Vaaish

Incredible coincidence this morning…I popped into Costa at the Sea Terminal with my new flame-thrower, a couple of hand grenades and a zombie knife… moments later two armed coppers sat at the next table. Who’d have thought!

I neither enjoy ‘brutal reality shows’ nor the unreality show that masquerades as our national parliament.

It’s curiously titled as a conference, as there seems to be a lot more time devoted to lecturing than conferring.

If you believe that scrutiny of the government within Tynwald is ‘stronger’, or offers any genuinely meaningful analysis of the Island’s strategic direction, then I suggest you look a little harder. The payment modifications you describe are little more than tinkering and certainly do not seem to have emboldened Members to challenge more robustly. And the final shot you fire into your own foot is claiming that consensus is to be applauded. That ‘consensus’ is a cosy non-boat-rocking club atmosphere that does not facilitate advancement through the generation, testing and challenging of new ideas. This Tynwald is supine, bereft of ideas, and coasting.

It would appear that the Island’s lifeline is a rather chewed up piece of string at risk of snapping in a stiff breeze.

No. And let’s not forget his championing of Peter Willers at the last election.

This hasn’t aged well…has it?

Just checking - you sure you meant ‘cult’?

You’re right to highlight the uncertainty. I find myself trying to establish if Cannan becoming flustered when questioned is, as you suggest, because the water is closing over his head when he has no answers beyond his civil service prepared script, or, whether he becomes agitated that someone has the temerity to question or even challenge him - a la Sunak. Of course, these are not mutually exclusive. In Hooper’s case I think it’s no more than good old fashioned hubris.

You’re likely right, but as the politicians are dodging and weaving furiously, it seems they too lack the evidence to say ‘It’s all the fault of that terrible CEO who serially misled me, the rotter’.

Given that Cannan and, for example, Hooper, frequently demonstrate absolute confidence in their own ability to be correct about everything, if they were presented with evidence that a plan/policy wasn’t working, or wouldn’t work, would they actually listen?

I have no doubt that the runway could be extended into the sea. The issues would include the cost of the engineering required and any adverse environmental impact.

The very latest illustration (and there are many) that we shouldn’t ever be preoccupied by whether aliens might walk among us, but concerned by the volume of imbeciles who certainly do.

Not in the case of the former Chief Minister.

Well indeed so. I also can’t reconcile this oft repeated mantra that our politicians are in thrall to the civil service. Really? All of them? And how is that achieved? If it’s true then we must have the most lily-livered, shrinking violet set of politicians anywhere in the world. Don’t get me wrong; I can see how politicians could be manipulated. Take Crookall as an example - he’s simply thick; a 7 year old could out manoeuvre him. But the entire political community cowed, intimidated, and made to toe the line by the civil service? Nah.