’I swear that the evidence I shall give, will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth’.

And I mean every word.

Yeah, right.

This little vow is a guarantee and a declaration of your honesty and promise while you are under oath in a court of law.

So it must be true. You have given your word.

I well remember doing a spot of entertainment in a local parish church.

Now, you may have been to an ’Evening with Pullyman’ and remember that you are quite likely to hear a mild swear word or two in amongst the literary delights provided by the guest poets.

To my way of thinking, this would mean an occasional ’bloody’ or a ’damn’.

That would be perfectly OK in a parish hall, but I’m aware that it’s not really suitable for the local church.

With this in mind, I thought it would be wise to have a quick word on the vicar to ask his advice on the use of an occasional ’dodgy’ bleeper.

His reply was not what I expected, and I quote:

’As far as I am concerned, you can say what you ******* like.’

Not only was his reply unexpected, it was most definitely not whispered.

The last reported sighting of the ex-vicar was that he was seen studying the window of a local employment agency.

The public’s attitude to swearing has completely changed in the last few years.

Do you remember the first screening of the original ’Dam Busters’ film?

There was a close up of one of the aircraft on its final approach to the target, namely the dam, when the two pilots in the cockpit were just about to drop their bombs.

All of a sudden there was one of the most violent scenes of turbulence and anti-aircraft fire that the special effects technicians of the day could produce.

I can well remember the re-action of the pilots and the shocked intakes of breath from the audience when the actors, bouncing around in their mocked-up Lancaster, actually used bad language.

The offending phrase was, and again I quote: ’This is bloody dangerous!’

Now this film was on release during the late 1950s when any use of ’bad’ language was frowned upon.

But fast forward a few years and open your eyes (and ears).

It’s pretty obvious that times really are changing.

Even in our little Pullyman shows the changes are closing in.

The poet, after all, has to have a chuckle up his sleeve just in case of emergencies.

I find only slight demand for some of the new verbal tricks of the trade, but even Baden Powell was wise to be ready for the ’Just in Case’ situation.

All things change.

Ask any war-time bomber pilot that you happen to bump to.

In his day, I think that he would be more embarrassed if he heard what was said on the upper deck of the school bus.

I always have enjoyed public speaking.

It gives you the opportunity to entertain, the opportunity to make a point of view, and the opportunity to spread your word.

It is a privilege.

But this hard-earned privilege also brings a certain level of responsibility.

It is nearly time for the general election and very soon, the people of the Isle of Man will be asked to choose a new set of politicians.

Sixty or so brave candidates will offer you the chance to give 24 new Members of the House of Keys your vote to represent them.

And it was only a few short weeks ago that the general public were asked to vote for their choices of candidate in the local government elections.

Some of those who were successful, will be surprised by the reality of public election.

Enjoy the ride.

You never know. It may just be worth the effort.