NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE
With just days to go to the Manx National Day there has been a further nationalist graffiti attack on the residence of the Isle of Mans Lt. Governor.
The Governor is the last vestige of English colonialism and despite calls over the years for a range of solutions to `the Governor problem' the anachronistic role continues.
Increasingly however the Governors position runs the risk of becoming a lightning conductor for impatience amongst younger nationalists with the Isle of Mans constitutional inertia.
It is just weeks since the entrances to Government House on the outskirts of Douglas were daubed with nationalist graffiti.
Despite reports that since that incident there has been heightened security measures the latest daubing seems to have been more carefully planned and more extensive. Police apparently had stepped up security around Tynwald Hill at St Johns where the National Day celebrations are focused apparently working on the theory that lightning (or in this case graffiti) does not strike twice in the same place. It has turned out to be an embarrassing error.
There will certainly be some red faces in Government, the Central Police Headquarters and Government House.
The Manx Government increasingly has no wriggle room in relation to constitutional development. If anything given the recent summons by David Cameron to the Chief Ministers of all the dependencies to the `headmasters study' for a caning over alleged taxation misdeeds the constitutional settlement has gone into reverse.
Meanwhile the Isle of Man Chief Constable, just hours before the latest high profile faux pas by his force, was peddling the security that current levels of policing provide.
Finally Government House has been busily engaged of late in boosting the profile of the current incumbent Lt Governor who had in recent months been something of an `invisible man'. All that effort obviously has not impressed the `nationalist night shift' at Government House.
Clearly this story will run and run for as long, that is, as the Isle of Man tolerates this absurd institution.
Still it is an ill wind as they say. With just four days to go until Tynwald Day no doubt police overtime seems assured!
Links here to media reports:
J B Moffatt (Mr)
Director of Information
01/07/13
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