Alastair Kneale's blog

News From The Celtic League:

‘NATIONALITY is more than a flag, more than a culture, more than a language – it’s also having the courage to run your own affairs and not be in some other countries pocket”

A petition has been started to get Manx included as an option on the census form. It’s a long shot the forms are out now and probably people will have to improvise if they feel sufficiently animated by the issue to register a protest.

Most people I’ve spoken to (and that’s quite a few) have indicated they will just put MANX in the ‘Other’ option slot.

News From The Celtic League:

The Interceltic Festival of Lorient will celebrate the Centenary of Ireland's 1916 Rising.

Irish people joining the celebration include:

• Lorcán Mac Mathúna - 1916 Visionaries and their words
• The Actress Elaine O’Dea
• Íde Nic Mhathúna, Martin Tourish, Daire Fougère, Eamonn Galdubh will play some tunes

Also, Erwan Fouéré, Irish Diplomate, member of Centre for European Policy Studies, and will talk about "Ireland, 100 years after 1916 Easter Rising"

Bunscoill Ghaelgagh is a Manx-language primary school in St John's, Isle of Man (Manx Gaelic: Balley Keeill Eoin, Mannin). The school, which is a previous winner of the annual Reih Bleeaney Vanannan award for its work in preserving and promoting Manx language, culture and heritage, has grown from strength to strength since it opened in 2001.

News from the Celtic League:

As we exclusively indicated earlier today the Canadian authorities are to launch a crackdown on tax evasion and the Isle of Man is one of four jurisdictions to be specifically targeted.

Additional staff and resources will be deployed according to Revenue Minster Diane Lebouthillier (pictured).

This is obviously going to be a major effort as over $400 are to be expended as part of the crack down and 100 additional tax auditors hired by the CRA (see story):

Exclusive Breaking News From the Celtic League:

It is looking likely that the Canadian Government may launch a probe into the Isle of Man and its use by Canadians of a KPMG Canada tax planning arrangement.

Pressure has been building since CBC the National broadcaster broadcast a series of expose documentaries.

Celtic League has reported this as it unfolded and also urged the Manx Treasury to take action.

The situation was compounded when new of a secret deal between Canadian Revenue Authorities and KPMG was leaked to CBC.

News From The Mannin Branch Celtic League:

Interesting to see the FCA in the United Kingdom went on the offensive when the Panama leaks broke and asked banks to declare any links to Mossack Fonesca.

I bet a penny to a pound there was no such action taken in the Isle of Man by the FSC.

Still its not to late and perhaps the FSC given Chief Minister Allan Bells boast that the Island is squeaky clean and ahead of most other jurisdictions we could go one step further and ask all banks, accountancy firms, csp and legal practices to come clean about any links with MF.

News From Mannin Branch Of The Celtic League:

Mossack Fonesca is the gift that keeps giving!

Jeremy Corbyn today suggests that the United Kingdom should impose direct rule over the British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies including Mann (see link):

News From The Celtic League:

We ask how safe will the seas around Britain and Ireland be during Exercise Joint Warrior.

The NATO exercise Joint Warrior 2016 gets underway next Monday and if previous exercises of this type are anything to go by ships and aircraft will already be in transit to their exercise locations.

Media Release From Culture Vannin

After almost 25 years’ service as an officer of the Manx Heritage Foundation, now Culture Vannin, Charles Guard, retired at the end of March. The occasion was marked by a small gathering of board members and officers and the presentation of a gift to mark his long-service to public life. Charles’ contribution to Manx culture has been, and will no doubt continue to be remarkable, as his formal retirement by no means marks the end of his love of Manx culture but merely a new phase of how he will go about it.

NEWS FROM THE MANNIN BRANCH CELTIC LEAGUE

I reported in some detail last year on our cooperation with New York Times journalist Ian Urbina who wrote (and continues) his award winning exposé of life at sea and the exploitation of mariners and fishermen.

There is more evidence closer to home of attempts to replace indigenous crews on British merchant vessels with cheaper labour from third world countries.

See the two attached article links below: