Bernard Moffatt's blog

There is the usual chaos and carnage as the Isle of Man TT 2018 is in full swing. Deaths and injuries are of course the norm almost expected these days but an added dimension is bikes crashing into cars on the course. In addition sat navs are definitely not de rigueur as folk seem determined to go against the one way flow on the mountain section. Added to this year's ‘diversions’ an irreverent spectator who failed to move when directed by marshals his punishment was severe no more TT for him. He is however probably in the safest place for the TT period.

Obviously things work differently at the BBC but but when I was a official for the old TGWU if I had an important off Island appointment I usually went the day before so as to ensure punctuality in case of any difficulty with flights.

BBC officials due to appear before a select committee of Tynwald however failed to materialise on time today because flights were cancelled although even the BBC weather was predicting mists over the UK yesterday (link):

I’ve received a reply (from the Cabinet Office) to my query about the changes to the manner in which Manx RPI is calculated on the Island it's clear that the change occurred by diktat rather that with Tynwald approval. The government of course used the ‘cover’ of a ‘consultation’.

My original query was reported on Crown Dependency News:

https://www.facebook.com/crowndependencypoliticalnews/posts/185579325777...

I noted with interest remarks on Daphne Caine MHKs Facebook page of the occasion of the birthday of Sophia Morrison (24th May 1859).

She was in turn commenting on another Facebook page which says:

“Sophia was a Manx cultural activist, folklore collector and author. Through her own work and role in encouraging and enthusing others, she is considered to be one of the key figures of the Manx cultural revival”

Daphne says:

“I love the term cultural activist. Can I be one - who’s with me? “

The Isle of Man hasn’t got much of record when to comes to ‘the rights of the child’. As a country we retained birching until pressure from the Council of Europe and the United Kingdom made it untenable. More recently the Island which had avoided the child care scandals that have swept the British Isles finally started to confront its awful past - although how much of what the Tynwald Committee looking into this comes up with will determine if its a whitewash. We also infamously imprisoned children in the main prison while the rest of the UK if not the World looked on aghast.

Is it ‘much ado about nothing’ or an affront to the authority of the President of Tynwald. Manx Radio reports that the Chief Minister summoned new legislative council (Legco) members to his Office and in a ‘meeting with the headmaster’ type meeting told them exactly where and when ‘not’ to overstep the mark.

If so as Kate Beecroft MHK avers its an affront to the President whose role it is to do the ‘herding of cats’ in Tynwald.

There have been calls for a enquiry into a killing three decades ago in Co Tyrone. The incident occurred at a border checkpoint in Co Tyrone at Aughnacloy. These major checkpoints ostensibly manned by the RUC were also staffed by regular British Army troops the one in question, that I passed through myself on foot while hiking in the 1970s, was heavily fortified.

The Isle of Man Civil Aviation Administration has issued a warning about the flying of drones near the TT course during TT fortnight and has introduced a prohibition. The move, which no doubt is a very sensible one has been taken in the interests of ‘safety’. However paradoxically hundreds of riders had been killed and many more injured, during the period in which Races of this type have taken in the Isle of Man, before drones had been invented.

The prohibition also applies to the Southern 100 races and an air display.

Here’s the IOM CAA missive in full:

The Manx MHK, Alex Allinson. who has pushed abortion reform legislation through the Keys says that when adopted the Manx legislation will be an indicator to people on ‘the Island of Ireland’ to create a framework for reform there. He was speaking ahead of the ‘Repeal the 8th Amendment’ referendum this week which would if successful remove a bar in the 26 county constitution on introducing abortion law reform (link):

A motion to be moved Ireland’s Seanad today will call on the Irish Government to meet its international obligations by designating extensive coastal areas and seas around Ireland as “marine protected areas” (MPAs).

Ireland already meets obligations under OSPAR and has Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) but this motion if adopted will provide much more extensive and wide ranging protection.