Alastair Kneale's blog

News From The Celtic League:

We ask how safe will the seas around Britain and Ireland be during Exercise Joint Warrior.

The NATO exercise Joint Warrior 2016 gets underway next Monday and if previous exercises of this type are anything to go by ships and aircraft will already be in transit to their exercise locations.

Media Release From Culture Vannin

After almost 25 years’ service as an officer of the Manx Heritage Foundation, now Culture Vannin, Charles Guard, retired at the end of March. The occasion was marked by a small gathering of board members and officers and the presentation of a gift to mark his long-service to public life. Charles’ contribution to Manx culture has been, and will no doubt continue to be remarkable, as his formal retirement by no means marks the end of his love of Manx culture but merely a new phase of how he will go about it.

NEWS FROM THE MANNIN BRANCH CELTIC LEAGUE

I reported in some detail last year on our cooperation with New York Times journalist Ian Urbina who wrote (and continues) his award winning exposé of life at sea and the exploitation of mariners and fishermen.

There is more evidence closer to home of attempts to replace indigenous crews on British merchant vessels with cheaper labour from third world countries.

See the two attached article links below:

NEWS FROM THE MANNIN BRANCH CELTIC LEAGUE

Events just seem to derail Allan Bell (Chief Minister) and COMIN (Council of Ministers Proceedings) in their attempts to tell us that the Island is on the verge of a GREAT LEAP FORWARD akin to the move by Mao back in the 1960s to rescue the failing Chinese economy.

The International Celtic Congress (Breton: Ar C'hendalc'h Keltiek, Cornish: An Guntelles Keltek, Manx: Yn Cohaglym Celtiagh, Scottish Gaelic: A' Chòmhdhail Cheilteach, Irish: An Chomhdháil Cheilteach, Welsh: Y Gyngres Geltaidd) is a cultural organisation that seeks to promote the culture, ideals, and languages of the Celtic peoples of Ireland/Éire, Scotland/Alba, Wales/Cymru, Brittany/Breizh, Cornwall/Kernow and the Isle of Man/Mannin.

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

You couldn’t make this lunacy up. Apparently some people are disappointed that the Lt Governor is being sworn in at the courts of Justice in Douglas instead of in Castletown.

Seriously are we all expected to whip ourselves into lather over this? I would suggest most people could not give a darn where the Governor is sworn in or for that matter whether he is sworn in at all.

Even IOM Today if they are honest would admit its just filling a hole in their news coverage:

NEWS FROM THE MANNIN BRANCH CELTIC LEAGUE

THE IMPOSING FAÇADE BEHIND WHICH THE CRA COOK UP SLEAZY DEALS!

An email arrived today from our contact at CBC with a link to the latest report by the Canadian broadcasters investigation team into the ‘offshore tax sham’ involving wealthy KPMG clients dodging Canadian tax by using tax plans in the Isle of Man.

Here’s the link;

http://www.cbc.ca/…/canada-revenue-kpmg-secret-amnesty-1.34…

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

Chief Minister Allan Bell MHK has been wittering on about how well we are all doing earnings wise. Strangely his homily on our wonderful earnings level coincides with detail supplied to me on the pay of Deemsters (IOM Judges) which reveals the following:

1st Deemster; £177,988
2nd Deemster £164,639
Deemster £132,184
High Bailiff £116,644
Deputy HB £113.342

Strangely we seem to have some of the best paid – if not THE best paid Judiciary IN THE WORLD by a long shot.

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

The daily dose of sycophantic Bell-speak from Manx Radio today focuses on Allan’s angst over the Brexit situation.

In times of crisis it’s important to have a strong hand on the tiller so to speak but Allan Bell the Manx Chief Minister is less a ‘strong hand’ and more a ‘hand ringer’.

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

‘My country has let me down. I never wish to see the place again…there are “cute hoors” at every turn in…society and business life’

If the above quote sounds familiar read on: