'Socrates and Beach Buddies' - The Nation is in a State!

Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK had a ‘work out’ earlier in the day with Kate Beecroft MHK. Kate was trying to get Howard to answer some simple questions. However the questions were close to the bone. Its clear to Kate that the Chief Secretary is running the Island. She queries politely is he doing his own thing or is Howard overseeing matters. The Chief Minister gets really cross and adopts the John Bercow style of parliamentary behaviour.

At one point Howard refers to members nodding in agreement. Howard is to stupid to realise the irony in that Tynwald increasingly are just that - ‘nodding dogs’ bought and paid for with their departmental sinecures and expenses. Beecroft (not my favourite politician after some of the Health service debacles) carries the day. Quayle it seems has eschewed answering questions and become the bully blogs of the ‘honourable Court’ most unedifying!

Later on Howard delivers the most inept ‘State of the Nation’ address in the history of State of the Nation addresses. You can just tell it was written for him by the Chief Secretary I bet Beecroft was smiling.

It's a lame collection of statements sprinkled with some of the cliches and buzzwords of this inept administration. ‘Christ Howard! Give me a shout I will write something for you that flows if there is a next time - tell Will to stick to writing letters to the UK government’.

A State of the Nation address should grab the moment and flow - infuse parliament (Tynwald) and the nation - not sound like a speak your weight machine on a loop!

There is absolutely nothing of substance although he does mention Socrates and Beach Buddies (?)

It’s clear from the subtext that the business community the Chief Minister references on several occasions are telling the government what to do. He refers to ‘acting’ after being told by the business community has this COMIN no shame?

There is very little of worth on the subject of deprivation just illusions to reports due later and the decision to move to a living wage for PS workers.

The Year of our Island of course crops up and the Island is 'a gem in the Irish Sea'.

I wait wondering if the Chef Ministerial pomposity will conclude with a rendition from the nodding dogs of ‘Oh Land of Our Birth’ but Manx Radio simply cuts to Tim Glover and back to ‘the Head’ where appropriately an advert for drains is pulsing out. Quite apt I think. It’s more interesting than Howards speech!

Image: Howard and Kate ‘defo’ not buddies - beach or otherwise!

Bernard Moffatt