AT a typically windswept Castletown Bay on Monday a hardy crowd attended a ceremony at Hango Hill to mark the 348th anniversary of the execution of Manx nationalist Illiam Dhone.
In a speech at the commemoration Rushen MHK Laurence Skelly insisted nationalism should not been seen as a dirty word, and stressed that the people of the Isle of Man should welcome and the ‘new Manx’ who have come to live and work in the island.
The annual ceremony is organised by nationalist political party Mec Vannin, and over the years has doubled as a forum to air the contemporary concerns of nationalists – especially poignant in the context of the uneasy relationship with the UK in recent years.
Mr Skelly, who is not a member of Mec Vannin, said: ‘I am in favour of reviewing our constitutional options as our current position as a Crown Dependency has exposed unacceptable vulnerability. The negative rhetoric towards the Isle of Man is well documented and becoming relentless in these turbulent economic times. Having our own people in London, Brussels and further afield is a positive step towards greater independence.’
He added: ‘I stand for what’s best for the Isle of Man and all the people who live here. If that’s a nationalist, which Manx politician isn’t?’
Inclusivity was the recurrent theme in his speech, along with the controversy surrounding the rise of the island’s financial sector.
He said: ‘We must remember this successful policy provides the many social benefits and the quality of life we all enjoy today.’
Speaking after the ceremony, Mr Skelly acknowledged that immigration may be a contentious issue to some, but had always taken place and many of the growing number of new residents support and promote Manx culture and heritage. He said there were many non-Manx born people numbered in the crowd that day. ‘The new Manx must be accepted by us all. Welcoming these people into our beloved Isle of Man is critical for our future.’
Stewart Bennett, giving the oration in Manx Gaelic, discussed Illiam Dhone’s place in history, saying that while the establishment at the time branded him a traitor for parlaying with the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War, his actions were part of a higher loyalty, without which the status of the island may have been severely reduced.
Mec Vannin chairman Mark Kermode thanked Manx National Heritage for its speedy clean up of the graffiti which appeared on the monument last week.