NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE
The Manx government at the time we signed up to protocol 3 of the Treaty of Rome (i.e. the European Community) in 1972 said we were getting the ?best of both worlds? we were neither in nor out.
People were sceptical the government of the day was not much respected and the arrival on our shores of the first spivs and speculators added that first tarnish of sleaze that has been burnished to a fine finish since so that today the spivs and business conmen are an integral component of our society!
There was another thing about the government which at that time was not structured in Departments and did not have grand titles like ?Chief Minister? and ?Minister? no one really took it that seriously.
However after our ?arrival? on the European scene there was ?no looking back? the much vaunted period of growth that Allan Bell warbles on about commenced.
Eventually the government gave themselves titles and in tandem with the economic growth their empires (the Departments grew). Some did very nicely out of the boom especially the spivs and speculators and then about six years ago it all unravelled.
It turned out that despite years of growth we were bust and the hoi-polloi would have to pay to get us back on track.
I have never been able to square the Bell government narrative. We are doing well, there?s still growth, unemployment is low, but for a developed economy we have some of the highest living costs in these Islands. Food, Energy prices, Public Services everything are all much more expensive than elsewhere.
Globally believe it or not the world is about to benefit from the biggest crash in oil prices for decades.
This is what finance news source Bloomberg said today:
?Optimists argue that cheap oil is a good thing for consumers and commodity-sensitive businesses, while pessimists point to the hit to energy-related investment and possible spillover into the financial system.
A new note from Francisco Blanch at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, however, puts the oil move into a much bigger perspective, arguing that a sustained price plunge “will push back $3 trillion a year from oil producers to global consumers, setting the stage for one of the largest transfers of wealth in human history.” (link):
So it seems that global economic optimism is on the rise because a veritable flood of money is about to stimulate growth.
Meanwhile what are we doing? We are digging into our reserves (or should I say the government are) to keep our economy afloat. Another 50 million for the spivs and speculators!
Best of both worlds my backside. We got short changed 40 years ago. We never got the best of both worlds then and we are certainly getting ?the worst of all worlds? now.
One thing hasn?t changed the Manx government is still as devious and duplicitous as it?s always been!
Graphic; The Nixon poster seems strangely apposite to our situation!
BERNARD MOFFATT
Issued by: The Celtic News
01/02/16
THE CELTIC LEAGUE INFORMATION SERVICE.
The Celtic League established in 1961 has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It promotes cooperation between the countries and campaigns on a range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights human rights abuse, military activity and socio-economic issues
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