Moulton with 'the great man' in 'the big chair'

I got this email yesterday ‘Dear Bernard, As an’ - Hang on lets just park that for a moment as MTTV have a ‘MHK Year 2’ interview and its the big one Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK.

Paul Moulton is with ‘the great man’ in the COMIN room with Howard sitting in ‘the big chair’. Paul presumably has the one Treasury Minister Alf Cannan sits in at Council meetings whilst eyeing Howard’s ‘big one’ enviously.

Howard is in good form although he starts by lambasting the media but its ok because it's not the Manx mainstream or social media it’s the BBC etc earlier in the year going on about VAT and Corporate Jets. They got it all wrong Howard, the Manx Government and presumably Appleby have/had done nothing wrong avers Howard. Howard more or less implies they (the BBC etc) are scallywags just wanting to peddle a story with an attractive guy, his attractive girlfriend and a shiny red corporate jet as props.

I’m back to thinking about my email yesterday now/. It was from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and they said:

‘Dear Bernard.

As an ICIJ donor, your support is critical to the work we do! We know you care about investigative journalism’ etc

Obviously they are looking for more support so after hearing Howard decrying them what should I do. I decide I will sign up and become an ‘ICIJ Insider’ we’ll see how that goes.

It’s a poor start to Howard’s interview I thought he would bemoan the way the poor, those using foodbanks and the homeless are fairing instead he’s wittering on about some personality with a corporate jet getting a bad time. In any case I loath the Applebys of this world with their minuscule internship job creation schemes.

All through his interview Howard never once touches on the real problems facing society so you know that next week's State of the Nation is going to be a self congratulatory affair though he will probably have a swipe at social media. He is big on ‘how well we are doing’ but in actual fact the only folk doing well are ‘the New Mau Mau’ with shiny suits and expense accounts I preferred the old version.

Howard is caustic about the Kate Beecroft MHK sacking and I would say that this feud will last both their political lifetimes. It’s a side to Howard I haven’t noticed before. Obviously in politics the adage ‘don’t kick a man (or woman) when they’re down’ does not apply

Fortunately I’m not taking a swig of tea when he talks about ‘all the talent’ in COMIN. Come on Howard even you can’t believe that! They are a self serving bunch some like the DfE Minister clinging on and others like Alf and his cohort waiting to wield that dagger and get the ‘big chair’.

Moulton is relaxed, Howard is relaxed. The business community is relaxed. Most of Tynwald is catatonic. As for the ‘hoi polloi’ most of them are inwardly screaming as they look forward to three more years of misery. Howard beams away!

Most interesting point in the interview is when Howard turns a question on Paul. I think obviously the Mummery virus has spread they’ll all be at it next and the media will get nothing done because they will all be answering questions instead of asking them.

It is not Howard’s best performance but at least they both seem to enjoy it and any way as Chief Minister he stopped caring what the rabble think long ago.

At the opening of the interview Howard avers that HMRC will completely vindicate his government and the reptile beings that inhabit the golden mile.

As the interview concludes I turn to fill in my ‘ICIJ Insider’ option maybe I should go for the ‘Insider - Insider’ option that allows me ‘to ask the team questions’. It’s a bit pricey but I haven’t got a red shiny corporate jet or a ‘New Mau Mau shiny suit’ so what the hell!

Image: Howard in ‘the big chair’ while Paul reprises Alf.

The Link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ha5fYRK-2M

Bernard Moffatt