• Manx need not apply - An increasingly familiar headline
• Corkill's Water Bomb
• Oraid Ghaelgagh Laa Illiam Dhone
• Illiam Dhone Day English Oration
• Arrane Ashoonagh
• The National Anthem
• Assisted Suicide Debate
• Waste Disposal Argument Continues
• The Greatest Deception of All Time: The "Blessings" of Growth
• 90,000 by 2021
• Conifer Plantation: What's going on?
• Feed the Need

After Steve Rodan's disgraceful attempt to appoint a non-Manx but bag-pipe playing acquaintance over the head of a suitable Manx but non-bag-pipe playing candidate for Director of Education, you would think that government departments would outwardly be a little less obvious about anti-Manx discrimination. 

Wrong.

The fiasco of the Home Affairs Department's attempt to bring in a junior officer from England to a position far beyond his qualification or experience to be Chief Fire Officer for the Island, re-inforces the perception that there is a deeply entrenched culture of anti-Manx racism at higher levels of government administration.

It was easier to extract a rationale for this discrimination in the case of Mr. Rodan (who has been observed publicly denegrating the qualities of teaching staff within the Island to English OFSTED inspectors), but no firm explanation has yet surfaced for Mr. Phil Braidwood's (Minister for Home Affairs) endorsement of the anti-Manx stance of his department. The best we can ascertain at this point is that the DHA's favoured candidate "carried a good interview," talking of his "vision" for the service in the Isle of Man. The Manx candidate was more probably interested in putting out fires, giving him a Suitability for Employment rating of 10 but a Good Bullshitter in Interview rating of nil.

Excuses offered to date include the hackneyed bluff of wanting the "best" for the island. That being the case, why do the politicians responsible even stand for election?

The bottom line is, if either Mr. Crozier or Mrs. Macintosh are anywhere near as good as some people are trying to make us believe, it seems very strange they are not enjoying promotion within their own environment.

The high profile of the matter meant that the Work Permit Committee has, thankfully, adhered to the letter of the law both at initial and appeal stages. The DHA is equally open about its disappointment and the latest press release makes it clear that they have no intention of promoting existing Deputy Chief Officer Brian Draper to the post unless absolutely forced.

At the end of the day, however, work-permit refusals for higher level applicants both in private and public sector are few and far between: The Work Permit Committee rarely even knows if there are any Manx applicants for a job.

These two incidents may be isolated in terms of public awareness but are only too representative of an ongoing failure to give due credit and opportunity to Manx people in their own country. In consequence, Mec Vannin takes this opportunity to call for a Public Inquiry into the criteria and standards observed by government bodies seeking employment of non-Manx workers over the past five years and how this relates to the Control of Employment Act.

The Water Authority cannot undertake to supply treated water to new developments in the eastern district of the Island until a new water treatment plant is in operation.

It doesn't matter how this situation has arisen (and it is not due to a failing on the Water Authority's part), but that is the simple truth of it. If attempts are made to further burden the already over-stretched plant at Greenfield Road, a huge part of the Island's population could find themselves without a supply of safe drinking water. The only responsible stance is to oppose new development requiring additional potable water supplies.

That doesn't sit well with the Council of Ministers under Mr. Richard Corkill, however, and it seems that a highly personalised vendetta against the Water Authority is on the way. Recently, a redevelopment plan for Jurby was pushed through with the Water Authority being compelled to commit itself to financial expenditure in a highly irregular fashion. Mr. Corkill was subsequently open that he was going to try, through the Council of Ministers, to cripple the Water Authority's ability act in an independent and responsible fashion to its customers (that's us, you know).

Next to the very real possibilty of around 30,000 people finding themselves without drinking water if Corkill gets his way is the fact that he appears to be holding Water Authority Chairman Brenda Cannell personally responsible for this. He (and Mrs. Pamela Crowe, Minister for the DLGE) appear to believe that Water Authority opposition expressed through Mrs. Cannell to new housing in the eastern district over the past ten months is a vindictive act on Mrs. Cannell's part.

Mrs. Cannell acts on the advice of her professionals. They have no political axe to grind here. They just can't undertake to supply any more potable water in that area so, if the Water Authority's objections get over-ridden by the Council of Ministers and water treatment in the eastern area goes belly-up, the blame must be placed squarely on Mr. Corkill's shoulders.

Un vlein daeed as three keead er dy henney va dooinney lhieggit gy- baase ec y chronk shoh, Illiam y Christeen, Manninagh dooie, lheiggit ec Manninagh dooie elley, Illiam McCowle. Shoh yn skeeal va goll mygeayrt keead blein ny lurg (shiaght keed jeig shey-jeig as tree feed, 1776), ansherbee. Va'n jees jeu gra dy row ad lheihaltagh da Chiarn Vannin, as da Ree Hostyn neesht. Agh hooar yn derrey ghooinney baase as ardghoo, hooar yn fer elley thalloo as anghoo.

Va'n lhing oc anchasley er kuse dy aghtyn rish yn lhing ain, va Caggey Theayagh trooid ooilley ny hEllanyn Goaldagh; car ny bleeantyn shen va reeriaght, pobblaght, as reeriaght ayn reesht. Va deiney dy liooar currit gy-baase ayns ny caggaghyn, goaill stiagh yn chied Chalse, Ree Goaldagh, ayns shey keead jeig, nuy as daeed (1649), Jamys, yn Stanlagh Mooar, Chiarn Vannin, ayns shey keead jeig un jeig as daeed (1651), as lurg Coyrt Er-ash (Restoration) y nah 'Halse dy Ghoal ayns shey keead jeig as three feed, (1660), hug  Ree Chalse pardoon da dagh peiagh va goaill ayrn er cheu yn Reiltys Co-unnanys (Commonwealth Government). V'eshyn son leih daue nyn loghtyn, adsyn va goaill ayrn ayns y chaggey, ga dy row yn ayr echey currit gy-baase. Cha row Chalse Stanlagh, Chiarn Vannin, cho myghinagh mychione baase e ayr hene. Hug eh foill er Illiam y Christeen, cha nee ny lomarcan son soiaghey jeh armee yn Reiltys Co-unnanys ayns Mannin noi'n Ven-eearley Charlotte (yn voir echey), agh son baase yn ayr echey ec Bolton ‘syn un vlein.

Ayns nyn lhing ainhene ta  keishtyn anchasley ayn, agh s'lickly nagh vel dooghys -gheiney er chaghlaa monney. Ta mieys as sieys ny-neesht er-mayrn. Ta foast arganeysyn goll er bentyn rish yn Reiltys, yn co-chiangley eddyr yn Reeriaght Unnanysit as Mannin, pooar yn Chiannoort as yn Aspick agh, red er-lheh nish, ta smoo dy phooar ec yn theay - my ta'n theay geearree jannoo ymmyd jeh. Cha nee pobblaght ayn foast, agh ta Tynvaal smoo pooaral na'n Ven-rein as e Kiannoort. Agh c'red t'ad jannoo lesh y phooar t'oc?- g'accan nagh vel anaase ec yn theay ayns cooishyn politickagh.

Cre'n fa nagh vel anaase ec yn theay er cooishyn politickagh? Well, un red - shen nagh vel monney sleih cur treisht ayns Cooinceil ny Shirveishee - reihit ec yn Ard-Shirveishagh. T'eh jeeaghyn dy vel ny Rheynnyn oc jannoo red erbee sailloo ny keayrtyn - dyn goll dys Tynvaal. Bee-jee er nyn dwoaie neesht dy vel politickeyryn ayn nagh mie lhieu yn theay monney as dy vel un voayl sauchey foast faagit dauesyn ayns Mannin - yn Coonceil Slattyssagh, boayl nagh nod yn theay roshtyn ad. Jeeagh-jee er ny gammanyn hie er nurree! S'cammyltagh eh nagh noddym eer cooinaghtyn er cho whilleen dy cheayrtyn hie  "reihyssyn" er cummal da un startey aynshen! As ta daa Hirveishagh ayns yn Choonceil shen follaghey ad-hene cooyl ec olteynyn yn Chiare-as-Feed, as cha nel yn Ard-Shirveishagh ro hrimshagh mychione shen noadyr. Lhisagh caghlaayn mooarey ve jeant aynshen - cur cheb da'n theay reih ny "steateyryn shinney" t'adsyn geearree ayns yn Nah Hamyr dagh queig bleeaney, ny traa cooie myr shen. Eisht veagh daa Rheynn smoo cur freggyrt rish yn theay - cha nee ny lomarcan rish yn Ard-Shirveishagh. 

'Sy chiaghtoo cheead vlein jeig ghow Chiarn Vannin rey-rish shiaght olteynyn yn Chiare-as-Feed tra ghow adsyn ayrn ayns cooish Illiam Dhone - ta'n Ard-Shirveishagh ny Vanninagh jiu as foddee eshyn geddyn rey-rish Shirveishee nagh mie lesh. Agh c'raad t'ad? Cha nel condaigee ayn! - t'ad ooilley goaill ayrn 'sy Reiltys (as geddyn tooilley argid shen y yannoo). Ta politickeyryn gra dy vel eh mie nagh vel rour dy arganeysyn ayn, agh vel eh? Ny keayrtyn ta fer ny ghaa onnoragh ayn, g'accan mychione cooish myr yn "Cronk Murray", agh cha bee eshyn (ny ish) rieau geddyn cooney dy liooar veih ny olteynyn elley, as cha bee red erbee jeant, eer my ta fys oc dy row aggairyn ayn. As ta shiu foast goaill yindys nagh vel anaase ec yn chooid smoo dy 'leih ayns cooishyn politickagh? 

Yn oyr hooar Illiam Dhone  ardghoo, va shen kindagh rish e chredjue dy row eh jannoo e chooid share da Mannin as yn theay tra haink armee Hostyn fo Curnal Duckenfield dys shoh. Va'n reayrtys echey onnoragh as cha ren eh veg mee-onnoragh: va'n reayrtys echey dy 'eddyn yn aght share dy chur shee da Mannin as dy hauail yn theay veih caggey. Dy beagh arrym ayns Mannin son y Ven-eearley Charlotte cha lhisagh shin ve aynshoh jiu cooinaghtyn er Illiam Dhone: agh cha row ish coontey veg jeh ny Manninee as va Illiam fer jeu as v'eh toiggal as cur geill da nyn smooinaghtyn.

Shoh my 'haghteraght da politickeyryn jiu- cur-jee geill da smooinaghtyn, barelyn, as treishtyn theay Vannin.

My ta ny jannooyn eu reddyn ta shiuish smooinaghtyn dy ve share, dyn eaistagh rish barelyn yn theay, bee shiu beggan myr yn Manninagh ren marroo Illiam Dhone, shirrey ard-ennym diu-hene ny lomarcan. My ta shiu toiggal red ta'n theay feme, tannee shiu ayns foayr maroo as nee shiu cosney arrym as foddee ardghoo.

Ta'n caggey ain jiu noi dellalyn mooarey eddyr-ashoonagh ta cassey argid voish Mannin, troggal thieyn da sleih nagh jannoo foays da Mannin, troggal losteyder va'n theay slane noi, troggal  carnane-orch ec fer jeh ny Ardyn ayns Mannin raad s'cosoyllagh dy bee eh sollaghey tree awinyn 'sy traa ry-heet- as cha nee shen agh troor dy chooishyn foddym g'imraa. Dy shickyr, ta'n theay shirrey stundayrt mie ayns nyn mea, as ayrn jeh shen, t'ad shirrey thieyn foddee ad fordrail. Cha nel ad shirrey thieyn currit er mayl deyr daue ec sleih smoo berchagh ren kionnaghey yn lheid ec prios s'inshley da kionneyderyn noa. Cha nel ad shirrey aer as ushtey sollit noadyr.
Agh ta'n theay shirrey eer ny smoo. T'ad shirrey mieys da nyn gree as da nyn aigney neesht, eiraght Vannin, yn cheer, yn chengey as yn cultoor.

Hug eh foays da my chree fakin dy vel yn Reiltys er chur enn er yn Ghaelg dy oikoil fy-yerrey hoal, as shen bun mie da'n traa ry-heet; as dy vel yn Ard-Shirveishagh as yn Shirveishagh Ynsee er ve ayns Bretin loayrt rish politickeyyn voish Bretin, Nerin, Nalbin as Sostyn bentyn rish myn-chengaghyn dooie. T'eh er ny Gaelgeyryn neesht dy ghreinnaghey yn theay, as bee tooilley cooney ry-gheddyn veih'n Reiltys. Ghow mee eunys tra haink eh lesh Phillie Gawne, Gaelgeyr as Manninagh dooie, cosney yn Reihys ayns Rosien. Moylley as soylley da! T'eh ersyn nish caggey ayns Tynvaal hene ass-lieh yn chengey as theay Vannin. Ta mee slane shickyr dy bee eh Coadeyder ny Gaelgey nish cho mie as v'eh Greinneyder ny Gaelgey.

Ny jean-jee jarrood Illiam Dhone - v'eshyn er cheu theay Vannin. My ta'n Reiltys cur geill da'n chaghteraght shen, as adsyn, na'n tromlagh jeu, er cheu Vannin neesht dy onnoragh myr v'eshyn, hig aigney -mie yn theay er-ash as bee Mannin ny voayl share.

F. McArdle

Three years ago today, I stood here and used three words that upset some people: Enemies, traitors and genocide. The enemies who manipulate the government for their own ends, the traitors who assist them and the resulting genocidal destruction of the Manx nation.

I have seen nothing to make me change my mind or to believe that anything has improved in that three years.

We have seen the Mount Murray Inquiry expose corruption and name some of those who manipulated and some of those who helped them to the detriment of good government in our country. But what has come of this? How many of us, in our walks of life, could expect to be found to be a central figure in a matter of corruption and carry on with impunity?

And if we believe that we should favour the devils we know we will always have devils about us. Even now, after being exposed as having taken part in corruption, those involved are simply not capable of understanding their wrong-doing. And the business community is unlikely to call for any changes when it's there in black and white that favourable decisions don't even have to be bought in the Isle of Man. That's a boat worth not rocking isn't it?

Moving on, we have also seen the Manx people further marginalised, our integrity as a community further destroyed and our young continue to be driven out to seek employment comensurate with their ability and affordable housing. Just because no one has actually been shot, gassed or clubbed to death, as yet, does not lessen the fact that it represents a destruction of a people. That this is further the result of orchestrated policies makes it genocide.

The Department of Home Affairs is upset because it may have to promote a Manxman to the Office of Chief Fire Officer. What does that say? Why should any worthy Manx person choose to stay here, always to be overlooked, no matter how desperately inferior the preferred candidate is? And when that happens, as it has been happening for years, will those with the power to prevent it change anything, or will they simply whinge that we don't have the necessary skills here and import sows ears to replace the silk purses we threw out, as we have done for years.

In saying that, I do not mean that we have not had some very capable people come here and contribute over the years, but how many have used us as an easy stepping stone in their career development, or an easy wind-down into retirement at the expense of competent Manx people, or have been, quite simply incompetent?

Just as Manx people were driven into emigration 140 years ago by the enclosure of the upper pastures, Manx people continue to be driven into emigration by the enclosure of the upper echelons of employment. A few exceptions prove the rule.

It doesn't matter if every single incomer learns to say "moghrey mie" and "fastyr mie". That will not save the Manx nation from  further marginalisation, further forced emigration and ultimate destruction.

More than ever, irrespective of the flag that flies at the top of the mast, the flag tattoed on the brain of too many people over here, including  many Manx-born and raised, is the cross of Saint George.

If somebody speaks English, with an English accent, regards England as "the mainland", refers to England as "this country" who uses "we" or "us" to describe English bodies, entities or concepts and cheers for England against all others in sport, it is difficult to see how they are not English, no matter where they were born. A point will come, and it is coming, when there is no Manx identity. 

Is that why Illiam Dhone risked and ultimately gave his life? I believe his surrender terms included that the Manx people should enjoy their former rights and liberties, not that the Isle of Man be retained as a tax-haven with development potential.

The Manx language was saved from total eradication by a dedicated handful. It was preserved in the hope of revival by a dedicated handful. It remains to be spoken with any degree of fluency, only by a dedicated handful. There are now over 30,000 more people in this country who don't speak Manx than there were fifty years ago. There are  now probably more people in Mannin who can speak Afrikaans than can speak Manx, so forgive me if I'm not ecstatic about any claimed turn around in the language's fortunes.

That doesn't mean that there haven't been some positive moves. The release of the extended native speaker recordings by Manx National Heritage provides those who wish to speak Manx properly with a far better chance to do so. Of course, you don't have to pay any attention at all to what the native speakers said. You can just invent your own language and call it Manx, but there are those of us who know better and we will remind you of the fact.

Just as the language continues to hold on by the skin of its teeth, the Manx nation continues to hold on by the skin of its teeth. Just as the language can never be fully restored to the richness and native understanding of over a century ago, nor can we ever re-establish fully the Manx community of even two decades ago. We can, however, give our young the opportunity to carve out an identity for themselves and a future within their own country.

This can only happen if we stop breeding for export. It can only happen if immigration is substantially reduced. And when I mention immigration control, I do not mean the statutory materialisation of the prejudices of so many of the white, British passport holders here who are, themselves, immigrants to this country.

It can only happen if we have a Manx educational system that educates children in a Manx environment. That means having teachers who actually know something about the country they're teaching in and teach accordingly. It can only happen if the adults shake off the shackles of received opinion: The intellectual and emotional baggage of colonialism. It can only happen if Manx people have their worth recognised in the employment field. It can only happen if we have a Manx media as opposed to a regional English one. It can only happen if we overturn the flawed economic policies that fail to retain wealth within our own economy. It can only happen if we have a Manx government.

At present, there is no such thing as the Manx government. There is a government of the British Crown in our country and each and every member of it has freely pledged allegiance to that Crown, to administer this country on behalf of that British Crown, as the annual British imperial honours  confirm.

That being the reality, nationalists should have no qualms about going over their heads when they abuse us and our country. I, for one, am not bound by any false allegiances. If the Chief Minister can't keep the House in order, he should not be surprised, or upset, if we call in the cleaners.

Gura mie eu.

Mark Kermode

O Halloo nyn dooie 
O'Chliejeen ny s' bwaaie 
Ry gheddyn er ooir aalin Yee 
Ta dt' Ardstoyl Reill-Thie 
Myr Baarool er ny hoie 
Dy reayll shin ayns seyrsnys as shee. 

Lhig dooin boggoil bee 
Lesh annym as cree 
As croghey er gialdyn yn Chiarn 
Dy vodmayd dagh oor 
Treishteil er e phooar 
Dagh olk ass nyn anmeenyn 'hayrn. 

O land of our birth 
O gem of God's earth 
O Island so strong and so fair 
Built firm as Barrool 
Thy throne of Home Rule 
Makes us free as thy sweet mountain air. 

Then let us rejoice 
With heart, soul and voice 
And in the Lord's promise confide 
That each single hour 
We trust in His power 
No evil our souls can betide. 

Mec Vannin spent the summer months formulating a position on this sensitive issue. The result is a document advocating a change in the existing law under certain circumstances and this was submitted to the House of Keys Committee investigating the issue at the end of October. The document can be read in full on the internet site.

A meeting with Mrs. Pamela Crowe, Minister DLGE, failed to change our view that the DLGE's waste disposal strategy has not been managed properly. Although Mrs. Crowe asserted that the Local Authorities had, infact, known about proposed waste disposal charge increases for two years prior but failed to act, the fact remains that waste disposal is now an all Island as opposed to Local Authority matter and such initiatives as exist are piecemeal and unco-ordinated.

Whereas we not only accept but would advocate fiscal measures to reduce waste and encourage recycling, the reliance of the DLGE upon the private sector establishing initiatives in the wake of increased disposal charges is not acceptable. Furthermore, first-hand reports from businesses that are involved in operations involving waste removal indicate problems.

Simply increasing costs in the absence of providing alternatives to dumping is not a solution and, whereas the civic amenity sites may provide an answer to some small, non-commercial waste issues, larger commercial operations are still faced with having to dump, at much increased costs, recycleable materials.

You hear it almost daily: "Growth first half year has fallen to less than 0.3%" or "Economical growth has to increase if we are not to..." or "We have to have steady growth or we have nothing to distribute".

Except for the obvious reply "Why don't we distribute, more fairly, the wealth we already have?" (and the fact that the wealth added by economical growth is generally distributed with something like 10% to the poor, 20% to the middle classes and 70% to the already wealthy),  there's a fundamental flaw in the growth philosophy: Everlasting growth is dependent on everlasting supply. The producers and developers might be able to con people into buying almost everything in these days of murdering sales promotion and ads but unless they have the raw materials nothing will come out of the machines.  And the raw materials and land are limited! 

Which means that the economical gurus who hail growth as the base for economical success and the sheep like Manx politicians who make this an overriding goal (probably 95% of them) for some reason either must have missed almost all their geography lessons when in school, or are lying like mad.  According to all science the earth, has a certain mass and dimension which does not seem to increase as to follow the growth-idiots' plans.  The Isle of Man is not exempt from this simple statement of fact.  But of course the people who talk about eternal growth know very well that it can't go on. That's why they are so desperate to lay their hands on as much of our natural resources they can, land, before it runs out completely. Don't they have children or grandchildren? Maybe they have a vision of an island with it's natural treasures gone forever, covered in concrete with the population piled together in a mass of high rise developments.   To the powerful and rich this would, no doubt, be a measure of success, a little something to savour whilst counting profits and living elsewhere, somewhere like to day's Isle of Man?  Or perhaps a subject for a sermon delivered from a pulpit, back in their native land across the Atlantic? Let's be absolutely clear about this! (I mean really clear, and not in the Bush / Blair sense of making things perfectly clear.) The island consists of only so much natural resources, in other words land.  Any growth based on this limited resource is doomed to come to an end.

Unlike the pig Saerimner, in the Norse belief of the beyond death Valhalla, who is slaughtered every winter and reappears to be slaughtered again next winter, that part of our common cake is not renewable. 

Much of the growth in the traditional sense depends on limited raw materials being used to produce manufactured goods.  Here our VAT based economy demands that our raw material, land, is consumed to provide housing for an increasing population.  It must be that way under the current disastrous taxation policies, our government's prime source of income is VAT.  The only way to ensure a steady income through VAT is by ever increasing consumer spending, the only way to increase consumer spending is to increase the number of consumers, the only way to increase consumers is to increase the general population.  And so it goes on. The additional people from the cynically contrived and relentless, growth in population must live somewhere, not to mention the demand for "investment opportunities" from the already wealthy. 

Bourgeoning housing estates, eroding the very soul of our land.  Some resources are renewable land is most definitely not.  Land is our only resource, why are we set on a course of its destruction for nothing other than the mere pursuit of profit? 

To understand growth and its implications we have to adopt an economical view on things. Mind you, not an economists view! Economists still hold true that when reality collides with their theories, reality is incorrect. It makes much more sense to follow the example of the farmer who knows he has X acres and what those acres yield, repeatedly, is what can be taken out. Everything taken out from the cupboard of 
diminishing resources is gone forever, unless it can be recycled.  Our farmer's main crop seems to be bungalows these days.

There should be no reason to get depressed though. We only have to learn some new skills. A new way forward for our island based on recycling of what we have is one thing.  We need to move away from this senseless policy of growth for growth's sake. Unfortunately we don't get any help from our politicians. All of whom seem dead set on going on, much like suicide bombers, without missing a step in their unending quest for growth. Most people are not so stupid that they thoughtlessly use up all their available supply of something that is very difficult or even impossible to renew. That's people! Now take a look at economists and politicians!! Produce, spend, use and waste!! What we need to do is start dismissing each and every person, who claims that growth is the solution to anything, as a liar, cheat and enemy. We have to start learning to live within our own means.  Just like they tell us to do! The next time you hear a speaker talk in the usual reverent tones about the holy grail of economical growth, contradict him or leave. Next time Corkill says it, send him an e-mail telling him not to be foolish.  Next time he uses figures of economic growth as proof that the island is on a sound footing, file it in the falsehoods bin along with a lot of the other rhetoric.

Let's also remember that according to many scientists a lot of us never learn to use more than around 20% of our brain capacity.  Here's a field for growth that only a cynical government would bypass by letting simplistic marketing, and lies, brainwash the population and grind down the left-over cells. 

To believe in endless growth on a limited island one has to be either an idiot, an on the make business, or a brain-dead politician! 

So why do we let those people govern us?

Back in the 1960s, the New Resident Policy identified 75,000 as the objective for population growth by immigration. That caused enough reaction at the time.

That figure was reached several years ago and even the government has admitted a population figure of 76,000 but most intelligent people put the figure well into the 80,000s. Let's say a 10% discrepancy.

The admitted objective for population by the year 2021 by Mr. Carse of the Treasury is 90,000 which will really mean around 100,000. That's not a finishing figure, of course, that's just a staging post figure.

The past 40 years has seen this country ruined by greed and forced immigration. Our infrastructures are overburdened. Our public services have become overstretched and understaffed leading, in turn, to a reduction in staff quality in many instances.

It is up to each and every elector to make it clear to their House of Keys candidates that this is not acceptable. If we allow the current mob to continue as they are, we will be wiped out.

The hills are alive with the sound of music?  Well not quite, at least not on Snaefell, instead Snaefell rings to the sound of diggers busily planting unwanted, and unnecessary, conifer trees.

Peat heather moorland is regarded throughout Europe as a rare and valuable environment to be protected.  In the UK, peat heather moorland is invariably classed a Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).  

Here in the Isle of Man we are lucky enough to have possibly the finest examples of peat heather moorland in Europe. A habitat lain down over thousands of years, a habitat to be proud of, a habitat to be nurtured, cherished and protected at all cost?  Well actually no. Our "experts" in DAFF see this wonderful gift of nature as ideal territory for conifer plantations.

This, combined with potential health risks associated with conifer plantations in reservoir catchment areas led the Celtic League's Mannin Branch to write to DAFF Minister John Rimmington MHK in August, calling for a total halt to upland conifer plantation.

In his response, he assured the Celtic League that there had been no new conifer plantation since 1998, the only planting since that date being replanting of existing sites. A reassuring answer. Was the Celtic League mistaken?

No.

Over the last few years, many acres of Snaefell have been covered with heavy conifer planting, this appalling project continues even now with further large scale new planting over the last couple of months. So, why did Mr. Rimington respond as he did? He would have relied on advice given by his forestry department so, who in there either doesn't know what's going on or is giving false information to their Minister to pass on?

What justification can there be for such government sponsored vandalism? The existing conifer plantations are poorly maintained as things stand. Wood production being considered as fit only for fence posts. Unfortunately, fence posts can be imported more cheaply than DAFF can supply them so there is little demand consequently much of the island's wood production is used for fire kindling. Meantime the rare peat heather moorland of Snaefell, together with its natural beauty, vistas and grandeur is being destroyed for fire wood. 

The fact that this is apparently happening behind the Minister's back is even more disturbing. Who is responsible?

A recent meeting between Mec Vannin's Chairman, Mark Kermode, and DLGE Minister Pamela Crowe confirmed that the plant would require to be "fed" with otherwise recycleable newspaper and cardboard to maintain the fire.

The stated DLGE policy on waste is:

Reduce
Re-use
Recycle
Incinerate

Incineration is supposed to be the last resort option but in the case of newspaper, which constitutes the major part of the waste that the public segregates for recycling, it appears that this is essentially going to be used to provide the bulk to feed the single mass burn incinerator.

If all the waste reduction techniques claimed to be available by the DLGE are employed, there will not be much to incinerate apart from paper and plastic, most of which is actually recycleable.