Michael MHK Alfred Cannan has rejected a call from two senior government Ministers for him to step down as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.

Policy and Reform Minister Chris Robertshaw and Treasury Minister Eddie Teare claimed the backbench MHK had compromised his position by criticising the spending of over £750,000 on consultants to review the National Insurance Fund and welfare policy – an issue that is currently being investigated by the PAC.

Mr Teare said: ‘I feel he is conflicted now and he should do the honourable thing and step down.

‘You can’t have strong personal opinions on an issue and then sit on a committee that’s investigating it.’

Mr Cannan said he had no intention of resigning, adding he was perfectly entitled to express his personal opinions on matters of government policy.

‘I do not believe I have compromised my position,’ he told the Examiner.

Last week, Mr Cannan accused the Council of Ministers of pursuing ‘the politics of panic’ and ‘failing to prioritise policies’ after it announced all options need to considered to prevent the National Insurance Fund – which pays for state retirement pensions, the Manx pension supplement and other social security benefits – from collapsing by 2050.

He said this provided further evidence of a government ‘that has moved from the politics of plenty to the politics of panic’.

Priorities should have been to tackle expensive and inappropriate public sector pension schemes and an expensive legislature, he said.

The UK government actuary will report again next year on the sustainability of the National Insurance Fund, relating to the five-year period to March 2012.

‘Quite why the Council of Ministers has seen fit to authorise expenditure of over three quarters of a million pounds on consultants in this respect when we are already receiving these very expensive actuarial reports remains to be seen,’ he said.

But then in a press briefing, Ministers Robertshaw and Teare hit back at his comments.

Mr Teare said the UK government actuary reported on a very narrow issue – the sustainability of the National Insurance Fund – while consultants were brought in to look at the wider issue of social security and benefits.

He said: ‘What we have found through the latter piece of work is there have been considerable differences in claims experience over the last decade between the Isle of Man and the UK.

‘If we’d had a similar claims experience we’d have been spending on benefits – excluding pensions – over £14m a year less.

‘So if you put the money that’s been committed to this research in perspective, if we can close this gap with the UK, we could get that money within four weeks. Surely that’s good value.’

Speaking about public sector pension schemes, Mr Robertshaw said: ‘For the last two and a half years Mr Cannan was chairman of the Civil Service Commission and vice-chairman of the Public Sector Pensions Authority.

‘He was in the perfect position to bring forward reviews and assessments of where we should be going forward.

‘There was silence, we got nothing. Then within weeks of stepping down he accuses us of doing nothing.’

But Mr Cannan said: ‘The Council of Ministers knows full well the extent of the work that I undertook and they know full well my views that firmer action is required to provide stability and fairness in this respect.

‘These actions and my support for further reforms are well documented and indeed in January this year I gave unerring support to the Tynwald motion calling on the Government to bring forward proposals for change through a formal working group.

‘It is grossly inaccurate therefore for Minister Robertshaw to claim that he is responsible for initiating this review and indeed I note that he has failed on numerous occasions to contribute to this vital debate.’

The Department of Economic Development has been accused of snubbing a local business after favouring an off-island competitor.

Mark Wheeler, who formed ATT Services in October 2012 with help from the Small Business Start-Up Scheme, says preference should have been given to his aviation training firm to advertise three jobs connected with the Isle of Man Aircraft Registry.

The DED insists it made the right choice to maintain the Registry’ high standards.

Mr Wheeler said: ‘I remain shocked at their actions, especially considering my local Member of the House of Keys, John Shimmin, appears to dismiss his own electorate over and above his role with the DED by promoting and supporting off-island business.

‘This continually at the expense of a local business who can do it better and who interact directly with suitable professionals for the roles on a daily basis’.

Mr Wheeler contacted the DED in December when he saw it was advertising to replace retiring director of civil aviation Hartley Elder in Flight International magazine. He was told the use of a magazine offered the best possible outcome. In response, ATT Services launched a free digest, FL600, with a contact reach of over 12,000.

But he said despite that, no invitations to tender were made to Manx companies when two specialised management positions were then advertised in the magazine.

A DED spokesman said: ‘In this instance, the department’s first duty is to maintain the high standards we have created in the Aircraft Registry such that it can continue to support the growth of the business aviation services sector. The department is satisfied the choices made in recruiting the three specialist management positions were the right ones to meet this duty.’

He described Flight International as the world leading aviation magazine, distributing 25,000 hard copies to subscribers, issuing up to 10,000 digital copies monthly, and receiving over one million website visitors monthly.

The DED justified its use of UK recruitment consultants Berwick Partners, saying: ‘In such a specialist field, experience has shown it is very helpful to employ recruitment consultants with relevant expertise and knowledge of relevant candidates.’

ATT Services has a substantial network and market presence in the aviation sector providing marketing for training and career vacancies, events and news. Its new monthly digest of news and features has all current advertisements.

A 30-year-old man from St John’s has appeared in court following an incident in which a woman died.

Donovan Bradley Kitching was charged with several offences including causing death by dangerous driving after the incident at Tholt-y-Will on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Kitching appeared in court yesterday and was remanded in custody after his appearance and will next appear in court on Tuesday May 6. He is expected to be committed to the Court of General Gaol Delivery in due course.

A second man was arrested by police after the accident, which happened at around 4pm on the stretch of road around 200 yards above the reservoir entrance. He was later bailed pending further investigations.

Walker David Griffiths stumbled upon the aftermath of the accident after walking down from Druidale earlier in the afternoon.

‘I walked down past the reservoir and came out by the chapel and bridge some time around 5pm,’ he said.

‘I was going to walk across to the tearooms, then I saw a policewoman standing on the bridge looking down the river, and there were also two police dogs. Then a man came over who I took to be a local resident and he told me there had been a fatal road accident.’

A large number of vehicles parked up near the reservoir entrance suggested the location of the accident was perhaps a couple of hundred yards higher up the road above the reservoir.

‘As I walked back up I could see about half a dozen cars parked on the bend just above the plantation. I walked back to the car and drove along the Druidale Road towards Ballaugh and up at the top of the road there was another police car parked looking back towards Tholt-y-Will.’ he said.

A Tholt-y-Will resident said he had been out at the time of the accident and the road was closed when they tried to return.

‘We were allowed through to get back home around midnight,’ he said.

‘But I can’t say any more than that.’

The Tholt-y-Will road has been closed to through traffic since February while work is completed on a retaining wall near the tea rooms. It is due to re-open later this week.

Police have stressed the accident was unconnected with the classic sprint and hill climb taking place that day using the mountain road nearer Ramsey.

A minibus was damaged by a vandal on Saturday afternoon.

Between 2pm and 3pm a large stone was thrown at the white vehicle, which was parked on Laburnum Avenue, Pulrose, Douglas.

The impact caused a large window to smash and a dent to the door next to the window.

Mark Cavendish sprinted to his third victory in four days at the Tour of Turkey on Wednesday afternoon.

Following excellent back-to-back victories in the opening two stages, Cav relinquished the leader’s blue jersey in Tuesday’s

184.7km mountain stage from Finike to Elmali when he finished in 113th, although he retained the points jersey.

In Wednesday’s stage the Manx Missile was superbly led-out by his Omega Pharma Quick-Step team-mates and he coasted to another emphatic victory.

The Manx public are being offered the chance to have their say on election law.

The move comes after the Douglas East by-election scandal in 2010, in which candidate and television chef Kevin Woodford’s campaign had financial backers whose identities were secret.

Mr Woodford’s campaign manager, {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/election-trial-sentencing-buster-lewin-jailed-1-5236175|Charles ‘Buster’ Lewin was later jailed} for conspiring dishonestly to secure proxy votes for Mr Woodford, conspiring to steal and conspiring to forge a document.

The government’s Cabinet Office today launched an eight-week public consultation on a Bill to update the law governing House of Keys elections, and ‘to promote the transparency and integrity of the election process.

The Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill includes proposals from an independent review following the East Douglas by-election, some of which were incorporated in previous legislation which ran out of time before the 2011 General Election.

The Bill requires candidates to declare publicly any campaign funding they receive, and to refuse donations made anonymously.

It also provides for the registration of political parties intending to support or nominate candidates, and for a limit on the amount that can be spent on a candidate’s campaign (a maximum of £2,000 plus 50p per registered elector, in the twelve months prior to an election).

The Bill replaces the term ‘absent voting’ with ‘advance voting’ to make it clearer that this option is open to any elector, regardless of their ability to attend a polling station on polling day. It restricts the availability of ‘proxy’ voting to those who cannot vote in person or by advance vote.

In addition the Bill extends the criteria that disqualify persons from standing for election, and provides for manifestos and election notices to be displayed on the government website.

The consultation on the Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill 2014 runs from today until Friday June 27.

The Council of Ministers says it would also welcome comments on detailed Representation of the People Regulations which would be made following Royal Assent for the Bill.

The consultation document and other documents can be found {http://tinyurl.com/ohle7dc|on the government’s website.}

Soundcheck, the music project run by the Department of Education and Children’s Youth Service, has been granted charitable status.

The move gives the project the chance to raise funds to extend its sessions and plan more ambitious achievements.

Lieutenant Governor Adam Wood hosted the launch of Soundcheck in its new format last Wednesday with a reception at Government House.

He has agreed to be the charity’s patron, continuing an association with the project that began last October, when he formally opened Soundcheck’s recording studio at the Youth Arts Centre in Kensington Road, Douglas.

At the reception, five of Soundcheck’s acoustic acts, Callum Felmeri, Azariah, Alice Dudley, Marc McCabe O’Kelly and Emily Devereau, performed. The project’s sound and lighting team also demonstrated its skills.

Soundcheck is in its 20th year and operates in Douglas, Peel, Ramsey and Castletown, offering young people aged 11 to 19 rehearsal space, instrument use, PA equipment, advice and support.

The studio allows Soundcheck acts to record their music and release tracks in their own right using the Soundcheck record label. The project distributed copies of its new compilation CD last week.

Chairman of the new charity is Rushen MHK Laurence Skelly, secretary is DEC Youth Officer Dave Hattersley and trustees are musician Jonno Gollow, Katie King of Manx National Heritage, Chloe Woolley of Culture Vannin, Peter Young of Event Solutions, music teacher Natalie Evans and Carey Chung.

Resurfacing works of the TT Course through Kirk Michael village are taking place in response to feedback from race competitors.

The Department of Infrastructure is confident that the improved surface will be ready in time for the TT.

And it took to social media sites earlier this week to allay concerns of residents that the work had been left too late.

Following discussions with TT organisers ACU Events Ltd, preparation works started about a week ago, with the resurfacing getting under way on Monday. It is due to be completed by Friday.

DoI civil maintenance manager Alan Hardinge explained that a different application was being used to the traditional tar and chip.

Micro-asphalt is applied in two layers.

The first is a levelling course to remove the undulations. Mr Hardinge admitted this ‘doesn’t look very pretty’.

The final layer is then added, which he said bedded in ‘fairly quickly’.

The section will be monitored by the course inspection officer, and if the road needs sweeping before or during the event this work will be carried out.

He said that both tar and chip and micro-asphalt were both temperature dependent for their application.

‘That’s why we have to wait until close to the event. If we experience lower temperatures the material doesn’t cure quickly enough.’

The Mountain Road will be closed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week between the Creg-ny-Baa and Barrule Park, to allow for planned maintenance to take place in preparation for this year’s TT Races.

If the works are delayed due to the weather, the road closure order makes provision for the works to continue on May 13 to 15 if necessary.

The road will be closed between 9.30am and 4.30pm daily, although when weather conditions prevent work from taking place, the road will be open as normal.

Various other works will be undertaken during the road closure, such as patching, line remarking, verge marker maintenance, painting of the bridges/kerbs and preparation for temporary signage.

The closure of the Mountain Road during the works is necessary as a safety precaution because a considerable amount of the work involves the workforce carrying out tasks at the side or centre of the road and the manoeuvring of heavy vehicles and plant will be taking place.

The Department of Infrastructure apologised for any disruption and trusted that drivers would ‘appreciate the need to take these precautions’.

Applications can now be made for pre-school credit for 2014/15.

The scheme provides £350 towards the cost of pre-school to all parents of children who reach their fourth birthday between September 1, 2014 and August 31, 2015.

An additional £800 is available to parents in receipt of Employed Person’s Allowance, Income Support or Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.

The credit – which is issued in the form of a certificate – can be used with registered providers of child day-care who offer a pre-school provision.

Up to half of the total credit can be used between September 2014 and February 2015 and the remaining balance, or the whole amount, can be used between March 2015 and August 2015.

Parents can apply on the {http://www.gov.im/categories/education,-training-and-careers/pre-school/government website}.

Online applications are dealt with more speedily than paper applications as there is less processing involved.

Alternatively, copies of the application form are available from the Welcome Centre at the Sea Terminal, Douglas, the Department of Education and Children’s office at Hamilton House, Peel Road, Douglas, or by ringing 693838.

Completed forms can be emailed to Pre-SchoolCredit.DEC3@doe.gov.im or posted to: Department of Education and Children, Hamilton House, Peel Road, Douglas, IM1 5EZ.

A list of registered providers of child daycare who offer pre-school provision is available via the same weblink and from the Department of Health and Social Care’s Registration and Inspections Unit, 4th Floor, Markwell House, Market Street, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2RZ. Tel: 01624 642422.

The website also answers frequently asked questions {https://www.gov.im/categories/education,-training-and-careers/pre-school/pre-school-credit-scheme-faqs/here}.

The government-funded scheme was launched after the government ceased to provide pre-school places in 2012. It means all children can access pre-school.

In the 2012-13 academic year, a total of 899 certificates were issued to parents of children having their fourth birthday during the year. Of these, 670 certificates were at the standard credit amount of £350, while 229 parents received the higher rate of £1,150 (or a reduced amount where there was only a part-year entitlement to these benefits).

So far during the 2013-14 academic year, 870 certificates have been issued, 637 at the standard rate and 233 at the higher rate.

Parents who still wish to apply for credit for the current academic year can do so online via the link above.

Representatives from 50 business customers were given helpful insights into how to protect themselves from fraud and to stay safe online at a seminar hosted by RBS International at Royal Bank House in Douglas last week.

The bank’s corporate service delivery managers invited a range of customers, including corporate services providers, solicitors, accountants and small business owners to hear from Sophie Urquhart, a specialist in the field from the RBS security and resilience division in London.

The ‘Fraud Awareness Presentation’ included tips on how to reduce the possibility of payment, invoice, cheque, and credit card fraud as well as providing guidance on how to spot electronic viruses.

It also highlighted the importance of keeping software up to date to reduce the risk of virus infection and other best practice measures for staying safe online.

In the presentation, Sophie confirmed that in the UK nearly one in three businesses had been the victim of cyber security and fraud during the past 12 months with social engineering seen as an emerging technique.

Customers had the opportunity to hear about recent trends and how firms needed to remain vigilant to help counter these threats.

Jane Howland, head of service corporate banking, said: ‘As a bank we are seeing more and more examples of attempted fraud.

‘It can be so easy to become complacent and assume it doesn’t happen in the Isle of Man, but we feel it is important to share examples of the kind of frauds we are seeing locally with our customers and advise them on how to take steps to avoid them.

‘We place great importance in raising customer awareness and working as a team to help us say no to fraud!’

The bank was delighted by the interest shown by clients and feedback received has been extremely positive.

Manxaid is holding a Carnival Fun Day on Sunday, May 4, from 11am to 5pm at Noble’s Park.

The day will include carnival games, a variety of stalls, live local entertainers, hot food and Gypsy King.

Admission is free and there will be fun and games for all the family.

For further information visit the charity’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ManxaidCharity

Official minority status similar to that granted to the English county of Cornwall could not apply to the Isle of Man and would probably offer little benefit even if it could.

The opinions are those of Manx advocate Paul Beckett and Bernard Moffatt of the Celtic League.

Minority status in Cornwall means the government has to combat discrimination and promote equality for the Cornish people and, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph, government must guarantee access to media, the arts and the Cornish language.

Mr Beckett pointed out the island is not part of the UK and could not therefore be covered by the UK Equality Act and - as a nation in its own right - the island could not be designated a minority nation within another.

Mr Moffatt said Cornwall would benefit from extra UK government funding and possibly EU funding as well to support its culture, arts and language. But as an independent nation, he said the Isle of Man already received quite generous Manx language funding from the government: ‘We hope that will continue as we come out of recession but there will be no chance of EU funding.’

He said support from the Manx government had given an immense boost to the Manx language and he hoped the support would have a similar effect on the Cornish language.

‘What we want to avoid are the stereotypes with cream teas and pasties - here it was always kippers and cats with no tails - and focus on the important things.’

Hundreds of Dashers are expected to show their support for Breakthrough Breast Cancer at this year’s Bra Dashes.

They will take to the streets of Douglas, Peel, Castletown and Ramsey on Friday and Saturday wearing colourful bras.

Angie Aire, chairman of the island’s Breakthrough group, said: ‘This is a very special year for our Bra Dashes as its our 10th year. We thought it would be a one off event, but Dashers keep coming back for more.

‘So pop on a bra and turn up at the start of one or why not two Dashes. It’s not a race, it’s a fun Dash, you can run, walk, stroll or roll around.’

She added: ‘Behind the fun events we bring an important message by raising awareness of this disease, because early diagnosis saves lives.’

The first Dash, started by Douglas Mayor Carol Malarkey and Mayoress Sara Hackman, starts from the Marks and Spencer car park entrance, in Drumgold Street, Douglas, at 1.15pm on Friday.

Marshals will guide dashers round the roadworks

Fifteen minutes later, Castletown Dash starts from the Market Square. On Saturday, Peel Dashers leave the Market Place at 11.30am. An hour later, Ramsey Bra Dash starts at Shoprite.

Dashers must take care, respect pedestrians and shoppers, and slow down at roadworks.

Lloyds Banking, which is turning pink for the week, sponsors prizes for the best dressed team, fastest/best Dasher, best dressed Dasher and best dressed child.

Island director and head of operations Peter Reid said: ‘The whole bank gets involved in helping to prepare and support the Dashes. We really hope the island continues to support this fantastic event.’

The Sulby Glen Road is re-opening ahead of schedule following the completion of a major scheme to rebuild the retaining wall, stabilise the soil slope and resurface the carriageway.

Work on the section of the A14 near to Tholt-y-Will started on February 17 and was expected to take 12 weeks. However, the road will re-open from 4.30pm today (Thursday), after the repairs were finished earlier than anticipated.

The closure of the road was necessary in order to replace the existing Manx stone retaining wall and protect the carriageway, which was at risk of collapse because of the instability of the tree-lined slope.

The complex engineering project involved the use of more than 50 soil nails, 24 mini piles and 300 square metres of rock netting, as well as the resurfacing of the carriageway.

Contractors worked closely with Manx Utilities throughout the scheme to protect the raw water main feeding the treatment works from the Sulby reservoir.

John Houghton MHK, Member of the Department of Infrastructure with responsibility for Highways and Operations, said: ‘This was a very challenging project, exacerbated by the instability of the retaining wall at the side of the road. I am pleased the work has been completed ahead of schedule and would like to thank local residents and business owners for their patience and understanding.’

The Manx Independent highlights another ludicrous aspect of the toilet tax this week.

We find residents who have to pay £50 living yards from those who have to pay £1.

The story is on page 1 of the paper.

We also give our views about it in our editorial comment column on the letters page.

Also this week:

We highlight the campaign to raise money for a dedicated breast care unit.

The Independent reveals that hopes are fading for any payout for a festival that never happened. {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/fans-still-waiting-for-festival-ticket-refund-1-5935528|Click here to read a past story about it.)

On page 5, the paper reports on a suggestion that the island should relax its cannabis laws.

A Manx company tells us that it hired a bankrupt who’s been at the centre of a controversy in the UK.

We report on the latest about an attempt to reform the domestic rates system.

Our reporter was in court to hear about a teenager who bit a bouncer’s leg.

TT star Michael Dunlop is at the centre of injury fears.

A very sad funeral took place this week. It was of a man whose body has never been identified. Our report is in the paper.

Peter Karran tells us that he doesn’t believe that harbours are being maintained well enough.

On page 17, we have a fantastic collection of photos from the Manx Classic. Chief photographer John Maddrell captured the moment when one car burst into flames.

Our Island Life supplement includes the latest from the Guild.

There’s 12 action-packed pages of sport.

And among the letters published from readers, the Ballasalla and District Residents’ Association criticises last week’s Manx Independent comment column.

The Manx Independent is in the shops now.

A woman who spoke to police on the afternoon of Saturday’s fatal road accident on the Tholt-y-Will road might be able to help more with the investigation.

She spoke to the police officer near the Bungalow.

Detective Inspector Mark Newey said: ‘I am now aware of a lady who spoke to the police officer near the Bungalow after the dark blue Ford Focus he had been dealing with had left.

‘The description I have of the lady is that she was possibly in her mid-40s with light brown or strawberry blonde hair which was cut into a “sharp” bobbed style.

‘The lady was asking directions and I would ask that she contacts the police or if someone else knows who the lady was, possibly a friend visiting, then they too contact the police as I believe she may be able to assist with our inquiries.’

Police headquarters’ telephone number is 631212.

{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/woman-dies-as-walk-in-country-ends-in-tragedy-1-6587907|Click here to read a past report about the incident.}

This week, campaigner C.A. (Tony) Brown questions the definition of economic ‘progress’

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Various news items over the past few weeks have exemplified a range of problems that society will have to face over the next few decades – and I’m not just talking about resource decline and environmental degradation.

According to projections from the United Nations, as the world’s population increases from 7 billion to 9.3 billion by 2050, urban population will rise from an already unwieldy 3.6 billion to 6.3 billion.

It’s not too hard to imagine that city life could become ever more unbearable as gridlock, pollution, crime and social breakdown are likely to escalate considerably – unless there is a major rethink on how we live, work , travel and play.

On the subject of population growth, the Institute of Economic Affairs has warned that official calculations regarding future pensions and healthcare liabilities have failed to factor in the needs of an ageing population.

It calculated that on present spending in the UK, there will be a shortfall of 25 per cent and within two years taxes would have to rise from 13.5 per cent of GDP to 17 per cent, or to £300 billion per annum in order to meet future spending commitments.

This would increase taxes from 38 per cent to 55 per cent of national income.

The alternative would be 25 per cent spending cuts, and possible social unrest, as opposed to less investment if taxes rise.

That’s a case of a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea, in economic terms.

The Isle of Man has more scope to raise taxes, but with the risk of an exodus on the part of some ‘high net worth’ and/or ‘high wealth-producing’ individuals – and those companies presently enjoying a zero per cent income tax rate.

However, if policies continue to keep eroding social funding, we too could experience this social unrest.

In an article appearing in the Telegraph’s business section, a book was put forward as being worth a read: ‘The Second Machine Age’ (Brynjolfsson and McAfee).

It questions what new jobs could appear if advances in computer technology, robotics and artificial intelligence continue apace.

As a worst case scenario, any new jobs for the growing number of unemployed people may only provide wages so low as to be below the socially accepted norm – even below subsistence level, meaning that the state would have to provide suport for those in work as well as those millions permanently unemployed.

Will a similar scenario apply to our island, as e-commerce continues to make inroads?

However, as energy prices escalate and machines become less economic to run, it may eventually become cheaper to re-employ humans at reasonable wages – it’s questionable whether that constitutes ‘progress’ in our materialistically-oriented civilisation, of course.

The news item that really caught my eye, though, was the prediction by Which? magazine that household energy bills (a political hot potato) will have to rise by as much as £640 a year to cover the future costs of £118 billion on new infrastructure between now and 2020.

This will include new power stations (gas, nuclear and perhaps biomass), upgrading and replacing grid networks and erecting wind farms and the like.

The Isle of Man would not be immune to these higher costs, as we continue to rely on imported gas and electricity, so perhaps this could provide an impetus to instigate policies which will make us more self-sufficient in energy sooner rather than later – together with the necessary policies and incentives to lower consumption.

Some hard times lie ahead, it seems, and progressively more so for our children and grandchildren, essentially caused by our flawed concept of what constitutes ‘progress’ over the last 60 years or so.

Its pursuit has resulted in extensive environmental degradation, unsustainable resource depletion and – potentially – an unresolvable financial and social crisis.

It’s time for a rethink.

The middle-aged lady coming off the shore at Douglas accompanied by her little dog approached me in some distress.

‘Oh Mr Cringle,’ she gasped. ‘I’m so sorry to have to tell you. Your rock is disappearing. It’s sinking slowly down and down into the sand. It’s nothing like the height it used to be. It’s almost gone completely.’

She hurried away along the promenade. Her dog, on its lead, also looked grief-stricken.

When the weather is fine and the tide is well out, I often walk out to Cringle’s Rock just to check that all is well with it and there haven’t been too many worshippers out there praying to it. Now it seemed that this visit was a timely one.

On site it seemed that my rock really was vanishing, sinking. Its top was not much more than a foot above the level of sand surrounding it where normally it stood high and proud.

This meant it would have to be removed from the Ordnance Survey map of Douglas. I would have to go back to the Department of Intrastructure Mapping Division, who put it on the map, and ask them to rub it out again.

Of course, it was not as bad as it looked. Seasoned island men like myself know that the answer is obvious. Ladies don’t.

The rock was not heading slowly and inexorably down to the earth’s core. The sands of Douglas beach are constantly shifting under the daily action of the tides. Soon my rock will rise again as the sand recedes and it will be its old self and, I’m afraid to say, it will again be too high for me to clamber on top of.

But it’s not all bad. Fortunately, at the moment, I can now step up on to it with little or no trouble at all. It makes me feel young again, like the seven-year-old boy who named it for himself all that time ago.

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Dave Sharp has been on to point to a headline in the Examiner saying: ‘Thirteen face court for driving on phone.’ No, they’re all right. It’s a mobile phone. I have also had an email from Nick Douglas in Belfast to point out an Examiner website story headlined: ‘Ring-tailed lemur on the loose is spotted.’

Nick asks: ‘Shouldn’t it be sort of stripey?’

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Sara Goodwins, of Loaghtan Books at Maughold, who is getting to be one of my regulars, tells me: ‘I was in the UK recently and on a bus I overheard a lady say to her companion: “ . . . and it’s not easy getting a budgerigar out of a treacle tart . . .” Unfortunately she then got off so I don’t know the end!’ Personally I think it must have been even harder to get the budgie in the treacle tart in the first place.’

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Back to boats or ferries. Sean, Cheryl and Amber email to say: ‘The clue is in the name of the Steam Packet Company. Steam from the type of engine used in the original boats (you’re not old enough to remember them, but nearly), Packet, packets of mail sent on the boat. They are packet boats. So there!’

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Sue in Peel sends this Manx crossword clue from the Daily Mail: ‘Tailless mammal and its habitat (3) – Man.’

Many more to come.

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Last week the last line of the church notice was missing. It should have been ‘For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.’ This week’s is: ‘Next Thursday there will be try-outs for the choir. They need all the help they can get.’

Gymns all but sealed the JCK Division Two title on Wednesday night with a 4-0 win at Foxdale.

The victory, coupled with Marown’s defeat at Ayre, means the Tromode outfit cannot be bettered on points at the top of the league, with nearest rivals Colby and Ayre only able to match Gymns’ current total of 52 points.

This means Jonathan Broad’s champions elect can only be denied the crown now if there’s a 20-plus swing in goal difference in the other two sides’ favour. This is unlikely with Colby playing Marown and Ayre facing Onchan in their respective final games.

Gymns themselves have the luxury of two more fixtures left to play against Ronaldsway and Onchan.

At Billy Goat Park, Gymns enjoyed large swathes of possession throughout most of the match and nearly opened the scoring when Marek Mrvan’s early strike hit the crossbar.

However, the Tromode side made it count in the 21st minute when Mark Connor’s looping header found the roof of the net.

Connor was on target again three minutes later after Conor Dempsey collected a pass on the left. The latter’s centre picked out the Gymnasium number six who directed his effort into the opposing goal.

The visitors had to wait until the 72 minute to find the target for a third time. Connor was again involved - his cross from the right deflected off a Foxdale player before spinning inside the far post and into the net.

A fourth was added in the closing stages following a cut-back from the right, which Connor lashed in from close range to complete hat-trick.

The race to secure the division’s other promotion spot looks is a three-way fight between Marown, Ayre and Colby.

The Tangerines boosted their hopes with a 2-1 win over a Marown side that still has three games left to play. Douglas Royal’s hopes of Premier League football next season were dashed by Pulrose who beat the Ballafletcher outfit 5-4 at Springfield Road, Barry English (2) and Dave Skillen (3) doing the damage for United.

In the second tier’s other game, Onchan beat Malew 3-1.

Wednesday, April 30

JCK Division Two

Ayre 2-1 Marown

Malew 1-3 Onchan

Pulrose 5-4 Douglas Royal

Foxdale 0-4 Gymns