Bernard Moffatt's blog

‘Our work to end poverty and homelessness in the Isle of Man goes on’. (Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK 1st February 2019)

I eventually get round to reading ‘the great man’s’ (aka Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK) words in his ‘State of the Nation Address’ given to something called ‘The Alliance of Compliance Professionals’ which sounds like a paramilitary wing of the Chamber of Commerce.

Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse for postmen and women Mr Micawber's wife Emma turns up played by Howard Quayle MHK.

Emma's (sorry Howard's) maxim of course was that despite all his foibles 'she' would ‘never desert Mr Micawber’. Our modern day of version Mr Micawber is Alfred Cannan MHK who is micro-managing the Post Office dispute from Treasury HQ.

When we reported plans in Ireland to phase out peat burning power stations and switch them to more sustainable biomass it seemed like good news. However Green News ie reports that US environmental groups are unimpressed:

‘The ESB said that the transition from peat to sustainable biomass at its Midlands stations is part of its “commitment to leading Ireland’s transition to a low-carbon future”.

Air traffic controllers working for Highlands and Islands Airport Limited (Hial) are being balloted on strike action in a dispute over pay.

Controllers who are members of the Prospect union rejected a 2% pay offer made last year.

The union said it was balloting its members because efforts to resolve the dispute had failed.

Hial, which operates 11 regional airports, said it was committed to continuing "constructive discussions".

Full report here at the BBC Scotland web site:

It's not just in the Isle of Man that Industrial action beckons. In Ireland Nurses, members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), recently announced that the will strike for an additional two days bringing the total of actions plans to three events spread over three days (nine days in all). Indeed Irish Nurses will be out on the picket line on the same date as Manx postal workers, members of the CWU.

Relaxing in my local last night when out of the blue a pleasant surprise. A good friend from Dublin, Tom Hanley, walks in - on the Island for the funeral of Brian Stowell.

Tom, who is not a member of the Celtic League, gave me a whistle stop tour of all the republican sites in Dublin back in 2015 when I was over in the City for the AGM of the Celtic League held that year at the HQ of Conradh na Gaeilge (The Gaelic League). He also recently helped me track down some video footage of the Mec Vannin party taken at the 1966 Easter commemoration in Dublin.

There is a big demo planned tomorrow at the Dail in Dublin against afforestation - report here from Green News ie:

https://greennews.ie/large-protest-held-state-conifer-plan…/

Its being spearheaded by a group from Co Leitrim one of the counties in Ireland worst affected by the introduction of non indigenous conifer plantations.

I’m reading about this Manx Radio report on the latest Climate Change Coalition (CCC) foray and humming the tune of Dylan’s ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ to myself. You know the one with the line; ‘you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows’:

https://www.manxradio.com/…/momentum-is-building-says-envi…/

Obviously the Dylan analogy is a little awry (check Weathermen’ on Wiki)’.

Isle of Man News and Politics host, James Corrin, sends me a link. I thought my reading tastes were wide ranging what with The Star (of Lebanon) and the Finsbury Communist but James supplies a much more exoitic link, ‘The Nepali Times’.

Nepal to us is more associated with twinned towns, mountain holidays and overseas aid but it seems it's also in the arena of ‘tax twinning’ or dodging.
It’s apparently a land of hidden money as well as hidden mystical ‘paradise’ (no pun).

Good for David Cretney MLC for keeping the issue of child poverty centre stage although whether his efforts will have any impact on this selfish government is another matter

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/article.cfm…

The usual depressing remarks from some inhuman beasts in our society in some of the comments below the story show just what sort of ‘pond life’ this Island plays host to.