General Thread for the election (old Electioneering starting early thread from Local News)

[Non-Believer]

Would HQ be able to handle the onerous worldly travel duties, endowing Banana Republics with democracy?

[Apple]

1 hour ago, Uhtred said:

Bear in mind that we don’t know for certain (unless I’ve missed it) whether Rodan is relinquishing President, or will choose to stand again.

 

26 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said:

Given that the main skills required as President are being able to read things out coherently and to have an idea of what is going on around you, Quayle in the post would certainly be interesting.

Being benevolent would it be a requirement for these posts that people can actually give the impression they are still awake ?

There is little point in setting people up to fail. Its not clever and it's not funny.......

[Barlow]

14 hours ago, Polly Quirk said:

Maybe it was a fella in the pub told me....seems a long time ago now

Pub dweller fellas haves discovered carryouts and computers, and social media.

[Peter Layman]

5 minutes ago, Barlow said:

Pub dweller fellas haves discovered carryouts and computers, and social media.

In English

[Barlow]

The fella down the pub is right here, right now. Now.

[SleepyJoe]

2 hours ago, Uhtred said:

And if the Caledonian waffler and harrrumpher stands down, Howie boy may fancy the wig and money for nothing and air miles for free lifestyle. So too of course would lightweight non-achiever Skelly and CoMin-baiter Watterson.

I'd like to see Jane Poole-Wilson nominated for the role of President of Tynwald

 

[Andy Onchan]

3 hours ago, Roger Mexico said:

’I think you do need an experienced presiding officer in that role [President of Tynwald] because that is the glue that holds the machine together.[...]

Love the mixed metaphors! 

[Andy Onchan]

1 hour ago, SleepyJoe said:

I'd like to see Jane Poole-Wilson nominated for the role of President of Tynwald

 

Would be a waste of talent if she does. Far better in LEGCO keeping an eye on the legislation passing through the plebs hands in The Keys. And also the Tynwald executive as well.

[Roger Mexico]

16 minutes ago, Andy Onchan said:

Love the mixed metaphors! 

I don't know.  Some might feel a machine filled with glue is a pretty accurate metaphor for Tynwald.

What has surprised me about Watterson recently is that he has been willing on quite a few occasions to annoy CoMin by releasing 'private' information.  Given that he needs votes, you would have thought it wiser to keep his head down.  Presumably he thinks he has enough votes from the rest of the Keys and LegCo to get in anyway.

20 minutes ago, Andy Onchan said:

Would be a waste of talent if she does. Far better in LEGCO keeping an eye on the legislation passing through the plebs hands in The Keys. And also the Tynwald executive as well.

But the President is also the Chair of LegCo and so fully able to keep an eye on legislation that way - probably much better than an ordinary member would.  Poole-Wilson always strikes me as more a behind-the-scenes person anyway so she could well use her position to fix legal things even before public discussion.

To be honest Poole-Wilson is the only plausible alternative to Watterson, though it wouldn't surprise me for some CoMin bumbler (Skelly, Harmer?) to see it as a way of avoiding the electorate or to have another five years on the gravy train.

If Watterson is elected it will be interesting to see who gets elected as Speaker - though first they have to get re-elected to the Keys of course.

[Declan]

It's not appropriate for anyone to move from the role of head of government to Parliamentary presiding officer. It would be like Captaining Man U vs Liverpool at Old Trafford and refereeing the Second Leg at Anfield.

Edited March 29, 2021 by Declan

[Apple]

27 minutes ago, Declan said:

It would be like Captaining Man U vs Liverpool at Old Trafford and refereeing the Second Leg at Anfield.

...ah, the Ferguson days. 

[SleepyJoe]

31 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said:

I don't know.  Some might feel a machine filled with glue is a pretty accurate metaphor for Tynwald.

What has surprised me about Watterson recently is that he has been willing on quite a few occasions to annoy CoMin by releasing 'private' information.  Given that he needs votes, you would have thought it wiser to keep his head down.  Presumably he thinks he has enough votes from the rest of the Keys and LegCo to get in anyway.

But the President is also the Chair of LegCo and so fully able to keep an eye on legislation that way - probably much better than an ordinary member would.  Poole-Wilson always strikes me as more a behind-the-scenes person anyway so she could well use her position to fix legal things even before public discussion.

To be honest Poole-Wilson is the only plausible alternative to Watterson, though it wouldn't surprise me for some CoMin bumbler (Skelly, Harmer?) to see it as a way of avoiding the electorate or to have another five years on the gravy train.

If Watterson is elected it will be interesting to see who gets elected as Speaker - though first they have to get re-elected to the Keys of course.

I'd quite like to see Clare Barber as Speaker

But Jason Moorhouse would look rather splendid in the Speaker's robes 😃

[Uhtred]

16 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said:

I don't know.  Some might feel a machine filled with glue is a pretty accurate metaphor for Tynwald.

What has surprised me about Watterson recently is that he has been willing on quite a few occasions to annoy CoMin by releasing 'private' information.  Given that he needs votes, you would have thought it wiser to keep his head down.  Presumably he thinks he has enough votes from the rest of the Keys and LegCo to get in anyway.

But the President is also the Chair of LegCo and so fully able to keep an eye on legislation that way - probably much better than an ordinary member would.  Poole-Wilson always strikes me as more a behind-the-scenes person anyway so she could well use her position to fix legal things even before public discussion.

To be honest Poole-Wilson is the only plausible alternative to Watterson, though it wouldn't surprise me for some CoMin bumbler (Skelly, Harmer?) to see it as a way of avoiding the electorate or to have another five years on the gravy train.

If Watterson is elected it will be interesting to see who gets elected as Speaker - though first they have to get re-elected to the Keys of course.

Good point Roger about Watterson’s repeated nose-tweaking of CoMin and the likelihood they’d take great pleasure in not voting for him as Pres, a subject of discussion between myself and a friend only yesterday. As you say, he must be confident he doesn’t need them as he’s made quite a habit lately of indulging what seems to be an almost deliberate campaign of pissing CoMin off.

I fear that there certainly will be a CoMin bumbler candidate for President, most likely Skelly.

Incidentally, another element of my local politics chat with my friend yesterday saw her predict the demise in September, via one method or another, of several current CoMin members. She predicted electoral failure for Harmer and Skelly, retirement for Quayle, and that Cannan, as the new CM, wouldn’t find a place for Cregeen (but sadly would for Baker) and would of course have to replace himself as Treasury Minister, thus leading to four new Ministers. She also considered that a strong candidate out west would empty Boot as well, but that there’s no evidence of anyone with the clout to do it. (Believing that despite a head full of sawdust, Crookall will dump Harmer). The current CoMin has to be the weakest ever, so a very substantial shake up would be a good thing. She also reminded me, out of interest, that the 12 new Members elected 5 years ago wasn’t the biggest Keys shakeup in living memory - apparently there were 13 new MHKs elected in 1976.

[SleepyJoe]

Could Mr Cannan become CM when he is outsourcing future planning for the economy when Tynwald has already outsourced planning for the #NetZero economy to Professor Curran, & accepted his recommendations in their entirety?

Is he able to explain to the electorate why CoMinDara will not commit to the higher ambition pathway to #NetZero as recommended by the worthy Prof & which the majority of us want?

[SleepyJoe]

"She also considered that a strong candidate out west would empty Boot as well"

Boot has the rural expat vote which is quite sizeable in the west - it would indeed take a strong (& likeable) candidate indeed to unseat him