NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE
One of the most eerie interviews I have seen this year was when the Manx Chief Constable discussed his annual report and was interviewed by MTTV. Sitting in the background in the corner silently watching was the Department of Home Affairs Minister (DHA), Juan Watterson MHK.
It was quite surreal like one of those sixties black and white films about East Germany where as the East Germans spoke an KGB operative set in the background in case they departed from the script.
Watterson who when he is not attending to Ministerial duties has a penchant for dressing up in fatigues has the ludicrous title in government ‘the Forces Champion’. Where this came from is anyone’s guess it seems it’s just another aimless distraction of the Bell government.
However, when Juan is not harmlessly playing soldiers his antics can be more destructive as we warned several months ago when he announced plans to privatise core elements of the police (see links):
https://www.celticleague.net/news/manx-police-outsourcing-a-step-too-far/
https://www.celticleague.net/news/police-civilianisation-response-from-hmic/
https://www.celticleague.net/news/mann-dha-face-pitfalls-on-the-road-to-police-privatisation/
https://www.celticleague.net/news/more-bad-news-for-dha-over-privatisation-strategy/
This week Tynwald finally woke up to the dangers of this policy and there was a strident criticism of DHA and Watterson who were urged not to put a ‘for sale’ sign on the Police Service.
Gary Roberts, the Chief Constable, (who I have no doubt will be put in the frame if this policy goes ‘belly-up’) faces inordinate difficulties at the present time. He has to face a shrinking budget something none of his predecessors EVER had to face. He has to contend with an exodus from the Police as many Officers, tired of the vagary and uncertainty surrounding public sector pensions, take their money and run! All this is happening at a time when the Island has also suffered the phenomena of what appears to be a peripatetic crime gang committing burglaries on an unprecedented scale.
If ever the Police Forces needed a ‘Champion’ it’s now Juan Watterson needs to burn his military fatigues and get back to doing his day job, a job for which we all pay him a bloody good salary!
BERNARD MOFFATT
Issued by: The Celtic News
05/11/15
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