So today marks the announcement from Bill Shimmins that he, like fellow sitting Middle MHK Howard Quayle, will not be standing again in 2021. Which leaves the constituency of Middle in a bit of muddle really with Super Hans and Accidental Partridge David Fowler now the only current contenders for two seats. As a consequence we simply couldn’t help stealing the above line from Stealers Wheel as it just about sums up the current options for the voters of Middle perfectly. At one of the most critical points in Manx political history in terms of the members of the next House of Keys needing to frame our post pandemic economy the choice is currently between the cheeky social media shit-posting ganjaman, or the simply hilarious yet persistent Alan Partridge clone.
You have to wonder whether we have really entered some sort of post pandemic worm hole from which we may never escape. So we ask where is Isle of Man Population Atlas publisher Paul Craine BA, MA, MPhil NPQH FRGS when Middle needs him? Readers might recall Mr Craine came a very close third behind Howard Quayle in 2016 and is yet to declare this time around.
Pictured David Fowler and Keiran Hannifin
