of Kala-Goañv (Breton), Calan Gwaf (Cornish), Samhain (Irish), Sauin (Manx Gaelic), Samhuinn (Scottish Gaelic) and Calan Gaeaf (Welsh).

Finn Burnham, 18, from Betws-y-Coed, has completed an epic 400 nautical mile journey around Wales in the memory of best friend Callum Wylie. Callum, an international level skier and talented mountain biker, tragically died, aged 18, on February  1, days after making an attempt on his own life. Finn started his epic kayak journey on September 1 from Llandudno lifeboat station, tackling inland waterways, locks and rivers. Then he followed the coastline of Wales all the way to the completion of his journey last Saturday, near the Llandudno lifeboat station where it all began.

Last week the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued an alarming report on global warming. The new report focuses on what impacts we might expect from warming of 1.5 degrees and 2 degrees. The Paris climate agreement negotiated in 2015, set a target of no more than 2°C global warming above pre-industrial temperatures, but also an aspirational target of no more than 1.5°C.  This would substantially reduce the risks and effects of climate change. However, there had not been a lot of research into the climate impacts at 1.5°C vs. 2°C.

ALF PLANS A ‘GIVEAWAY’ BUDGET!

I can exclusively reveal that Alf Cannan the Manx Treasury Minister is planning ‘a giveaway budget’ next year the detail is being worked on as we speak by his trusty sidekick Sheila Lowe.

Hang on don’t get excited! Alfs idea of a ‘giveaway’ follows the pattern of earlier budgets and earlier Treasury Ministers in that he takes from the less well off to ‘giveaway’ a wedge of public money and tax breaks to the Chamber of Commerce and business community generally.

Inspired by the earlier post I go in search of knowledge about Manx Agriculture and subsidies. Fortunately Catherine Nicoll is in the Manx Radio ‘portal’ talking to Famers representatives.

They outline the rural agricultural scene as they see it including the recent uncharacteristically dry weather which now seems to have been consigned to history.

The one million plus scheme for drought relief for Farmers hit a slight hiccup when Ramsey MHK Lawrie Hooper said he had been contacted by farmers who had told him that things were not as bad as they’ve been painted. Nonetheless Tynwald were unswayed by the member for Ramsey.

Agriculture Minister Geoffrey Boot refuted his concerns saying it was not the ‘impression’ that he had gained and at the Farmers Union (NFU) welcomed the scheme.