The Free Manx Paper Earroo / Issue 41 - Jerrey Souree / July 2008 Published by Roland Paul Drower 12-10-53 to 12-05-08 Roly Drower died suddenly from a heart attack in May.

He first contacted Mec Vannin in 1996, offering space on his newly created "Manx Megalinks" internet site. His idea was simple and sound; to create both a "portal" and hosting facility for Manx organisations of all persuasions and for Manx poets, artists and musicians.

This was when the internet was just coming to general public attention and a lot of people just didn't grasp the potential usefulness of the internet as a means of international communication and information exchange. Hence, many people let this excellent opportunity slide past them and the concept of a central portal to "all things Manx" and a central hosting resource was almost lost. Roly and Partner, Anne, December 2007

Mec Vannin, however, instantly a healthy disdain for the corrupt were not necessarily discomforted by recognised the worth of the facility and establishment in all countries. That Roly's dealings with all. continued to host its pages on the corrupt establishment seemed, in Manxman domain up until its closure Roly's eyes, to have been fermented But what brought Roly, born, raised and in August 2007. By this time, Mec and distilled into a particularly rotten educated in southern England, worked in Vannin had seemlessly transferred to brew in the . the USA, to the Isle of Man, to a place a stand-alone domain. Whereas other which seemed to epitomise the organisations have stumbled from Nonetheless, he was not a cynic by clostrophobic, incestuous machinery of domain to domain and are frequently default and, at times, displayed a state that he so opposed? beset by fragmented, out of date refreshing (some might say naive) pages, dead-ends and well-intentioned belief in the ultimate triumph of truth Roly's mother, Angela, is Manx and when but misguided piecemeal sites, Mec and honesty over lies and deceit. He his father Denys retired in the early Vannin's web presence has been was certainly no fool, and his deep 1980s, they decided to come to Angela's consistant since Roly's first intelligence was easy to perceive country of birth. Roly came to visit in involvement. His advice and tutoring without him ever talking down to 1984, having given up the day job as a were invaluable in maintaining our people in any way. Few, without rocket scientist, and stayed. The Island internet integrity. being told, would have suspected was very different back then. We were him of formerly having worked for rising out of the recession made so acute But who was Roly? What was his NASA until quitting for ethical by our over-dependence upon what was intent? It didn't take long to establish reasons. already a fast shrinking industry; English that his objectives with the Megalinks / mass tourism. It was actually a nice place Manxman pages were altruistic, or The thing is, it is impossible to pin to be. Though the government of the day Mec Vannin would likely have kept down Roly's character. Nearly was hardly one to hold in high esteem, it away. He was outwardly non-partisan everyone who knew him, knew him had not yet collapsed into the culture of although he had is own political in a slightly different light: Poet, unbridled arrogance bolsterd with an standpoint that could not be pigeon- musician, humourist, computer impenetrable denial response that is the holed into simplistic left / right , expert, political thinker, motorcyclist, ministerial system of government we communist / socialist / capitalist terms. socialiser, organiser, friend, partner have today. Nor was it the undisguised That he was a founding member of the .... This is where his non-partisan hand-maiden of the international finance Isle of Man Freethinkers is a reflection nature allowed him to deal with sector. Like the rest of us, he watched it of this. He was not overtly radical but individuals and groupings who may was definitely non conformist and had have had little time for each other but Continued on page 2 yn pabyr seyr Issue 41, July 2008 Page 2 In memory of Roly Drower

From page one site but that is very far from the case. court. Only then did a further two There have been several abortive all go so horribly wrong. years' of legal background arguments attempts to create on-line competition to take place with Roly's defence finally the Isle of Man Newspapers' monopoly. One of Roly's main lines of attack was being torpedoed on a technicality. He The "Isle of Man Eye", the "Ballaugh an incredibly incisive humour reinforced never had a chance to demonstrate Jester" and the "Black Dog" sites come with a great command of language. His the veracity of statements alleged by to mind. There may have been others, humour was not the bitter sarcasm of Gubay to be libellous in open Court. we don't know, which proves the point. many anti-establishment humourists, The most amazing thing is that Only Roly's Manxman pages were able but a gentle, almost polite, smack throughout the entire ordeal, Roly to grip the public imagination sufficiently across the face of the subject. In simple never expressed any feelings of to generate widespread interest in an parlance, Roly took the piss but he took malice towards Albert Gubay or his internet based publication. Both it so very well. cohorts. Pity perhaps, but not malice. government and Isle of Man Newspapers were seething at the thought that their Recognising that the newspaper In the wake of the legal case, the stranglehold on public information was monopoly created by Isle of Man wounded establishment and its lackies slipping. Questions were asked in Newspapers' acquistion of the "Manx gloated and sighed relief. , had his own list Independent" was a gift for a Understandably, after three years of of suspects and Isle of Man Newspapers government that was openly incapable extreme stress, Roly was under spouted self-indignant aspertions against of dealing with any objective scrutiny or obligation to his family to curtail his a publication that laid bare the criticism, Roly decided that a activities. That doesn't mean he was monopoly's short-comings. humourous exposé publication was the finished with exposing corruption, but best means of creating a a new direction was necessary. For While those who had most to fear from counterbalance. In talks with the one thing, Roly had no assets and the Black Pages barked and snarled up committee of Mec Vannin, he realised very little income which can make life the wrong trees, Roly kept chipping away that a hard-copy publication like "Yn beyond simple survival pretty tough. at loose rendering that lay over the Pabyr Seyr" would not be practicable. It That, in itself, did not unduly worry corruption in the Island. Only the Black would be too costly, distribution would Roly as he was completely non- Pages carried any actual reports from be difficult and slow, and so the impact materialistic. He was looking forward the Mount Murray corruption inquiry. and penetration would be limited. to spending quality time with his family Reliable contributions to a physical and friends. The greatest triumph, perhaps, was the address would be too open to exposure of the fraudulent grant interception and, as was proven by the As is ever the case, most people in the application by Richard Corkill's wife, Manx police force's totally unfounded Isle of Man simply don't have the first Julie. The familiar tactics of blunt denial, raid on Roger Watterson's printing idea of how much Roly did for them. secrecy and political pressure on the works in the 1970s, daring to advertise There are even some individuals who, police all failed to stop a rolling stone. yourself as an anti-establishment in total ignorance of the full story, Like King Cnut trying to command the publisher would be like advertising a believe that he must have done tide to halt, Richard Corkill clung to democracy rally in Zimbabwe. something wrong to have been subject power in Mugabe-esque fashion until he to the treatment he was. It's so typical could cling no more. Even when he The internet was identified as the best and comparisons to Illiam Dhone are eventually let go, his fingernails issued a vehicle; Roly had the skills and inescapable. teeth-jarring squeal all the way down to resources to maintain a set of "live" the next election. pages. He had the talent to write Roly had no belief in any life beyond eloquently and humorously without this one. He understood that a Even given the same raw information losing the impact of the true message person's worth is the sum of their sources as Roly, it is unlikely that anyone within. He could drop bombs wrapped actions between birth and death. else could have presented it in such an in cotton-wool. The Manxman Black There was no afterlife waiting for him, imaginative and digestible form. That is pages, as they became known, were good or bad, and the non-religious an important fact to remember. Roly the delivery vehicle. Hosted outside the funeral service for him, packed with didn't write the news on Manxman, he Island, they were less susceptible to the family, friends and supporters, was presented it in his own unique fashion. interference that would be certain to touching and personal. Contrast this accompany a site hosted in the Island with spectacle of an embittered old It was inevitable that there would be and / or using an "im" domain. He man, dying with a fortune but without repercussions. Roly's pages had upset established a network of contributors friends, just hangers-on hoping for a too many people with power and with too and, as was so totally necessary given slice of a cake somewhat diminished much to lose. The story of Roly's legal the justified fear of repercussions for by understandable but, nonetheless, battle with Albert Gubay, a central figure those who supplied information, unpersuasive attempts at buying in the Mount Murray debacle, quite provided means for anonymous favourable obituaries and a Gold literally requires a book and, hopefully, contributions. That did not mean Roly Member pass to some perceived that book will one day be written. Roly published recklessly. He always tried to afterlife. Roly got it right. was subject to an internationally record verify information supplied and never breaking (9 month) legal gag via what is hesitated to correct items if To say, "Thanks Roly," would be a known as an Anton Piller Order (correct subsequently shown to be inaccurate. paradox because Roly, the man, has spelling), only finally dropped when gone, but we must be grateful for Roly's refusal to disclose his sources It may sound like anyone with internet Roly's work and his memory will live resulted in an open trial for contempt of skills could go out and set up such a on. END yn pabyr seyr Issue 41, July 2008 Page 3

As a tribute to Roly, it has been decided to reproduce some of his material previously published as original material in Yn Pabyr Seyr. First, there is his highly acclaimed "Illiam Dhone Day" oration, since described by President, Bernard Moffatt as, "one of the finest commentaries made there on current Manx political life." Then, one of his fine satires called "The Consultants", first published in YPS January 2001 followed by a piece under the pseudonym "Manx Rabbit" published in YPS January 2003 Illiam Dhone Day Commemoration 2nd January 2005 English Oration by Roly Drower In 2005, Jersey will begin the process of departments, and a substantial is done in the Council of Ministers, not of introducing a ministerial system of amount more if they are ministers. in the parliament, and given that many government to its people. Their current Although collective responsibility is not subjects worthy of a full debate in the system will be replaced by a chief itself enforced, the financial rewards House are hurriedly chaperoned minister and up to ten ministers. In this for keeping to the ministerial line are through the Keys with the block vote, respect they will be following the Isle of very large - as are the penalties for the hansard has effectively been taken Man, which has had ministerial speaking out of turn. As was out of the public domain and made government since 1986. demonstrated in the last Gelling inaccessible to the electorate. Government, breaking ranks can get Don't do it Jersey! At least - don't follow you sacked. All this from a government that claims our model. The Manx ministerial system to be committed to transparency. has been, in my view, very damaging to Take these three problems alone and democracy. you have an amorphous organism at Secrecy has isolated government so the heart of government that has far from the people that very few of us Why? Because the Council of Ministers practically ensured that it does not actually know what the policies of our has become more powerful than the have an opposition. Is that the sort of government actually are. They publish parliament that should control it. government the people of Jersey are a Government Plan. But this is not a looking for? manifesto so much as a list of lame Firstly, there is the problem of the mantras about the aims and purpose ministerial block vote. Ten ministers are In the November issue of a Jersey of government. simply too much for a small elected newsletter entitled "We want our assembly. We have nine, plus the Chief Island Back", I found the following: For instance: Minister, which, until Mr Corkill resigned, amounted to 40% of any vote in the "The Island [Jersey] is ready for party "To pursue manageable and . politics. Let's go ahead now! Having sustainable growth based on a one party is downright dangerous, diversified economy." We also have a large number of don't you think? . . . We believe members of departments, who can be Jersey needs the safeguard of a Or seen as deputy ministers. Precisely why political system that encourages real we need so many members of Tynwald democracy. Having a party in power "To progress the social well-being of tied up doing work that ministers and and an opposition party is the tried the people of the Island." their civil servants should be doing and tested method favoured by many defeats me. democracies around the world." It is difficult to extract information from a set of policies that have been But all of them, as members of the We do not have an opposition on the distilled from rain-water. They tell you Government, are expected to respect Isle of Man because any attempt at nothing about what is going to happen the ministerial consensus, and to forming a coherent party system next. observe collective responsibility. The usually fizzles out. This is because, if footprint in an electoral assembly of this any members of a potential opposition But, fluffed up with this vapour of good mass of nodding dogs almost are elected, they are soon sweetened intention, the Government becomes guarantees that the "ayes" have it in any with government jobs. What little assured, arrogant and so disconnected vote. outspoken, and out-of-pocket, from its electorate that ministers opposition then remains, is shouted appear to run amok, spending millions Next, there is the manner in which down as narrow-minded, counter- of pounds of taxpayers money on ministers are appointed. The Chief productive, or even subversive. glamorous projects for which they have Minister is not elected with a national no mandate whatsoever from the manifesto by the people, but by the very These are not my only complaints electorate. Half of the glamorous parliament in which the consensus about ministerial government. projects turn out to be white elephants, mentality lives and breathes. When the and all of them turn out to have cost Chief is elected, it is he or she that How, for example, do we find out what twice if not three times the norm. selects the Council of Ministers, who decisions are actually being made by then go on to choose their members. our Council of Ministers? It holds its In a recent issue of the South Douglas This is a recipe for cronyism. meetings in closed session without Community Newsletter, publishing an agenda, even to MHKs, said of recent events: Then there is the manner in which and without making a copy of their members of the Government are minutes available to the public. "Arrogance, egos and lack of rewarded. Parliamentarians receive more on their salary if they are members Given that all the real decision making Continued on Page 4 yn pabyr seyr Issue 41, July 2008 Page 4 Illiam Dhone Commemoration 2005 English Oration (continued) transparency have no place in a modern public for comment in 2001, I wrote to 12 years a 'strategy' at all - is democracy." DoLGE protesting about the way it subservient to the principal motive of gaily used the word 'development'. 'development', rather than the So it is official, is it David? We can tell reverse. Would a 'Conservation Plan' Jersey to add arrogance to the list of Why are words important? Because not have been more appropriate. problems that ministerial government will 'development' is like the word 'growth'. bring with it? Our politicians have allowed it to Two differences between the 2001 become central to the very language of version and the 2004 versions of the The Tourism Minister is referring, perhaps, planning. The word means (according Strategic Plan give the game away. to a Chief Minister who, in the midst of a to my dictionary) the process of making blast of serious allegations, arrogantly something fuller, or larger. It is about In the new version, the word refused to step down again and again until, increase. It is not about constancy, or 'sustainable' has been sprinkled in finally, his arrest was so internationally stasis, or even remotely restraint. like fairy-dust to give us the nice buzz conspicuous that it brings with it the Irish phrase 'Sustainable development'. and UK press. When you read the Strategic Plan on They even use it in the title, 'Towards one hand, and see the vast spending a Sustainable Island'. Or perhaps he is referring to a Treasury on infrastructure on the other; when Minister who, having been found to have you see ministers overturning the I would argue again that knowingly misled his own parliament and decisions of planning committees and 'development' is no more sustainable his own people by both a Commission of independent inspectors to give than 'growth'. Inquiry and a Standards Committee, planning permission to companies that refuses point blank to resign. Well, the blatantly profiteer; then it is very hard to But listen to this: In the 2001 Manx people are all sick of your protests, believe that there is not some hidden Strategic Plan the number of new Mr Bell. Just go! intention within government to smooth dwellings proposed was 3500 in ten the way for a substantial increase in years, or 350 per year. In the new Let me remind you of one of those core population. Draft Strategic Plan, it is 5400 in 12 aims of government again. years, or 450 per year. The mindset of those behind planning "To pursue manageable and sustainable in this regard was revealed with brutal I'll run it past you again, in case you growth based on a diversified economy." clarity in 2002 when the former Director missed it. One: They add the word of Planning, Barry Vannan defended 'sustainable?. Two: They increase the Our politicians - shopkeepers for the most his support for residential development rate increase by almost 30%. part - have been using the word 'growth' for at Mount Murray on the radio. He years without once demonstrating that they explained, and I quote: Now that is what I call spin. know what the word means. Now they have magically added the word "..Malta, that's half the size of the Isle It is a source of endless despair to 'sustainable' to it. of Man and has a population me that politicians charged with somewhere about 400,000 .. the planning for the future seem to be Sustainable growth? In what? In the wealth Channel Islands, there's a population unable to see beyond their own brief of the existing population? In the of something like 150,000, 160,000 lifetimes. They handle the future the population itself? people in something like a quarter of same way a dysfunctional parent the land mass .." handles a credit card. They live for Well, sorry to break up the meeting guys, the moment, cashing in the pension, but 'growth'is not 'sustainable'. By extension then, according to a once heaping hire-purchase agreements respected senior planning official, the on their grand-children, content to I spent hours at university sweating over Isle of Man can comfortably extend the patio onto the vegetable the equations of growth. They occur in accommodate over half a million garden, and then describe that as problems ranging from the exponential people. Well, yes! - if you want it to end 'sustainable growth'. increase of populations to the runaway up looking like part of Middlesex. fission in a nuclear bomb. They do not, in So that is my take on Ministerial my mind, characterise stability. They do, Anyway. I was not even graced with an Government: Spin, arrogance, however, characterise our management of acknowledgement for my letter in 2001. secrecy, a system of block vote, resources on the planet as a whole - a And, sure enough, in the 2004 version cronyism and consensus by reward. massive burn out, then nothing left. of the Strategic Plan the word The very opposite of democracy. 'development' is everywhere. It falls off What message will this give our The only growth that is sustainable is zero the pages. friends in Jersey? growth. Period. According to DoLGE it is required by But I will end on this one positive I mention growth because it leads us quite statute to maintain a 'Development thought. If democracy is easy to nicely to another ailment in our system of Plan', and the Strategic Plan forms part break, it is probably quite easy to fix government. Spin. of this Development Plan. A strange as well. hierarchy because this means that Let's take the Isle of Man Strategic Plan. planning strategy - if we can call RP DROWER When this document was presented to the something that only plans for the next yn pabyr seyr Issue 41, July 2008 Page 5 The Consultants by Roly Drower, first published in Yn Pabyr Seyr January 2001

And God opened his window, and 'Who let him out of bed?' imaginations, then phoned up the reached out and pointed down with a Chief Minister's Office. single, wrinkled finger. But nobody knew. 'We have finished our report.' And a thunderbolt fell to the earth and hit And the consultants asked the Chief Minister on the forehead just as 'I'm sorry but there's no one here at he was about to say something. 'What do you want us to do?' the moment. Can I take a message?' And suddenly the Chief Minister was a And they were given several reams changed man. of paper and told: They phoned up The Department of Local Government. And the Speaker of Tynwald looked up 'We want you to write a report.' from his lingerie catalogue and said: 'Yes, 'What do you want in the report?' 'We have finished our report.' Mr Gelling.' 'Well, start with your credentials and then itemize your expenses so far.' 'I'm sorry but the Minister is in a And the Chief Minister said: 'I would like meeting.' to say, Mr Speaker, that, by the end of this 'Do you not want us to suggest a site decade we shall put a Manxman on the for the launching pad?' They phoned up Port St Mary Moon.' Harbour Master's office. And the MLC‘s looked hurriedly at the And everyone was amazed. civil service. 'I'm sorry but Mr Madrell‘s laying pots.' And the Isle of Man Examiner had the And the senior civil servants said 'Don't headline: worry about that bit.' and then quietly And so the Consultants submitted Manxman to be put on moon. drew straws. their four inch thick report as directed by the bylaw enforcement And the Manx Independent had the And after much deliberation, they said officer to the recycling bins outside headline: 'We have chosen Braddan for the B and Q, and then posted their bill Man found pissing in sink. project, which will be code-named "Up to the treasury. Yours Buster" And the Courier had the headline And the treasury passed the bill to Obviously, in order to accommodate the Chief Minister. Shoprite prices lower than ever. the vast workforce necessary to complete this prestigious project, we And the Chief Minister passed it And God fiddled with the catch on another will also need to build 5000 first time back to the treasury and said: window. buyer homesand to widen a few roads.' 'Because of gross overspending in And Gabriel said: 'Who let him out of And the road widening began the consultancy stage the mission bed?' But nobody knew. immediately without consultation for will now be a hot air balloon carrying some reason, in Abbeylands. a small dog.' And the civil servants got together and said: 'Ah-ha. The Moon. What we need And the consultants said 'What shall And the next day Manx radio are the very best consultants for this job. we do now? Shall we help with the received a record fourteen phone rocket?' calls, including one fifteen minute There's my nephew Jim in Walsall. call from the wife of an MLC And the Treasury Minister shook his protesting at the cruelty of using a And I have a sister in law in Baltimore head and said: battery dog in an airborne no- whose brother knows something about escape balloon situation. space.' 'We have negotiated the purchase of a retired SS20 missile from a And so the balloon was shelved, And the consultants arrived on the Island, businessmen in Minsk - a well and the dog was sent back to Ard and then more consultants, and everyone respected dealer who let us have it for Jerkyll and the civil servants sighed said a snip in exchange for some Offshore with relief because thousands of financial services.' houses had now been scheduled, 'Where are we going to put them.' and nobody had even noticed. 'What shall we do then?' And the said: Gabriel gave God a large sedative 'Why don't you to write that report!' Then waved his finger and said: 'I know of some holiday cottages in Maughold.' 'What do you want in the report?' 'Have we been going walk-about again?' And the inspector for counting livestock 'Well, use your imagination.' more than once and other hill-farming And he walked over to the window subsidies said: So the Consultants used their and quietly closed it. RP Drower yn pabyr seyr Issue 41, July 2008 Page 6 The Rabbit's still on the loose... by Roly Drower, first published in Yn Pabyr Seyr January 2003

As he comes to the end of his first adventures that have actually had a representatives fail to come clean calendar year in office, Richard Corkill popular mandate is, I suspect, about their intentions. Democracy is might like to reflect on the real vanishingly small. Many have gone about mandates. If you go into meaning of democracy on the Isle of almost unannounced until the contracts government supporting one point of Man. But then perhaps he wouldn't. were irreversibly signed. view, then do an about-turn in Because, from where some of us are government just to become a minister, standing, democracy on the Island Very few people who watched the then you have ceased either to honour doesn't look too healthy. expensive new diesels fire up at Pulrose your own views or to represent those in the early 90s could have foreseen of your constituents. (Before he got Let's take one example that the Corkill that, within less that a decade we would into power, you may remember, Mr administration afforded us within its be taking out a mortgage/bond for stg50 Corkill opposed incineration.) When first few precious weeks in office: The million on an undersea cable link, stg20 the collective view of the Council of purchase of the Nunnery. And let's ask million plus on a meandering gas Ministers becomes more important that a very simple question. How many pipeline, and stg80 million on a new the views of the electorate, then people knew in advance? In those few CCGT power station that, according to mandates are worthless. frantic weeks before the 2001 one UK expert, should have cost half of election, how many people actually that. Democracy is also about public access knew that the Government intended to to public information. Mr Corkill himself secure the purchase of the property Very few of the people I know wanted can partly take credit for the latest the moment that it was safely back in the stg250 million Iris scheme, the stg42 culture in his administration, that of power? million Incinerator, or the Douglas ring hiding behind commercial road to service them. But then perhaps I confidentiality. In a recent example, Mr I didn't know. I didn't see it in anyone's mix in the wrong company. everybody I Corkill was asked by Mr Karran to manifesto. I would never have know wanted the money invested on name the beneficial owners of certain suspected that the Government had organic composting, recycling and offshore companies that receive an already undertaken to guarantee a public transport. income from the Government. But he loan for 5 million to purchase a refused to disclose the information, property worth 3 million, using a paper So why is the maintaining that it was commercially company that had been set up years so reluctant to confide in the electorate, confidential. before for the purpose, which it had or to take into account of the wishes of conveniently turned into a charity. And the Manx people. Why does is choose Can the Directors of a Company refuse I would never have thought that DLGE instead to concuss them into submission to disclose the beneficiaries in their would then purchase the fields back with the Council of Ministers block vote. accounts to their shareholders? We, as again through the land bank, taxpayers, are regardless of the fact that they already Is it just plain arrogance? It could be in shareholders in Isle of Man PLC. So appeared in the balance book as an some examples. In the case of the surely we should be given the same asset against the original loan. Incinerator, the contract with United rights. For all we know, the Chief Waste appears to have been signed 6 Minister could be happily dishing out My suspicion is that nobody knew. months before the Public Inquiry half the government contracts to his Nobody except the Council of approved the stack; either an brother in law and we would be none Ministers, the HSBC, and the Truly extraordinary ability to foresee the the wiser. An absurd notion, perhaps, Reverend Graham Ferguson Lacey. outcome, or a yawning disregard for it but quite possible in the current climate The most obvious conclusion is that either way. of confidentiality. the electorate were not meant to know. Had it been public knowledge, Or is it fear of public opinion? The As long as the Isle of Man Government then the players would have had to do Government has known for years about continues to conceal its intentions with it properly, going cap in hand to the Douglas Ring Road. But, apart from regard to such projects as the Tynwald for the money, instead of some noises about the widening of Nunnery, as long as it continues to laundering the purchase piecemeal Vicarage Road, there has been very treat public opinion as an afterthought to be shrugged off, as long as it through the Department of Education little public consultation. I have always continues to hide its dealings behind budget (which is what is currently half expected them to resurrect their such devices as commercial happening). drawings for the flyover across Braddan confidentiality of the Official Secrets Hills. If they did, I think that we would be Act, and as long as it continues In the United Kingdom, they complain the last to know. bludgeon the parliamentary process of Stealth Taxes. On the Isle of Man, with its block vote, then democracy on we could complain about something Just as business fails when retailers lie the Isle of Man will be dead. more wholesale: Stealth Government. about the goods they market, so The number of Government democracy fails when elected Manx Rabbit (Roly Drower) yn pabyr seyr Issue 41, July 2008 Page 7 How many Mmmmm.. gallons to the Accumulative Let go, Leg Co!

mile? poison, mmmmm.... The Legislative Council has a new member. Does anybody care? Can anybody remember how many Celtic League takes up anti fly- Mec Vannin welomes the decision rounds of voting were required before yet another past campaign. to abandon flouridation plans for pensioner got their comfy chair? How many of you the public water supply. We are could actually name the MLCs (some of the MHKs We nearly got rid of the obnoxious opposed to mass medication have a struggle)? Well, we do need to care RAF Tynwald fly past back in the which is exactly what artificial because this undemocratic body, all too often a 1990s after Mec Vannin made an flouride dosing represents. If retirement home or bolt-hole for the incompetent extensive submission to the Tynwald there is a problem with the health and unpopular, can and does block all attempts to Arrangements Committee - they of children's teeth in the Island, reform it. Its existance is an anachronistic throw- actually concurred but, when going perhaps provision of adequate back to English colonialism and, whereas Mec before the House of Keys, Alex dental care and education is the Vannin does not oppose the existance of a second Downie claimed that it gave the intelligent solution. house per se, there is no room for indirectly ceremony some sort of credibility elected houses in a democracy. Especially ones and, if lost, would be difficult to get One "argument" used by the that cannot be reformed. back (well, good). For some reason, DHSS in its propoganda the recommendations of the TAC campaign was derived from a The only way that the impass can broken, and were subsequently ignored. 1962 ruling in an Irish court we've said this before, is to pack the chamber with claiming that flouride dosing was reformists. These must be people who are legally The Celtic League (Mannin Branch) not mass medication since sworn to endorse the reform of the Legislative have recently taken up the cudgel flouride occurs naturally in water. Council. Until that happens, the situation will only and have put an interesting new So do lead salts, cadmium salts, get worse. If The House of Keys is serious about slant on it - carbon footprint. The fuel aluminium salts, typhoid, cholera implementing the reforms it has voted for five times burnt in sending the RAF Hawk .... in the past twenty seven years, its members will fighters over the Island would, find the candidates to do that even if they serve no optomistically, run a double decker IoM Benefits other purpose in the governmental process. bus on normal service for a month. Group Forget the carbon footprint - it's just A Santan man now living in Peel wrong. is fronting a campaign to reform state benefits for the chronically ill. Oh S**t ! Runway extension The government is now considering sewage Rob, 54, has worked all his life treatment in the Island with the use of small, could wreck since leaving school without modular sewage facilities. This is because the claiming any benefits. At IRIS scheme doesn't work and never will, Derbyhaven Bay Christmas 2007, he had to stop despite the hundreds of millions spent to date. working and signed on sick, Irrespective of the pros and cons of receiving £62.25 per week. As his In 1991, Mec Vannin made submission to the an airport runway extension in itself, condition deteriorated, he was DLGE recommending the use of small scale the chosen method of piling diagnosed with Parkinson's modular sewage treatment plants. It took the Party thousands of tons of imported stone Disease, an incurable and a couple of hours and a couple of quid to arrive at into Derbyhaven bay is likely to chronic condition i.e. it will only this conclusion. It has taken the government a result in an environment catastrophe get worse with time. His benefit further 17 years and millions of pounds to reach the for the bay. has now been raised to £63.75 same. and that is it. As a result, his The tide flow runs from Santan Head home is under threat and the to Fort Island and vice versa but situation shows no sign of For more information about there is a circular counter flow on the improvement. He has since membership of Mec Vannin and our ebb which flushes the bay. The discovered that there are many policies, please fill in the coupon runway extension will project directly people in the Island in the same into this tide with untold implications position and whose financial overleaf and send to: for the bay. Perhaps we should be situation is worse than his. thankful that the environmental The Secretary destruction that would have resulted As a result, he and some others from sea-bed gravel extraction from have formed a group to lobby for Mec Vannin the north of the Island has been a change for those who must give c/o 23 Kerroo Coar averted, for the time being at least. up full time work due to chronic illness. He has a petition in Peel The trouble with "public consultation" circulation to collect signatures Isle of Man is that, irrespective of what the public and has a website at says, the government will do isleofmanbenefitsgroup.org whatever suits it at the time. This where an on-line petition may be You can also visit our website at engenders apathy and thus allows signed. the government to claim www.mecvannin.im endorsement for its projects by Mec Vannin endorses this default. campaign. yn pabyr seyr Issue 41, July 2008 Page 8 Farming and Fishing - Time to end Brit military Heritage Industries or an recruitment in our schools alternative to starvation? Mec Vannin's stated policy is to oppose the use of our schools to recruit our children into the UK's armed forces. Let's be quite blunt about this. Mec Vannin has repeatedly warned against losing The UK hasn't fought a justifiable conflict in decades. As such, the UK the ability to produce enough food to sustain our forces continue to be a tool of unjustifiable imperialism and we can offer population. That doesn't mean we should only eat no support to them on any level. our own produce but we must have the capacity to be self sufficient. We are now in serious food debt and, as we predicted, the world food supply is The IoM Department of Education have continued to fail to act on this starting to get squeezed. Our farming industry issue. Now, certain UK local authorities have finally put an end to this continues to shrink and the contraction of farming practice after pressure brought by the National Union of Teachers. Yet into a few farms running as a "heritage industry" is again, where we should have led, the Isle of Man, the last bastion of a now government policy. We must reverse this slide corrupt empire, will probably end up as the last place where children can and our relationship with Europe is now a profound inhibition to our secure future. be indoctrinated into signing up to fight the UK's oil wars.

Our politicians refuse to acknowledge this, however, and continue to rely on the calming The Good Old Ways can be better mantra drilled into them over decades that Protocol New technology has usually proved beneficial to society. Occasionally Three is the "best of both worlds". Just what these the reverse is true. A case in point is the "Clare Plan", an aerial mapping worlds are is unclear, but they must be pretty awful technique bought-in from Ireland (at who knows what cost) and adopted places. by the Government Planning Department two or three years ago. Our fishing industry has reduced to fishing for Property changes now usually require a "Clare" derived plan , as shellfish only, almost entirely for export. The opposed to the more traditional method of making reference to existing European shellfish market is now completely surveyors' plans and established physical reference points. flooded out by extremely cheap imports from South America where boats fishing under European flags Planning applications should have accurate site and location plans, to can operate for a fraction of the cost of fishing scale, with the location clearly identified. These must be lodged with the European waters. If the situation is not addressed Land Registry and are legal documents. very quickly, we will have no fishing industry at all. Diversification of the fishing industry is a matter of There are however, fundamental problems with the Clare Plan. The utmost urgency if there are to be any commercial aerial survey was carried out at a time of year when trees and shrubs fishing vessels left in Manx waters in another two were in full leaf, obscuring natural and archaeological boundaries such year's time. as water courses, hedges and so on. Anomalous features such as telegraph wires appear on the Clare version, and confuse the plan with From our point of view, Protocol Three never had features that have no relevance. Naturally, boundaries of land must its day but anybody who believes that our dovetail exactly with adjoining land or this cause problems, to whit, continued reliance upon this 36 year old document boundary disputes. is beneficial to us is simply not in touch with reality. Worryingly, surveyors have found that, when working with the plans One potentially beneficial result to the increasing derived from this method, the calculations do not coincide with what is food prices is that, as imports become more on the ground. Edges of buildings may appear to be on a roadway for expensive, home grown produce may once again example. On the other hand when their same calculations are compared become economically viable but not as long as we with OS plans from the eighteen hundreds, there is congruence! grow houses instead of food. It seems that the "Clare Plan" is not fit for purpose. This has caused I am interested in joining Mec Vannin. frustration in the surveying profession and much unnecessary extra Please send me a policy summary and expense for clients. membership form to: The problem is down to simple physics and mathamatics understood by any schoolchild but, apparently, beyond the comprehension of whoever Name...... foisted this upon us.

Address...... Aerial photography is routinely used by the United Kingdom's Ordnance Survey to update maps. These aerial photographs are intrisically distorted and are "fitted" to existing maps derived from tried and trusted ...... surveying techniques. The overall effect is a homogenous picture that fits within existing surveyed reference points but between those points, ...... substantial variations can exist. That is perfectly acceptable for smaller scale maps that are not used for email...... establishing legal boundaries. It is singularly inappropriate for accurate plans where inches may be important.

Please complete and send to the address Let's get back to basics. Theodolites and base lines work; aerial on the other side of this coupon. snapshots don't.