Diary of a Nobody

[Mr. Sausages]

[Stu Peters]

Youse guys crack me up. It was something I promised on the doorstep, so I'm keeping those promises rather than try to win and entertain new friends.

The CLAJ Committee I'm on doesn't pay any extra, nor does the OFT gig - so I could happily be fired from either without having to cancel the caviar. Fact is, I want time to bed in and get my head around the completely different working environment to anything I've ever done before, and not worry about interference from CoMin if they don't like what I say.

Declan - motorbike, music and Jordan Peterson (et al) talks and lectures, climate change stuff and a bit of shuffle dancing.

I'm cheap - for the next one I'll vape a lot if someone will lend me a laser...

[James Blonde]

17 hours ago, Stu Peters said:

I want time to bed in and get my head around the completely different working environment to anything I've ever done before, and not worry about interference from CoMin if they don't like what I say.

That's disappointing to hear, Stu. 

 

I had hopes you may have been a bit of a disruptor and set the cat amongst the pigeons, but it sounds like you are looking to follow the old groove?

[Passing Time]

1 hour ago, James Blonde said:

That's disappointing to hear, Stu. 

 

I had hopes you may have been a bit of a disruptor and set the cat amongst the pigeons, but it sounds like you are looking to follow the old groove?

No point in disrupting for the sake of it. Far better to learn and go in armed. That way people will be wary of trying to bullshit you

What is it you do for a living then James?

[James Blonde]

36 minutes ago, Passing Time said:

No point in disrupting for the sake of it. Far better to learn and go in armed. That way people will be wary of trying to bullshit you

What is it you do for a living then James?

What I do is absolutely none of your business. 

[Passing Time]

25 minutes ago, James Blonde said:

What I do is absolutely nothing

there you go, fixed

[James Blonde]

1 minute ago, Passing Time said:

there you go, fixed

I would ask what you do as you clearly don't work in comedy.

But I don't really care. 

[Roger Mexico]

23 hours ago, slinkydevil said:

It wasn't bad. Needs more lasers and stuff though, maybe a smoke machine every now and again.

Don't encourage him.  Actually I thought that, given he's a long-standing professional broadcaster, he came across as slightly stiff in manner.  I suppose he was worried that if he was too chatty and informal, some constituents might be offended at him not behaving like a 'proper MHK'.  He also spent a lot of time justifying various decisions he supported (though some might say he had a lot to be defensive about) and "A big boy made me do it" never sounds great.

The newsreader-style 'screen over the right shoulder' effect provided some visual variety, though whenever it disappeared, the image slowly adjusted so he gradually swung back into the centre of the picture.  Which once you notice it is quite irritating.

What I really don't get is all this talk about needing time to learn the ropes and find out where the toilets are and so on.  I know Stu isn't the only one parroting this nonsense, but I you apply for a job, it's normally considered polite to have some sort of idea what it consists of.   It's not as if the mechanisms of how legislation is made are some deep, dark secrets only available to those who have been initiated into the 249th level of the Masons or whatever.  The Tynwald website has loads of information and all the documents are available to everyone.  But new MHKs seem to be expected to behave like it's their first day at nursery school.  It's a particularly odd position for someone who has covered Manx politics as a broadcaster for decades to take.

[Stu Peters]

Yes, I thought that too before I was elected. Do you know the difference between motions for positive, negative or no resolution? The purpose of laying items before the court? How the standing scrutiny and select committees work? The role of the various officers of Tynwald? How to frame questions and supplementaries to get the answer you need? Who best to go to if you have a constituent problem? The limitations imposed on you by standing orders (different rules for both chambers). I was not prepared for any of this procedural stuff as a broadcaster as you're only dealing with the output, and whilst everyone is most helpful, the last thing I want to do as a newbie is make an absolute dick of myself at the input stages. Added to that, I have no public sector experience at all, and things seem to be done very differently to the commercial world I've spent 50 years in.

The 'style' of the video is the same as I used for my election videos, which people said they liked. And it's a standard form of presentation that people are familiar with.

As for the justification, I think people deserve to know why I voted yes to something contentious they might think should have been a no. Not everyone will be interested, but nobody is being forced to watch it - and the feedback I've had so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Point taken about the pan - by the time I do the next one I'll have found out how to edit that move to make it smoother, and positioned a lamp so you can see my eyes. Difficult to do everything as a one-man studio crew. Every day a schoolday!

Edited January 12, 2022 by Stu Peters
Fat fingers

[Mr. Sausages]

Don’t worry about all that shit stu. the people of middle are sick of experts. That’s why they voted for you. 

[snowman]

Perfectly illustrates why the island needs party politics.

 

8 minute video of "I think" or "I" did this or that.

 

[Stu Peters]

14 minutes ago, snowman said:

Perfectly illustrates why the island needs party politics.

 

8 minute video of "I think" or "I" did this or that.

 

You do understand what 'independent' means, don't you? Would you really prefer the cat fight that is PMQs?

[manxman1980]

38 minutes ago, Stu Peters said:

You do understand what 'independent' means, don't you? Would you really prefer the cat fight that is PMQs?

I think there are pro's and con's to both approaches.  The Island would potentially be a better environment for Political Parties due to our voting system being closer to proportional representation than the UK.  The UK's first pace the post system results in tactical voting and will always result in two major parties with the others effectively shut out.

If a Political Party obtained a majority on the Isle of Man at least it would be a clear mandate for a specific set of policies rather than the collection of individuals all with different manifestos and pledges made to the electorate which then makes getting changes through Tynwald much more difficult.  This, of course, also means that changes should also be subjected to more scrutiny rather than just pushed through by a party majority.

[Declan]

8 hours ago, Stu Peters said:

You do understand what 'independent' means, don't you? 

Historically, it means “member of the COMIN Party”.

[manxman34]

On 1/12/2022 at 12:06 AM, Stu Peters said:

Yes, I thought that too before I was elected. Do you know the difference between motions for positive, negative or no resolution? The purpose of laying items before the court? How the standing scrutiny and select committees work? The role of the various officers of Tynwald? How to frame questions and supplementaries to get the answer you need? Who best to go to if you have a constituent problem? The limitations imposed on you by standing orders (different rules for both chambers). I was not prepared for any of this procedural stuff as a broadcaster as you're only dealing with the output, and whilst everyone is most helpful, the last thing I want to do as a newbie is make an absolute dick of myself at the input stages. Added to that, I have no public sector experience at all, and things seem to be done very differently to the commercial world I've spent 50 years in.

The 'style' of the video is the same as I used for my election videos, which people said they liked. And it's a standard form of presentation that people are familiar with.

As for the justification, I think people deserve to know why I voted yes to something contentious they might think should have been a no. Not everyone will be interested, but nobody is being forced to watch it - and the feedback I've had so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Point taken about the pan - by the time I do the next one I'll have found out how to edit that move to make it smoother, and positioned a lamp so you can see my eyes. Difficult to do everything as a one-man studio crew. Every day a schoolday!

So you did not do your research, and did not know how to do something as basic as follow up on a constituent's concerns? What sloppy standards there must be in your super-efficient commercial world!