Blogs

A detailed reply here to my query to the Chief Minister about free school meals and the exclusion of the children of migrant workers. I queried if it meets the obligations of the Island under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Chief Minister avers the current situation complies with the Convention

An Irish parliamentary Committee has been told that Peatlands are as important as the Tropical rainforest for our planet. This from Green News ie:

“Conservation measures to protect Ireland’s unique peatlands over the past three decades have been a “colossal failure”, an Oireachtas committee heard today.

The stark warning from Padraig Fogarty of the Irish Wildlife Trust came during a hearing of the heritage committee on the preservation of biodiversity of peatlands this afternoon.

They say ‘you wait for a bus and then two come along together’. Following hard on the heels of the ‘Climate Change Coalition’ (CCC) comes this:

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/article.cfm…

The CCC want to save the planet the Irish Sea Centre (ISC) objective is more modest simply the ecosystem of the Irish Sea. I’m one hundred percent with them.

The Drone Campaign Network are staging their ‘fly kites not drones’ campaign which highlights the use of drones in extrajudicial killings globally again this year from 17-24th March.

The campaign group staged the first demo of this type last year - here is the youtube video from last year which lists support from New York to Kabul, Hastings to Glasgow, London to Leicester :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=_tAe2YPxXdI

Is the Isle of Man government and its executive a closed book and do the media help them keep it that way?

On Manx Radio today Anthony Webber a former politician in the Channel Isles avers that the Island and other dependencies lack transparency. Well tell us something we didn’t know because the Isle of Man is essentially ‘a closed book’ from which we occasionally get extracts via the media. There is no concept of openness and accountability and we only have to look at the various scandals over the years everything from planning enquiries, the constabulary to utility loans etc

“The annual earnings survey is not just a time of rejoicing for workers it's also a ‘happy time’ for the likes of Chris Thomas MHK who can pop up in the portal to claim 'black is white' and clarify any anomalies..”

It's almost time for publication of the IOM AVERAGE EARNINGS SURVEY so workers will soon know if it was shaft or share time in 2018. Certainly we know who is on the list to be ‘shafted' in 2019, new entrants to the Post Office.

Our friends at ‘ForcesWatch’ forward their latest bulletin which includes details of their ongoing campaign opposing recruitment of children into the armed forces and the targeting of school for recruitment propaganda.

I find it ironic that the Isle of Man Department of Education and its Minister Graham Cregeen MHK had ‘the skitters’ when it emerged recently that a primary school may have exposed children to the influence of the Islamic religion when the topic of militarisation of children is effectively encouraged in schools.

The idea that we should accommodate a few refugees from the Middle East recently caused major concerns and the fallout continues a Freedom of Information case is still being fought out in the UK to access Manx Government (and Channel Islands) correspondence on the issue (CDN link):

www.facebook.com/…/pho…/a.790761064278269/2247248078629553/…

In Ireland An Taisce (the National Trust for Ireland) is continuing to aggressively pursue the government and its environment policy. The body recently had a significant victory in the Courts and now with ‘its tail up’ so to speak it's challenging a new Heritage Act which would allow a much more relaxed approach to the burning of upland heath.

“In its submission, An Taisce said that the current wording of the draft regulation would give “excessive legislative powers” to the Minister for Heritage Josepha Madigan TD beyond her legal power or authority.

Did you know some Greenland sharks are over four hundred years old. I didn’t but there is that and lots more in this BBC Radio Four programme about sharks by the Irish artist Dorothy Cross who indulges her love for the creatures:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/search…

My colleague the Manx Branch Secretary drew my attention to it.