Diary of a Nobody

[Kopek]

Under the new pay system, MHKs are all paid the same amount with the presumption that they will do Dept work. If they choose not to, they are being overpaid under the old system.

Other MHKs might argue that they manage to do both constituent and Dept work. Same wage as non dept workers!

An MHK should want to be involved in work of the Govt,  that will be the manifesto claim of their reason for standing.

[Kopek]

😋

Well he can't be sorting thru the old, donated Glasses!

He hasn't any Dept papers to read!!!

Edited January 13, 2022 by Kopek

[Gladys]

11 minutes ago, The Voice of Reason said:

I regularly see SP ( or did) sat on the bench forward of the tills in Victoria Road Shoprite near the entrance to the chemists.

Not sure why I felt the need to share that

Do you mean Stu Peters?  

My Tesco sighting of Vader was today, so bang up to date on sightings. 

[Roger Mexico]

3 hours ago, Lost Login said:

I have no idea what concerns that SP has been dealing with, but the impression has often been that those who spend a lot of time on constituents matters are often just dealing with local authority issues. Great that they care but if you want to deal with such matters go and become a commissioner not an MHK.

That may be true in the UK to some extent, but in reality most of the things that constituents would contact local councillors about there are covered by Tynwald on the Island.  Education, planning, social services and most housing issues (though this varies by LA) are all examples of things that are 'nationalised' here, but mostly LA matters there.  So in terms of constituency topics MHKs have more to deal with than an MP.   Obviously they also have many fewer constituents than MPs, so I would worry too much about the strain.

In fact dealing with constituents' problems should be an important part of an MHK's experience.  That's how they learn about how the laws and regulations they produce (or don't) actually operate in the real world.  About which bits of government work well and which don't and what services are needed and for whom.

[Stu Peters]

1 hour ago, The Voice of Reason said:

I regularly see SP ( or did) sat on the bench forward of the tills in Victoria Road Shoprite near the entrance to the chemists.

Not sure why I felt the need to share that

Not me, I don't think I've ever sat outside the tills at Shoprite. Ever. Maybe it was George Clooney.

Edited January 13, 2022 by Stu Peters
Added humour. Arf.

[asitis]

Whilst my views on some MHK's would get me banned on here, and would love to see some forensic independent probes into past goings on.  I have a very low opinion of the performance of administrations over the past 30 years, but I don't think we should abuse and thus discourage MHK's from engaging on this forum. Part of the problem is we have had arrogant administrations who really haven't given a toss what the public think, and have gloried on the VAT rebate and the good times. Now more realistic times have hit us, it would be useful if MHK's felt they could interact publicly without unnecessary attack, and may be a small part of letting the sun shine in on Manx politics! Keeping everything secret from the people who foot the bill is deeply ingrained in the islands political psyche, and engaging with the public may be a small step towards opening the curtains.

Just FWIW.

[Lost Login]

8 hours ago, Roger Mexico said:

In fact dealing with constituents' problems should be an important part of an MHK's experience.  That's how they learn about how the laws and regulations they produce (or don't) actually operate in the real world.  About which bits of government work well and which don't and what services are needed and for whom.

I am not saying dealing with constituents problems is not an important part of being an MHK but I have seen numerous comments and references over the years in respect of MHKs who many might refer to as "granny farmers" as spending their time dealing with matters which I would not expect an MHK to be dealing with. The commissioners have not mended the gate to my house quickly enough sort of think. I have friends and relatives who or who used to live in Douglas South and I used to find it embarrassing to hear what they got their MHK to sort for them.

[Lost Login]

20 minutes ago, asitis said:

 but I don't think we should abuse and thus discourage MHK's from engaging on this forum.

I totally agree but that should apply to any poster. 

Manx Forums though is very parochial though, or a certain number of posters are, and their are certain current or past MHKs would get abused no matter what they did whilst their are some who they almost think can do no wrong. The same decision or action by an MHK would get a completely different reaction from some posters just based on which MHK it was. SP is pretty much treated with kid gloves on here compared to the like of Quayle, Ashford, Callister whose mere mention seem to get some foaming at the mouth and yet none of those, as far as I am aware, are considered by many to be racist bigots.

I would suggest that one of the basic qualities required to be a politician is to have a slightly thicker skin and to be able to ignore or act with a bit of maturity when they read a post they dislike rather than react like a school kid and say my dads bigger than yours. For £67K a year + expenses, a salary far in excess of what many might be able to earn in the private sector, for doing basically very little if you want to I think getting a bit of criticism is priced in.  

[Lost Login]

10 hours ago, Barlow said:

The electorate decide. Peter Karran was seen as a sort of opposition in that he resisted becoming a Minister and often questioned what Government was doing. He was consistently voted top of the poll in Onchan and most times gained more votes than any other MHK on the Island.

I have often viewed PK as one of the poorest national politicians the IoM has had. Great if you wanted a the gate on your commissioners house re-painted but on a national scale he made an awful lot of noise whilst achieving not a lot and was a massive hypocrite. It was fine for him to move from a party to being an independent or vice versa without the need for him to stand down and face a bi election but not for anybody who left the LVP.

I think it was PK who described himself as the opposition and some of his allegations brought matters to light. If you buy enough tickets occasionally your number will come up. But the majority of time it was incessant that it became just background noise so that when he might actually have a decent point it was lost

[manxman1980]

Stu wasn't my choice for MHK and I certainly don't agree with many of his views, however, I would not criticise him for the video.

It does suggest that he is trying to be open and transparent and I would hope as he finds his feet we will hear more about his own thought processes on key matters. 

One of my concerns for Stu is his ability to self regulate what he posts on social media.   The below is a mild example but we know there have been others that courted controversy in the past and whilst some may say he is being honest there will be many others who will tire of it pretty quickly. 

The media the world over is already full of gobby, opiniated and sometimes very dishonest politicians (looking at Trump and Johnson in particular).  

21 hours ago, Stu Peters said:

You're a village idiot. But have a nice day as you jog on...

 

[The Voice of Reason]

11 hours ago, Gladys said:

Do you mean Stu Peters?  

My Tesco sighting of Vader was today, so bang up to date on sightings. 

Yes I meant Stu

[The Voice of Reason]

9 hours ago, Stu Peters said:

Not me, I don't think I've ever sat outside the tills at Shoprite. Ever. Maybe it was George Clooney.

Nope definitely you. Underneath or next to the notice board advertising various events and preowned furniture etc.

 

[2112]

One thing with Stu and in particular with his late night radio show, in his arguments, he tries to look at both side of the debate, rather than being one sided. He can play devils advocate and knows how to illicit participation in the debate. Perhaps if a came out with a controversial viewpoint it may add a broader or differing outcome, rather than the usual rubber stamping exercise. 

[paswt]

3 hours ago, Lost Login said:

I have often viewed PK as one of the poorest national politicians the IoM has had. Great if you wanted a the gate on your commissioners house re-painted but on a national scale he made an awful lot of noise whilst achieving not a lot and was a massive hypocrite. It was fine for him to move from a party to being an independent or vice versa without the need for him to stand down and face a bi election but not for anybody who left the LVP.

I think it was PK who described himself as the opposition and some of his allegations brought matters to light. If you buy enough tickets occasionally your number will come up. But the majority of time it was incessant that it became just background noise so that when he might actually have a decent point it was lost

I am obliged by your opinions, as far as I , and many other Onchan residents are concerned  Peter Karren was an excellent MHK .

He was clearly an honest man , had he not have been he would have been 'speared' by the establishment .

He was the only MHK who got back to me and I found him helpful .

I view you as one of the poorest  contributors to this site , hope this helps

 

Edited January 14, 2022 by paswt

[joebean]

4 minutes ago, paswt said:

I am obliged by your opinions, as far as I , and many other Onchan residents are concerned  Peter Karren was an excellent MHK .

He was clearly an honest man , had he not have been he would have been 'speared' by the establishment .

He was the only MHK who got back to me and I found him helpful .

I view you as one of the poorest  contributors to this site , hope this helps

 

I was wondering where and how you formed your opinion of PK’s worth and then it became apparent that you live on Onchan and voted for him. Yes, he hit some targets on occasion and yes, he had a shred of honesty about him and I can respect that. But he was a national politician and his net contribution to national politics was very small. His often incoherent approach and scattergun strategy really only amounted to token protest and noise over his many years in Tynwald. On top of that he created Lib Vannin; a wasted and pointless contribution to the cause of genuine party politics on the Isle of Man. If achievement is a measure of success in politics, he is found wanting.