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The Royal National Mòd (Scottish Gaelic: Am Mòd Nàiseanta Rìoghail) is the most important of several annual  major Mòds. It is the main festival of Scottish Gaelic literature, song, arts and culture and often referred to as the Mòd. The festival began in Dunoon (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Omhain) on Friday night, with a special celebration honouring Scotland's Year of Young People. During the next eight days, (12 - 20th October) more than 200 competitions and events in Highland dancing, sport, literature, drama, Gaelic music and song will be held.

A ‘SAVING’ OR A ‘SLIGHT OF HAND’?

The Manx Independent has the two story about the Hospital Consultants and the closure of the Private Patient Unit online (see links) below:

Much is being made of the so called ‘saving’ to be made almost a quarter of a million pounds so has the unit been subsidised, Apparently not the saving is actually as I understand it a slight of hand.

Staff utilised on the PPU will be transferred as it closes to other duty this will cut down on the need to engage temporary locum or bank staff in the General Hospital.

The BBC recently reported that a pre-census survey by the Welsh Office of National Statistics shows 874,700 people are able to speak the language, up from 726,600 in 2008. Roughly a 20% increase. The data was published as part of the “Annual Population Survey” as a run up to the full census to be taken in 2021.

The survey shows an increase the number of Welsh speakers in every local authority except for a minor decrease in Torfaen, where there was a 0.5% decrease, and Flintshire, where numbers fell by about 6.2%.

“The argument should be conducted in the DHSC boardroom at Markwell House or the floors of Nobles. Instead we have ‘Mr Speaker’ asking questions in Tynwald about Consultants pay. Pretty rich from a man who didn’t even pay for his own paracetamol on that Falklands jolly!”

Ironically next week when Howard Quayle MHK, Manx Chief Minister, gets to his feet and delivers a ‘State of the Nation’ in Tynwald address will coincide with the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (Oct 17th).

It's debatable if any new initiatives to tackle poverty in the Isle of Man will be announced we will probably have to wait for Treasury Minister Alf Cannan MHK to conclude his great budget ‘talkathon’ with the masses and even then I wouldn’t hold your breath.

I got this email yesterday ‘Dear Bernard, As an’ - Hang on lets just park that for a moment as MTTV have a ‘MHK Year 2’ interview and its the big one Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK.

Paul Moulton is with ‘the great man’ in the COMIN room with Howard sitting in ‘the big chair’. Paul presumably has the one Treasury Minister Alf Cannan sits in at Council meetings whilst eyeing Howard’s ‘big one’ enviously.

Urdd Gobaith Cymru (Urdd) is the largest organisation for children and young people in Wales, with 30% of all Welsh speakers in Wales aged between 8-25 being members. Since it was established in 1922 it has played a significant role in promoting a Welsh and Welsh-speaking citizenship amongst Welsh youth.  They organise a range of activities and develop projects that increase the use of the Welsh language  by children and young people. This includes 150 sports clubs that meet weekly and the Urdd Theatre Company.

The Health Services needs stability and that is something it patently does not seem to have at present.

Staff should be able to carry out their duties which help avert life threatening or life changing situations in an atmosphere of industrial relations stability. A key factor in workplace stability is good two way communications and yet the resignation letter from a Consultant in the Manx Independent points to the complete opposite of this.

Commemorations were held today in both Ireland and Wales to mark the centenary of the sinking of the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company ship RMS Leinster. It resulted in the deaths of 564 people in the single-largest loss of life on the Irish Sea. The RMS Leinster had just set sail on 10th October 2018 from Dún Laoghaire in Ireland and was bound for Holyhead (Caergybi) in Wales, when it was sunk by a German U-boat in the closing weeks of World War I. 

Despite what some in the Keys may think I don’t hang on their every word so it was only today that someone told me that Chris Thomas MHK had added some cryptic mutterings on his MHK Facebook page about me on International Day of Older Persons. Apparently Chris has two Facebook pages I hadn’t worked that out either - its awful when you are old and slow!

Chris is always giving me advice and he joins a growing band of ‘Bernie obsessionals’ such as Treasury Minister Alf Cannan MHK who mentioned me in his budget speech and that lawyer chappie who...well wasn’t very pleasant.