Break out the champagne and blow up some balloons, Tynwald is back in action today!

Hang on, put the champers back on ice, the balloons back in their bag. It’s nearly all about Brexit.

The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture obtained leave for an extra sitting of Tynwald, a week early, in order to push through legislation to cope with no deal, whatever deal, any deal.

So, after a break that has lasted twice as long as Manchester United’s Premier League title chances, the honourable members are back.

Much has changed. Since the last time Tynwald sat, the UK has got itself a new Prime Minister, for instance.

It is tempting, given the events across the water, to speculate that there’s still time for another change of occupant in Downing Street before our good politicians take their seats.

But that is ignoring the fact that the current inhabitant is a Teflon-coated narcissist who is impervious to criticism and considers himself above the law. Rather like it is widely believed a cockroach would survive a nuclear holocaust, I suspect that whatever political Armageddon may befall the United Kingdom, the one person who will come out of it relatively unscathed will be Boorish Johnson.

He’s dragged the Isle of Man into it in more ways than one, too. Firstly with kipper tomfoolery and then, perhaps thanks to his masterful handling of Brexit, being partly behind the need for this extra sitting.

Our parliamentarians are returning to action to ensure that new laws relating to the sale of animals and animal products between the Isle of Man, the UK and Europe, are in place ahead of Brexit.

The Isle of Man needs to have legislation confirmed before a meeting later this week at which the island’s ’third country’ status is considered.

Non-EU member state countries may be granted the status of third country for importing products into the EU, which would allow exports from the island to the EU to be processed more quickly and subject to a lower level of checks than would otherwise occur.

Environment Minister Geoffrey Boot is hoping this ’extraordinary sitting’, to give it the official title, means the legislation will be in place to give assurance to the UK and the EU that the Isle of Man meets the required regulatory standards.

And although members have only one week further to wait for the originally scheduled return of Tynwald, the presence of radio microphones means the opportunity for some questions to be tabled for today has not been passed up.

In fairness, most are in the Brexit spirit. Lawrie Hooper (LibVannin, Ramsey) has a number of queries about measures to mitigate the impact of Brexit on things such as food supply and prices, along with medical supplies.

But it’s not all about the B word, you will be relieved to hear. Jason Moorhouse (Arbory, Castletown and Malew) wants to know about rates reform, while Tim Baker (Ayre and Michael) is inquiring about the national broadband strategy and about the restructuring of services for private patients at Noble’s Hospital.

Added to the initial agenda is an urgent question from Martyn Perkins (Garff), asking Chief Minister Howard Quayle to make a statement on the Laxey floods. That is likely to be the first of many questions on the matter.