Fantasy CoMin Pick

[Will Halsall]

2 hours ago, WTF said:

 getting your kids on the gravy train isn't random. 

…..and mates, and partners etc.

 

[Roger Mexico]

57 minutes ago, 747-400 said:

I thought we had MLCs to scrutinise. 

We need MHKs that are willing to step up and lead. I trust any newly elected MHK did not deceive their voters 

As I keep on pointing out this myth that LegCo is mainly supposed to scrutinise is a complete myth, less than ten years old.  It was usually LegCo members who were more important as Departmental Members, the idea was that they were the more experienced members of Tynwald  and could give the benefits of their wisdom as Ministers or Members.  They also were in charge of Bills going through LegCo - that only seems to have been replaced by the AG doing it in a lot of cases.

Outside people being elected directly onto LegCo  only started quite recently.  The first who had never been a previous member of Tynwald was Dudley Butt in 2005 and that was only because they were trying to get rid of Dominic Delaney.

[SleepyJoe]

4 hours ago, Ham_N_Eggs said:

There have been too many people on Departments in the Keys and it actually leads to a lack of governance. Keys Members were only recruited into Departments to ensure they get their vote and as a reward they were paid extra. There is now no extra cash for being a Departmental member.  This means they can actually do the job we pay the bulk of their wages for: improving legislation; holding the government / civil service to account; and representing their constituents. It's a good thing. 

I've got Joney Faragher down for Official Leader of the Opposition, as you might expect  . . . .  

[Barlow]

Hah hah! They got rid of Dominic Delaney and also Ray Kniveton retired.

So they replaced them with Dudley Butt and Alex Downie. And the jobless Dominic . . .  stood for Alex Downie's vacant MHK seat and won!

There had been previous attempts to drag some 'street urchins' onto Legislative Council but they failed, some quite miserably. Dudley Butt was a good example of 'off the street' MLC, unfortunately he was more-or-less a one off, although I have to say that Jane Poole-Wilson stepped up to the mantel. Most others have been disappointingly a bit shit.

LegCo needs to be rebuilt and its roles and powers defined. Perhaps more a scrutinising opposition, but there is no incentive for them to do that. They just cosy in with the Government so much of the time.

[SleepyJoe]

14 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said:

As I keep on pointing out this myth that LegCo is mainly supposed to scrutinise is a complete myth, less than ten years old.  It was usually LegCo members who were more important as Departmental Members, the idea was that they were the more experienced members of Tynwald  and could give the benefits of their wisdom as Ministers or Members.  They also were in charge of Bills going through LegCo - that only seems to have been replaced by the AG doing it in a lot of cases.

Outside people being elected directly onto LegCo  only started quite recently.  The first who had never been a previous member of Tynwald was Dudley Butt in 2005 and that was only because they were trying to get rid of Dominic Delaney.

I hope KLB, JPW & perhaps Mr Crookall will lead on ensuring MLCs are prevented from joining government from now on

[Barlow]

2 minutes ago, SleepyJoe said:

I've got Joney Faragher down for Official Leader of the Opposition, as you might expect  . . . .  

And there is nothing wrong with that.

Every good government, every good democracy needs a capable opposition. Oh, and ipso dipso, Westminster has a pretty shit, weak, lack lustre opposition just now.

Edited October 4, 2021 by Barlow

[SleepyJoe]

Westminster has a pretty shit, weak, lack lustre Leader of the Opposition just now.

[quilp]

1 minute ago, SleepyJoe said:

I've got Joney Faragher down for Official Leader of the Opposition, as you might expect  . . . .  

JF would be a good choice, a very switched-on person but it's hard to see how an opposition party might present itself and how influential it might become. JF and CB should be a strong team in the house, is there a need for an official 'opposition'? 

[SleepyJoe]

Well, certainly if Cannan get's the top job - he'll be an appointed threat to low income families IMHO

I know little about Dr Allinson, apart from the fact that he is a doctor

He did attend an MLP meeting once

[SleepyJoe]

I've got CB down as Deputy Speaker in my fantasy House of Keys

[Will Halsall]

3 minutes ago, SleepyJoe said:

I hope KLB, JPW & perhaps Mr Crookall will lead on ensuring MLCs are prevented from joining government from now on

SJ, Crookall should never have been an MLC anyway; his appointment was a classic case of the network looking after their mates. How in 2015 Crookall appeared more suitable than the distinguished High Bailiff Michael Moyle for this position is a joke. On evidence so far, I can’t see this gravy trainer rocking any boat at all.

https://www.tynwald.org.im/business/hansard/20002020/k150622.pdf

[Andy Onchan]

3 minutes ago, Will Halsall said:

SJ, Crookall should never have been an MLC anyway; his appointment was a classic case of the network looking after their mates. How in 2015 Crookall appeared more suitable than the distinguished High Bailiff Michael Moyle for this position is a joke. On evidence so far, I can’t see this gravy trainer rocking any boat at all.

https://www.tynwald.org.im/business/hansard/20002020/k150622.pdf

Indeed. Ranks alongside the election of HQ as CM.

[Barlow]

15 minutes ago, quilp said:

JF would be a good choice, a very switched-on person but it's hard to see how an opposition party might present itself and how influential it might become. JF and CB should be a strong team in the house, is there a need for an official 'opposition'? 

I suppose 'Opposition' is not the right term. But the Quayle way of doing things whereby it was a case of ' let's all be friends, even if I have to pay you more money ' has to stop.

MHKs need to represent their constituents and do what is right for IoM as a whole. And that is where the Legislative Council, who don't have constituents, should come in. 

This will only all sort itself out  when they Isle of Man is totally skint so don't expect much to happen for a few years yet, by which time the protagonists will be off into the sunset, or dead.

[James Blonde]

13 minutes ago, Will Halsall said:

SJ, Crookall should never have been an MLC anyway; his appointment was a classic case of the network looking after their mates. How in 2015 Crookall appeared more suitable than the distinguished High Bailiff Michael Moyle for this position is a joke. On evidence so far, I can’t see this gravy trainer rocking any boat at all.

https://www.tynwald.org.im/business/hansard/20002020/k150622.pdf

 

9 minutes ago, Andy Onchan said:

Indeed. Ranks alongside the election of HQ as CM.

Was Tynwald on ket between 2015 and 2016?

[Lost Login]

47 minutes ago, Barlow said:

And there is nothing wrong with that.

Every good government, every good democracy needs a capable opposition. Oh, and ipso dipso, Westminster has a pretty shit, weak, lack lustre opposition just now.

Apologies I wrote and sent this before I read your later post saying that "opposition" was not really the correct description.

 

But we do not have party politics where parties stood on opposite platforms with one party receiving the mandate to govern on the policies in its manifesto and the other parties a smaller mandate to effectively oppose based on the alternative policies it put out is the manifesto.

We have 24 MHKs and they should be trying to work together for the good of the IoM. Where they see good policies they should support and where they see bad policy they should be against.  All legislation they should review and comment on if they can make suggestions to improve etc.

The idea of an opposition is that they vote against the Government almost by default and oppose virtually anything that the Government put forward. That is not how Tynwald is structured and I can see no basis that any MHK could have stood on a policy of opposing the Government as at the point of the election they had no idea who would be the CM, in the Government or what their policies will be. You look pretty stupid if you stand on the basis that you are going to oppose the Government and then the Government is one whose policies etc you are in favour of.

Edited October 4, 2021 by Lost Login