Alastair Kneale's blog

The northern most point on the Isle of Man (Mannin) is the Point of Ayre (Manx: Kione ny h-Ayrey). It is the closest point on the Isle of Man to the island of Britain, being some 16 miles (26 kilometres) south of Burrow Head in Scotland. The name Ayre comes from the Norse word Eyrr meaning gravel bank. A name that reflects the Scandinavian influences after the arrival of the Vikings on the Isle of Man at the end of the 8th century. Resulting in a mix of Norse and Gaelic place names throughout the Island. 

Raids on Catalan government offices this morning saw Spanish police arrest Catalonia's junior economy minister Josep Maria Jove. This comes ahead of the Catalan referendum on independence from Spain on 1st October, which the Spanish state is doing all in its power to prevent. Local reports say that Spanish police entered offices of the Catalan region's economy, interior, foreign affairs, welfare, telecommunications and tax departments with at least 12 high-ranking local officials being arrested.

News from the Celtic League. The General Secretary of the Celtic League has issued the following statement:

Outrageous Behaviour by Spanish Authorities

On the weekend before the National Day of Catalunya (11th September) it is disappointing , but not surprising that the Spanish authorities have started making overt attempts to disrupt the Catalan referendum on independence.

In this news item on Yn Commeeys Yn Celtiagh - Celtic News Mannin, the escalating tensions in Catalonia are dicussed ahead of next months Catalan referendum on independence from Spain. The Spanish government's hard line stance to prevent the Catalan people from exercising their democratic right to vote is set to see the biggest confrontation in Europe since the events in Ukraine:

TENSION GROWS AHEAD OF CATALAN REFERENDUM

Quite rightly Manx people are very cynical about their elected representatives. Not least because once elected they undertake actions for which they have no mandate and they fail to represent those that voted for them. Over the years there have been some notable exceptions, however, the feeling is that MHK's (members of the Manx parliament) are above all self serving rather than servants of the public. There have been so many examples of this over the years that thinking of them can induce nausea. 

This news item from YN COMMEEYS CELTIAGH - CELTIC NEWS MANNIN points to the concluding report on Ireland issued by the UN Committee Against Torture. The report includes criticism of the governments response to the Magdelene Laundries abuse and Mother and Babies Home scandal. The Magdalene Laundries were also known as Magdalene asylums. These institutions were usually run by Roman Catholic orders but were supported by the state. It has been estimated that some 30,000 were confined in these prison like institutions in Ireland. They housed so-called.

In recent weeks there has been a developing campaign in Wales for a boycott of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Licence Fee. The work of the BBC is funded principally by an annual television licence fee costing £145.50 per year. At this time such a licence is required to legally receive broadcast television by all households across the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

In this article in YN COMMMEEYS CELTIAGH - CELTIC NEWS MANNIN a plan to improve Public Rights of Way has been announced by the Isle of Man Government's Department of Infrastructure. The poor state of many of the Manx footpaths had been been taken up with Ministers by walker and ornithologist Allen Moore, who is environmental officer for the Mannin (Isle of Man) branch of the Celtic League. Allen had drawn attention to the great scenery and the asset provided by the network of public footpaths, especially the longer distance routes on the Island.

In this article in YN COMMEEYS CELTIAGH - CELTIC NEWS MANNIN looks at the issue of Manx territorial waters and the unwillingness of a weak Manx government to fight against UK bullying:

Thieves the UK were and they still are!

‘Mec Vannin put it diplomatically I will put it bluntly – COMIN AND DEFA sit on their arse!’

This article from YN COMMMEEYS CELTIAGH - CELTIC NEWS MANNIN points to the environmental damage and pollution caused by cruise ships:

Cruise liners - they're a filthy business

‘Some 20 million people board cruise ships every year. And while they might return to land with fond memories of umbrella drinks and shuffleboard, they leave a lot at sea. About a billion gallons (3.8 billion liters) of sewage, in fact.’