It is with great interest that we read the announcement today that after winning the vote by an impressive twenty votes to twelve [after one Tynwald Member admitted to pressing the wrong button of their Fisher-Price Junior Keyboard] Laurence Skelly sitting MHK for Rushen will now be elevated to the position of President of Tynwald when he stands down. As many readers might agree that's not a bad reward for fifteen years of pure and unadulterated "meh" in the role of Rushen MHK and as Minister for both Infrastructure and Enterprise.
This no doubt leaves his Rushen counterpart Juan Watterson [AKA Buzz Lightweight] with a bit of a dilemma when it comes to facing the voters again having made such an impassioned plea to the Tynwald President Hustings Committee last week not to have to be re-elected by the people of Rushen for another five years.
So in what now looks like a classic cunning plan conjured up by his Machiavellian lookalike Edmund Blackadder - it appears that Mr Skelly has firmly secured himself the perfect purely ceremonial five-figure retirement role poncing around draped in ermine and wigs. A role that costume enthusiast and all round dressing up aficionado Mr Watterson is likely to be very envious of for some time to come.
Pictured: Laurence Skelly MHK President of Tynwald
