In an interesting twist to the rather dull MLC nomination process this week we see bitter internet political grinch and serial unsuccessful Tynwald candidate Michael Josem deliver a rather poorly executed and yet vaguely illuminating attack on LegCo hopeful Gary Clueit and Manx Labour Party LeaderJoney Faragher - current occupier of the Tynwald seat which Mr Josem failed to successfully contest in 2021.
As grinch-like political attacks go its somewhat of a Josem classic:
During the 2021 General Election campaign, property developer Gary Clueit made a previously unrevealed financial donation of £250 to then-candidate for Douglas East, Joney Faragher.
Although as his expose concludes with Mr Josem himself declaring that such behaviour is probably not illegal, and might even be allowed by the rules of Club Tynwald we can only assume that the entire point of Josem publicly revealing this information was simply as some sort of thinly veiled attack on both Mr Clueit and Ms Faragher (who is also Clueit's seconder in respect of his LegCo nomination). It is also believed that for good measure Josem also recently wrote to the President of Tynwald alleging that bribery was an integral part of the upcoming LegCo elections. Mr Clueit is also an individual who publicly took Mr Josem to task on social media during the 2021 General Election campaign over the source of his own financial backing in relation to the Manx Taxpayers Alliance - Mr Josem's self-promoting right-leaning GB News style political stink-tank.
In response Mr Clueit has now issued two public letters (reproduced below) making him just about the only vaguely controversial or interesting LegCo candidate to stand in the last 30 years or so. In particular in his opening public salvo Mr Clueit proudly confirms that he actively tried to encourage friends and others to vote for anyone but Mr Josem in Douglas East at the general election as he found Josem's populist approach to politics and the election in general both distasteful and dangerous. Well there's no ambiguity there Gary! It is also of note that Mr Josem came third in Douglas East behind Ms Faragher and Claire Barber - both of whom have supported Mr Clueit's nomination for LegCo.
So whats the real issue here?
Well Ms Faragher says she declared the £250 at the time of the general election although there was, until last week, no official mention of the donation on the Tynwald Register of Members Interests. So its clear that public interest has been served by this matter being raised publicly by Mr Josem - even if it was done in the most petulant and grinch-like way possible (although that is undeniably Mr Josem's stock political style). But is £250 really material when trying to prove some sort of political bias? Probably not to some people - yet equally it could possibly be deemed relevant to others. Especially if as MHK you're then seconding your benefactors application for a non-political role in the upper house without first checking to ensure that any past payments are discover-able. Equally what if it wasn't £250 but a candidate received £1,000 or £1,500 as a personal donation and the process of disclosing that isn't that clear, or that disclosure falls between two different sets of rules? Would a personal donation to a candidate be deemed material then - especially when the receiver then supports a subsequent bid for public office by the donor? Make your own minds up on that.
What is clear though is that the whole disclosure process around Manx political donations needs to be a lot clearer. Mr Josem serially side-swiped any and all attempts at disclosing the Manx Taxpayers Alliance backers in 2021 and still, to our certain knowledge, has not done so despite a donation button still being abundantly clear on its website and clear links being publish by this Blog and others at the time to common parties. Small communities are always highly susceptible to claims of undue influence and disclosure rules certainly need tightening in the Isle of Man well in advance of the next general election. Otherwise we'll be left with another potential Clue (done) it in 2026 ...
Was it Professor Plum, in the library, with £250 in cash?
Page 1 of Clueits response
Page 2 of Clueits response
Clueits final words
