Blogs

Visions can be costly things. When Mary Beirne had a vision at Knock, Co Mayo they ended up with a massive airport that no one really needs. So when ‘Popeye’ (aka Alex Allinson) says people are seeing ‘a five year vision’ up at the MUA at Ballacottier it fills me with trepidation. Allison is holding forth about ‘rebalancing’ tariffs on MTTV the more he says the more I would like to rebalance a political baseball bat over his head.

I predicted that there might be problems with Interpol's choice of a senior Chinese Security official as its head and so there is (see link below). However even my bizarre imagination could not have predicted this twist.

Interpol boss Meng Hongwei has been disappeared. Some may think this is poetic justice to a man who inflicted the same fate on thousands of Tibetans Uighurs and other minority groups in China but the icing on the cake is that Interpol is so shallow even it doesn’t want to help track down its boss.

The festival will run from 31st October to 4th November at the Hotel Bristol in Newquay. The programme is now available on the festival website, along with a list of all this year's performers.

Website: https://www.lowenderperan.co.uk/whats-on.html

OK I’m a cynic! I want to believe that Treasury Minister Alf Cannan MHK wants to engage with people and have them inform his decision making process when he frames the budget. Alf to me is a pain in the neck but as I have a pain in the chest already I can do without getting all vitriolic and adding to it.

I happen to believe that the IOM government frames its needs around the business community rather than the desires or input of ‘the man in the Onchan omnibus’ however I haven't arrived at that view via cynicism but through observation.

Things are looking gloomy at ‘the shed on the head’ it's still losing money but Manx Radio Chairman Bill Mummery says this is ‘progress’. You tend to think if Bill was on the Apprentice someone would be saying ‘You’re fired’:

https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/another-annual-loss-for-...

I muse I wonder why/how Bill was appointed I never did get a clear answer from Howard to that query, Was chairing Manx Radio a prize at some Chamber of Commerce Xmas shindig?

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Duke Street civil rights march in Derry. Images of the Royal Ulster Constabulary brutally attacking unarmed demonstrators on 5 October 1968  were sent around the world. The true nature of the British colony in  the north-east of Ireland was exposed to a worldwide audience. The attacks on the Northern Ireland civil rights movement before and subsequent to the march on 5th October, resulted in a shift in peoples attitude.

I wrote to the Chief Minister of the Isle of Man two weeks ago asking for urgent assistance to help the needy on the Island AHEAD of this winter. I applauded the Island overseas aid commitment but urged that the same spirit was shown to those in difficulty at home (link):

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1837382359643850&id=80...

‘A British colonial Magistrate called Todd. If he is alive he’s a criminal who should be charged with genocide. If he’s dead then if there is a hell I hope he’s burning in it!’

Several people messaged and others wrote comments after my recent post about the Chagos Islanders saying they were unaware of the crime perpetrated against them by the United Kingdom over half a century ago.

With the Chief Minister and Treasury Minister having spent some days at the Brexit obsessed Tory conference I thought I would reproduce this article. The German online website Taz visited the Island a few months ago and interviewed myself and various others. Even the gulls get an opening mention which should please Jason Moorhouse MHK. Here is the transcript.

I should warn that I’ve used google translate so there will be a few minor glitches in the text. The sub headings - by the way - are in brackets.

The world's most expensive bottle of whisky has been sold for £848,000 at auction in Edinburgh. The bottle of 1926 Macallan Valerio Adami was particularly sought after due to its rarity, vintage and unique Valerio Adami artwork. It is 60 years old, having been created in 1926 and remained in a vat until bottled in 1986. Macallan commissioned artists Peter Blake and Valerio Adami to design labels for a limited edition of 24 bottles; 12 by each artist.