One year ago I posed the same question that I repeat now: ‘What planet is our Isle of Man, and our politicians in particular, on?’
We have a shortage of teachers in our schools, we have our medical services at breaking point with the hospitals understaffed as well as an acute shortage of dentists which no doubt will impact on dental health in a generation’s time ... yet our head-in-the-sand politicians are wanting to increase our population by 20% up to 100,000.
We have local people struggling this winter trying to cope with increased heating costs ... yet several of our pigs-in-the-trough politicians are taking themselves off to Guernsey supposedly to see how their political setup works. Have they not heard of Zoom meetings instead of them costing the taxpayers thousands of pounds?
In 2015 officials travelled to New Zealand for exactly the same purpose. I wonder what, if anything, came out of that costly trip especially when friends out there asked me then – and now – why they were going when the NZ health services were in such a dire situation.
MHKs surely seek election with their eyes wide open to the pros – and cons – such a position holds.
I am aghast therefore that two politicians who were voted out at the last election (presumably because they were useless) should win a claim for no less than £33,000 of damages each as they cried that they would probably not get new jobs because of their ages.
Talk about moving the goalposts as what they say is absolute drivel given that I know of many ‘ordinary folk’ of the same ages who have gained new employment simply by going out to look for it.
Well, it certainly does on our island, especially when it comes to benefit claim fraud, something that robs money from the pockets of every one of us taxpayers.
Recently we read about someone who overclaimed almost £53,000 over a three-year period – an oversight apparently!
In my opinion that money should have been repaid over the same length of time but, no, the courts said it could be repaid at £20 per week over 50 years – by which time the fraudster will be almost 110 years old.
I just do not understand where my beloved island is heading and, though I am far too old to put myself forward for election to the Keys, I will certainly be starting to ask more questions.
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