General Thread for the election (old Electioneering starting early thread from Local News)

[asitis]

2 hours ago, Roxanne said:

I'm genuinely interested to know why you think this?  Are you judging her just because of who her dad is or are you basing it on her past performance, her policies, beliefs etc?

 

I wouldn't be as blunt as 2112, but can't say I disagree with his comments ! At the next election we need serious candidates, candidates who are set to tackle the mistakes of the past. Would a candidate whose father sat through and supported many of the mistakes that are now a millstone around the neck of the ever dwindling taxpayers, be prepared to acknowledge those errors and address them! Just for examples, the rife Spanish practices which still need addressing, pensions at no cost, only recently addressed and then in a surface skimming way, bloated CS with unsupportable conditions of employment, MHK's walking off with largely unfunded pensions. Profligacy and waste and unaccountability etc etc ! David Cretney is a decent chap, but a sad example of the old boys club which the island needs to rid itself of, if it is to progress into the future.

[asitis]

2 hours ago, Roxanne said:

I'm genuinely interested to know why you think this?  Are you judging her just because of who her dad is or are you basing it on her past performance, her policies, beliefs etc?

 

I wouldn't be as blunt as 2112, but can't say I disagree with his comments ! At the next election we need serious candidates, candidates who are set to tackle the mistakes of the past. Would a candidate whose father sat through and supported many of the mistakes that are now a millstone around the neck of the ever dwindling taxpayers, be prepared to acknowledge those errors and address them! Just for examples, the rife Spanish practices which still need addressing, pensions at no cost, only recently addressed and then in a surface skimming way, bloated CS with unsupportable conditions of employment, MHK's walking off with largely unfunded pensions. Profligacy and waste and unaccountability etc etc ! David Cretney is a decent chap, but a sad example of the old boys club which the island needs to rid itself of, if it is to progress into the future.

[SleepyJoe]

1 hour ago, 2112 said:

I noticed how she seems to think that because MLP has two ‘councillors’ elected that it makes them a viable party. Why didn’t Sarah Maltby stand for council if she really believes so passionately about the MLP, and her father, the exalted and saintly David Cretney. Or is it a case that the MLP think that words MLP and the figure of David Cretney on the campaign trail, offering pearls of wisdom and the opportunity to buy cheap tat, will get them out into the voting booth, propelling his daughter to potential years of government reliance, and a ‘family seat’ at the table, to be gifted to the next generation of Manx Labour Party members. Who says chumocracy, nepotism, and  cronyism isn’t dead. 
 

Incidentally David Cretney isn’t exactly a decrepit old man, he likes to reminisce as a member of the ‘when I’ club, he could have quite easily have stood for reelection as a Member of the Legislative Council - unless he was afraid of not garnering enough votes from his ‘peers’? Another 5 years of hardly strenuous and mentally taxing work. Or is his daughter his legacy?

Chumocracy, nepotism, and cronyism - isn’t that what the Conservative government across do?

[Barlow]

I'd never heard of the lass until today. Not sure that the conclusions being reached by some are unjustified.

[Andy Onchan]

10 minutes ago, SleepyJoe said:

Chumocracy, nepotism, and cronyism - isn’t that what the Conservative government across do?

All governments do it, irrespective of their leaning.

[asitis]

19 minutes ago, Roxanne said:

So it's nothing to do with her skills and qualities and everything to do with what you believe her dad did. Priceless.

Perhaps she could let us know what her skills and qualities are, and how she proposes to undo past mistakes or indeed tackle the upper echelons of the CS in order for our politics to be more representative of the electorate ? I would willingly change my opinion.

[Apple]

I'm sure it will all be in her manifesto. Then will she be judged, along with all the other candidates.

Just to say though, a lot of 'persuading' will be evident on social media no doubt to encourage us to vote one way or another. Its the reputation destruction or the implied character assignations that get my goat when it is blatantly obvious who the target is, and the direction of where the attack is coming from.

Or don't they do that?

[The Duck of Atholl]

Manxies love a dynasty. I'm sure Cretters will be knocking on doors canvassing to ensure his daughters election and I will go as far to say that many may vote for her on the back of who her dad was and not whatever the MLP stands for.

[Roger Mexico]

35 minutes ago, The Duck of Atholl said:

Manxies love a dynasty. I'm sure Cretters will be knocking on doors canvassing to ensure his daughters election and I will go as far to say that many may vote for her on the back of who her dad was and not whatever the MLP stands for.

I'm not sure that's true.  Our politics is nowadays much less dynastic than it was (there's only really the Cannans) and much less so than say Ireland.  Bill Malarkey's widow didn't do that well in the by-election. 

Maltby doesn't seem to be pushing her parentage on Facebook and I'm not sure that Cretney's influence is what it was.

[The Duck of Atholl]

6 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said:

I'm not sure that's true.  Our politics is nowadays much less dynastic than it was (there's only really the Cannans) and much less so than say Ireland.  Bill Malarkey's widow didn't do that well in the by-election. 

Maltby doesn't seem to be pushing her parentage on Facebook and I'm not sure that Cretney's influence is what it was.

She herself doesn't have to push it, she knows it will be pushed on her behalf. from the MR article...

"Sarah Maltby, who is the daughter of former politician David Cretney, has announced she'll be standing in the Douglas South constituency." from the Manx Radio article. 

If I stood would they bother to mention my dad, Dave Drake general all round good duck? I don't think so.

Let's wait and see how much he appears in the media as a canvasser in the coming months

[Augustus]

So IOM Newspapers just happen to run two weeks of self-penned articles about the living legend that is David Cretney and the daughter just happens to announce her candidacy as the last of these articles comes out. I can't imagine even Richard Butt coming up with a major scoop: "I know, let's bore our readers shitless with David Cretney's meanderings on his not hugely interesting life and times". I suspect Cretters did the approaching.

[Rhumsaa]

32 minutes ago, Augustus said:

So IOM Newspapers just happen to run two weeks of self-penned articles about the living legend that is David Cretney and the daughter just happens to announce her candidacy as the last of these articles comes out. I can't imagine even Richard Butt coming up with a major scoop: "I know, let's bore our readers shitless with David Cretney's meanderings on his not hugely interesting life and times". I suspect Cretters did the approaching.

which is pretty astute electioneering planning?

[The Duck of Atholl]

1 hour ago, Roxanne said:

And why shouldn't he? Aren't most candidates supported by friends and family?

And you're assuming that she knew it would be 'pushed' on her behalf. You don't know that's true but you're still peddling it?

As often happens people are so quick to judge on 'what they know'. It's unfair. She may turn out to be the best thing that's ever happened to the MLP, and we may never know because she's being character profiled before she's even had a chance to prove herself.

Is she's shit, fair enough, but can't we wait to find out through her own actions and her manifesto before we go judging her in advance because of her family connections?

OK I'm sure time will tell on this. However, on your point regarding being judged on her own merits I think that will be difficult for her to do if her father is a part of her campaign. 

[Rhumsaa]

When Claire Christian stood everyone was claiming she was related to other Christians involved in politics and that she was hiding the connection and it was a disgrace

So if David Cretney wasn't mentioned by this candidate.... would we have all sat round and thought it was fine or rinse and repeat for CC?

[2112]

2 hours ago, Augustus said:

So IOM Newspapers just happen to run two weeks of self-penned articles about the living legend that is David Cretney and the daughter just happens to announce her candidacy as the last of these articles comes out. I can't imagine even Richard Butt coming up with a major scoop: "I know, let's bore our readers shitless with David Cretney's meanderings on his not hugely interesting life and times". I suspect Cretters did the approaching.

Are IOM newspapers in the interests of fairness going to be doing features of other prominent members of the Manx Aristocracy - perhaps HRH The Chief Minister? Chris Thomas? Nurse Claire? Or Dafneee? I doubt it somehow. So perhaps it could be assumed that despite all the troubles that this island is having - no TT, no tourists, no travel allowed, COVID-19 restrictions etc, etc, etc, there must have been a serious lack of news content, which Richard Butt could have reported. 

On the other hand perhaps the article was one of those paid for lavatorial, which paints the recipient in such a good light, that the voters of South Douglas will come to their senses in 2021, and kick out Christian and Quine. If there is no news then I’m sure the space could be used for advertising. Or perhaps the articles were a teaser to a forthcoming announcement that David Cretney was taking a shop on Strand Street and reopening Moochers. Thereby creating jobs for his former constituents and providing Douglas Council with much overdue rates? And creating one less eyesore of a empty shop on Strand Street?

I’m very cynical and am wondering why IOM newspapers would devote column inches to an ex ‘failed’ ‘woulda, coulda and shoulda’ politician who held lots of roles but failed to shine in one? 
 

 

Edited January 11, 2021 by 2112