The Select Committee on the Operation of the Jury System will be holding an oral evidence session today (Tuesday) at 4pm in the Legislative Council Chamber.
Evidence will be taken from Deemster Montgomerie, who will be accompanied by Stephen Cregeen, Chief Registrar.
The evidence will be taken in public.
This year the Isle of Man Welsh Society’s celebration of St David’s Day will be held not on March 1 itself, but on Sunday February 28, at 1.15pm at the Edward’s Restaurant, King Edward Bay Golf Club, Onchan.
Anyone with Welsh links and their friends are welcome.
The cost of the meal, with three courses, is £21.
The society’s secretary, Ann Pilling, can give more details and menu choices.
Her phone number is 622279.
The Queen Elizabeth II High School Association family quiz night will take place at the main school hall on Friday, February 19, from 7pm till 9pm.
Teams should be a maximum of six people and the cost is £3 per adult and 50p per child.
It will help raise funds for the Peel school.Bring your own beverages. There will also be a raffle on the night.
The Isle of Man Pop Quiz Championship is to be held in aid of the Douglas Mayoral Charity Appeal and thus supporting the Isle of Man Breast Cancer Unit, RNLI and Junior Achievement.
It will take place on Friday, March 11, at the Manx Legion Club, Douglas. from 7pm.
It will cost £25 for a team of four, which includes a buffet.
Teams can enter by texting Paul Cain on 200260.
The Manx Blind Welfare Society is appealing for the return of a number of audio books missing from its library.
After a recent stocktake, the charity discovered that a number of audio books, on cassette tapes and MP3 memory sticks, had been borrowed and not brought back from its Corrin Court headquarters in Onchan.
The society’s library should have over 4,500 audio books available for its members to enjoy.
Volunteers coordinator and events organiser Debbie Thomson said: ‘The library is one of most used services the Society offers to visually impaired people in the island.
‘It may be that people have forgotten and then been too embarrassed to return [the books] many months later or, sadly, the person who borrowed the book may have passed away and their family have not realised where it came from.
‘Audio books can be expensive and as a charity which relies entirely on donations from the public to run our services we cannot afford to replace all the missing titles.
‘We are not asking for donations of new books, just that anyone who has forgotten to return a book, or finds one at home or among a relative or friends belongings, just drops it into Corrin Court. They won’t be charged any late fees and it won’t affect a member’s ability to continue borrowing.’
Audio books are marked with a label featuring the society’s name and address. They can be returned to the reception at Corrin Court between 9am and 5pm on weekdays.
Children at a Braddan nursery were treated to a visit from two of the island’s police dogs.
Police dogs Cooper and Pippin meet children from the Mooinjer Veggey Nursery in Braddan.
PC Niall Killey and Cooper are pictured with PC Michael Dougherty and Pippin.
Shennaghys Jiu festival organisers are searching for up and coming talent for an open mic session as part of this year’s event.
The Celtic youth festival is introducing the open mic element to their bands night, with short slots available for players/groups of up to four members, at Bar Logo, in Ramsey, on March 28.
The committee is particularly keen to encourage new groups, music and arrangements.
The festival line-up and programme will be revealed soon.
Contact manxmusic@culturevannin.im
Santon inventor and horologist Dr John Taylor has been included in Gilly Pickup’s new book What the British Invented: From the Great to the Downright Bonkers.
His Chronophage clocks use a unique mechanism, forcing the watcher to change the way they think about, and read, time.
Gilly said: ‘British inventors have led the world with their ingenious ideas. Dr Taylor is a prime example. Before his Chronophage series was created, mechanical clocks had worked in much the same way for hundreds of years.’
Mark Cavendish claimed his first victory for Team Dimension Data in the opening stage of the Tour of Qatar on Monday.
The Manx Missile narrowly missed out on his maiden Dimension win when he finished second and third during the Tour of Dubai last week to sprint rival Marcel Kittel.
However, he made sure he got off the mark with a trademark sprint finish at the end of the 176-kilometre stage from Dukhan to Al Khor Corniche in the Arabian country.
The Manxman formed part of a 21-man breakaway which split from the main peloton early in the race and managed to stay clear for the remainder of the opening stage.
With team-mates Edvald Boasson Hagen and Tyler Farrar in support in the break, Dimension Data were able to safely protect the Manxman and deliver him to the finish.
There the manxman bided his time before launching for the finishline and sprinting clear of Italian rider Sacha Modolo.
Another Italian, Andrea Guardini was third ahead of Irish rider Sam Bennett in fourth and Alexander Kristoff fifth ahead of Boasson Hagen in sixth.
Firefighters tackled a chimney blaze in Douglas on Monday, causing problems at rush hour.
They were called at 5.05pm to Head Road after a smoke was spotted.
Fire crews were unable to put the fire out by using chimney rods and hose reel from the grate, so they called for an aerial ladder platform to attack the fire from the stack. That meant the road to Douglas Head had to be closed due to the size of the appliance.
The fire service thanked people who were inconvenienced by the road closure, especially those waiting to return home during rush hour.
People should get their chimneys swept often to avoid accidental fires.
The Manx government is conducting an online survey to gauge the level of support for a proposal to lower the drink-drive limit.
People can vote yes or no to the principle of reducing the maximum blood alcohol content for drivers to 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.
This is the level in place in Scotland and in many European countries.
{https://www.gov.im/ConsultationDetail.gov?id=559|Complete the survey here}
The present drink-drive limit in the Isle of Man is 80mg per 100ml, which is the same as in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
People can register their views on the issue via the online survey which also outlines some of the medical research behind the proposal.
Consideration of the drink-drive limit is part of a wider public consultation on plans to modernise key elements of the Isle of Man’s road traffic laws. The Road Traffic Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2016 is aimed at improving road safety, simplifying processes and reducing bureaucracy.
Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne MHK said: ‘The Department of Infrastructure has a completely open mind on the proposal to lower the alcohol limit for drivers. There is sufficiently strong evidence to indicate that lowering the maximum blood alcohol content does reduce the likelihood of drink-related road injuries and deaths.
‘This is particularly evident among young drivers aged between 18 and 25. However, the department also recognises that there are benefits to retaining the current limit and is mindful of the potential impact of the proposal on the hospitality sector.’
He added: ‘I would encourage people to let us know what they think. The online survey is very straightforward and, together with written responses to the public consultation, will provide a good indication of public sentiment. The Department will assess all the feedback before considering its next step.’
The deadline for submissions to the consultation on the Road Traffic Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2016 has been extended by one week to Friday 19 February.
In addition to responding via the online survey, people can email their views to Chris.Hannon@gov.im or post written submissions to Chris Hannon, Department of Infrastructure, Sea Terminal Buildings, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2RF.
{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/responsible-drinkers-hit-by-law-1-7717942|The view of one MHK}
Corinthians have won the 17th Regency Travel-sponsored Floodlit Cup after defeating holders Douglas Royal 1-0 in the final on Sunday.
Lisa Costain’s first-half strike on 24 minutes was enough to secure the trophy for the Ballafletcher side for a fifth occasion.
Royal had the advantage of the elements in the second half but couldn’t find a way through a well-organised defence which saw central defender Leonie Roberts presented with the Player of the Match award after the final whistle.
The match was played at Bemahague in rain and wind-swept conditions, making it the first time the final of this competition was held outside of Douglas.
A full report will appear in this week’s Manx Independent.
The signs have been put up outside the island’s first public Starbucks cafe.
The American chain is to operate from a site on the corner of Victoria Street and Duke Street in Douglas.
Notices outside the premises simply say it will open ‘soon’.
The premises were home to an estate agency until recently and was the base for Gelling’s Office World before that.
It’s just a few doors down from rival Coffee Republic, while Costa, the biggest coffee shop chain in the UK, operates as a franchise business in a number of locations in the Isle of Man already.
Among its venues are Strand Street and the Sea Terminal in Douglas, Parliament Street in Ramsey and the airport.
Starbucks’ strategy in many markets is to open a number of shops in clusters, saving money with economies of scale and forcing the competition out of business.
That often spells bad news for indigenous alternatives, who don’t have the buying power of a big chain.
The lure of the established, international brand also entices some customers.
Whether Starbucks is eyeing other Manx venues to adopt a clustering strategy here is not known. But since its costs for transporting merchanise here and training staff will be higher simply because of the island’s relatively remote location, it seems likely.
The operator of the Starbucks site in Douglas, Crema, has applied for planning permission for outside seating areas at the Victoria Street venue.
In this week’s {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/burglar-suffers-an-attack-of-conscience-1-7722729|Isle of Man Examiner} one of Starbucks’ biggest rivals, Caffe Nero, has denied that it has a Manx legal entity to avoid tax.
The claim was made in a {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/welsh-town-to-copy-isle-of-man-model-in-tv-tax-haven-documentary-1-7574869|BBC2 documentary} that featured local councillor Cat Turner and incurred the wrath of {http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/bell-hits-out-at-tax-haven-comments-on-television-programme-1-7691648|Chief Minister Allan Bell.}
Would you ditch your local cafe in favour of going to Starbucks? Email opinions@newsiom.co.im
Douglas Council has changed for format of this year’s carnival.
It will be on Sunday July 17.
‘This year the carnival will be all about the parade and floats,’ said town centre manager Michelle O’Malley. ‘There will be no afternoon activities or after party.
‘Instead, we’re revisiting the parade format, scaling it up and widening the number of categories to make it bigger and better than ever: more categories, more prizes and more colour. And ahead of the carnival’s 3pm start, Hospice Isle of Man will be holding its fundraising Colour Run, bringing their own inimitable sense of random mayhem to the event.’
Regeneration and community committee chairman John Skinner said: ‘This will be third year of Douglas Carnival and thanks to supreme efforts on the part of so many people – council officers and staff, local businesses, voluntary and charitable groups, and individuals – it’s become a true community event.
‘Each year the creativity of the float designs never ceases to amaze and delight, so with the focus 100 per cent on the parade this year, there’ll be even more opportunities for entrants to transform Douglas promenade into a riot of colour and sound.’
Entries will be open shortly with forms available on douglascarnival.im.
To register and find out more about it, visit douglascarnival.im
The event was a mainstay of the tourist season till the early 90s. It was revived in 2014.
Talks over a new landing stage in Liverpool for Manx ferries are close to completion.
Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne gave an update in the House of Keys over plans for a new landing stage in Liverpool to replace the life-expired facility at Pier Head - and he assured MHKs that any proposals would go to Tynwald for approval.
He said officers from his department have been meeting with Peel Holdings to discuss future plans for suitable long-term facilities for Manx vessels.
Topics covered have included where the new landing stage should be located, what facilities should be provided, access, issues surrounding vessel berthing and the likely heads of terms that would lead to a contract.
Mr Gawne said his officers are being supported by ‘independent and suitably experienced’ experts to ensure the success of the project, if it is approved.
He said: ‘At this stage my department is completing the preparatory and analytical work. However, I would reassure members that any decision regarding a future landing stage will be brought before Tynwald.’
Asked what stage the talks are at currently, the Minister replied: ‘Negotiation is almost complete in relation to the heads of terms of an agreement, but that is not the same as we have then agreed to make the agreement. What we need is an offer or a proposal that we can then come back to government and Tynwald with. Then, if that is supported, obviously the agreement would move forward.’
Peter Karran (Lib Van, Onchan) asked what will happen when the current lease ends in September this year. ‘We have to have something, otherwise we have got to look for a new port for boat services for the UK,’ he suggested.
But Mr Gawne reassured MHKs that Peel Ports has ‘indicated very clearly’ that there will be an extension beyond September 2016 – provided the facility that the Steam Packet currently uses is in a reasonable state of repair. ‘They certainly expect that is likely to be the case, at least until a replacement birth has been developed,’ he said.
He said the issue with the landing stage ties in with that of the User Agreement which he pointed out has only has 10 years to run and is ‘not necessarily seen as a dead cert’.
‘Therefore, Peel Ports were less eager to negotiate directly with the Steam Packet, which is why eventually we have begun to negotiate directly with government and Peel Ports,’ he explained.
War veteran and regular school visitor Hector Duff received the freedom of the Borough of Douglas in a special ceremony at the town hall recently.
Receiving the illuminated address, by Collen Corlett, Mr Duff said the item would take pride of place in his home.
He told guests he had enjoyed serving the community and still did.
‘One of my heroes is Winston Churchill and I take inspiration from his words, ‘‘A community or country that forgets its past has no future.’’,’ he said.
Mr Duff praised the council for its upkeep of the Douglas war memorial and closed with a quotation from Arthur Ashe: ‘From what we get, we can make a living: what we give, however, makes a life.’
Proposer of the motion was Councillor David Ashford who said Mr Duff was recruited for military service in the Second World War in 1940 when he was 19. Originally from Sulby, he said Mr Duff had registered in Peel with the first batch from the Isle of Man. He fought at El Alamein with the Desert Rats and, in 1943 was part of the invasion of Italy, receiving a citation for distinguished service. He was wounded but returned to active service in time to take part in the D-Day landings, receiving the Military Medal for courage.
Councillor Betty Quirk, who seconded the motion and has known Mr Duff for 40 years, said: ‘Throughout his life he has shown enormous enthusiasm in everything he has done but in a quiet and unassuming way.
‘As a member of the constabulary, he had the dubious task of teaching young police cadets to drive, one of whom was my future husband and, about 25 years later, as a driving instructor, the equally daunting task of teaching my youmgest daughter to drive. He has used his gift for communication to great effect with his work in education, and we as a community are all the richer for it.’
The ex-wife of a French politician is on trial accused of having money in the Isle of Man in a secret account.
Patricia Menard, a 60-year-old dermatologist, is accused of stashing £2m in the account between 1997 and 2004, which was undeclared to the French authorities.
Her ex- husband, and co-defendant, Jerome Cahuzac, 63, was, until his resignation in 2013, the French government’s budget minister and cabinet member whose remit included fighting tax evasion.
Mr Cahuzac, a former cosmetic surgeon who specialised in hair transplants, repeatedly denied having any foreign bank accounts before finally admitting he had an account in Switzerland, said to have 600,000 Euros.
The money in the Manx account was said to have been proceeds from the couple’s hair transplant business, used to invest in the British property market. The authorities in Britain were investigating the claim on behalf of the French.
The Isle of Man has in recent years made strenuous efforts to shed its tax haven label and introduce a new regime of transparency in its financial dealings. Only last year, UK Prime Minister David Cameron stated in the House of Commons that he did not believe the Isle of Man or the other British Crown Dependencies were tax havens.
Despite this, the belief persists, fuelled in recent weeks by Douglas councillor Catherine Turner. Taking part in last month’s BBC television programme The Town that Took on the Tax Man, Ms Turner described the island as a tax haven, attracting criticism from the Chief Minister Allan Bell.
A government spokesman said it would be inappropriate to comment on a case that is currently before the court in Paris, but added: ‘The Isle of Man does not condone tax evasion and expects people to pay taxes in accordance with the laws of their own country. Because of our commitment to this principle, the Isle of Man is recognised globally for its adherence to the highest international standards of tax transparency and co-operation.’
He said that in 2015 the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Global Forum, the global body with responsibility for ensuring tax transparency, reported that the Isle of Man was one of only 21 jurisdictions in the world to receive its highest rating for effectiveness of its exchange of information with other countries about the tax liabilities of their citizens.
‘This means the Isle of Man is an international leader in terms of the help it can and does give to other countries pursuing tax evasion by their citizens. We have a network of tax co-operation agreements with countries all around the world including one with France,’ he said.
The scandal surrounding Mr Cahuzac prompted the French president Francois Hollande to force all ministers to publish details of their personal finances.
The trial is scheduled to last until February 18. However, the defence is expected to request a postponement of the criminal proceedings until separate tax proceedings are complete. This could delay the trial for some months. The offences carry up to seven years’ jail on conviction.
Vandals have damaged ight fittings within Chester Street car park, Douglas.
On January 19, 21 light fittings were broken and on level 2. More damage was spotted this morning when 12 were damaged.
The total cost of the damage is more than £3,000.
CCTV footage of both incidents has been secured and police are currently looking to identify those responsible and any witnesses.
Constable Mark Hempsall said: ‘This act of mindless damage to the light fittings is completely unacceptable behaviour and comes at considerable cost to replace the lights and fittings. I would encourage anyone who knows the persons responsible to contact the police or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111’
Anyone with any information in relation to these incidents should contact Constable Hempsall at police headquarters on 631212.
Michael District Commissioners have frozen the domestic rates for the coming year 2016/17.
They will remain at 136p in the pound of the rateable value of the property until March 31 2017.
The commissioners say they have been able to do this by effectively managing and closely controlling expenditure.
In the last year this has included the transfer of functions previously funded and managed by Central Government from general taxation. These have included such additional activities as hedge cutting, highway gully cleaning and road sweeping. The use of contractors where possible, instead of direct labour, has kept the monies set aside for pension commitments low.
Refuse is collected by the Northern Parishes Refuse Collection Board (NPRCB) and displayed separately on the rates demand.
{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/rates-for-most-authorities-remain-frozen-1-7710318|Rates elsewhere}
{http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/keeping-horse-trams-would-have-led-to-7p-rate-increase-1-7715181|Axing horse trams cuts Douglas’s potential rates}
A government minister has broken ranks with his colleagues in the Council of Ministers to call for a new ‘progressive’ kind of politics.
But Phil Gawne’s comments have been rubbished as ‘idealistic dreaming’ and ‘electioneering’ by the Chief Minister.
Infrastructure minister and Rushen MHK Mr Gawne last week announced his platform of ‘progressive politics for a progressive island’, saying that people feel disillusioned with politicians and the process of decision making.
Mr Gawne, a long-standing nationalist, is calling for the island to be given greater autonomy and for the people to be given a greater say in the decisions that affect them.
He wants to enlist the support of like-minded individuals and has not ruled out the creation of a new political party.
He told the Examiner: ‘I’ve reached a conclusion that I don’t want to stand at the next general election unless I feel we can make more democratic change, both constitutional reform but also developing a more progressive, inclusive democracy so people feel more involved in decision-making.’
Mr Gawne said that across the western world people have become disillusioned with conventional mainstream politics and this is reflected in the Isle of Man too.
He cites Yellowknife, Canada, as an example of the how things could change.
Here there has been an innovative move to ‘crowdsource’ democracy, with a group of candidates in the city elections pledging to vote on controversial issues according to users of their IserveU website. Replicated here, Mr Gawne believes e-democracy would go some way to giving people a voice in decision-making.
He accepts government does regularly consult over policy issues but he adds: ‘They are just that - consultations - they are not referenda. People feel a little aggrieved if the overwhelming number of voters ask for one thing then government does something else.’
Ironic then, that he and his department seemingly did just that with the plans for a replacement Old Laxey Bridge. Most villagers favoured one design but the DoI chose another.
As part of his push for direct democracy, however, Mr Gawne has invited the people of Laxey to contact him with their views on the bridge, and has pledged to change his department’s plans if that is their will.
He said: ‘This is a classic example. We did do a consultation. It wasn’t perfect - I agree we should have done it better. If the majority of the population of Laxey write in to me by next Friday saying we really don’t like the scheme then we will pull it and look at it again.’
Mr Gawne says the island needs greater autonomy but moves toward constitutional reform have ‘ground to a shuddering halt’ over the last four and a half years.
He says the VAT agreement is far less lucrative than it was but it would be possible to have more autonomy while not breaking that agreement. Equally, he believes the island can find other ways of generating income without the VAT revenue sharing deal, and fiscal autonomy could actually boost the economy.
Mr Gawne says he wants to forge a new coalition or alliance of like-minded people.
He said: ‘I’m not standing if I don’t feel there’s enough support to do something more progressive in the next five years. What I’m looking for is the support of individual parties. Anyone who wants to email me or contact me through social media I would be interested to hear from them. I want to see what level of interest there is out there.
‘If a lot of people say they want to stand and all believe pretty much the same things then we could form a party. Let’s see what happens.’
Chief Minister Allan Bell is dismissive. He said: ‘Mr Gawne’s political viewpoint has been well-known for a great many years. I think he is using this opportunity to kickstart his election campaign.
‘He had not given me any indication he was going to make this statement. It’s disappointing that he makes reference to what appears to be disillusionment within CoMin. Any minister has absolute freedom to raise any issue they want for further discussion.’
He said the VAT arrangement was ‘absolutely fundamental’ to the island’s ‘fiscal well-being’ and losing it or any further part of it would be ‘disastrous’.
Of Mr Gawne’s views on autonomy, Mr Bell said: ‘It’s idealistic dreaming at this point in time.
‘I don’t want to see the Isle of Man independent but bankrupt.’