Do you believe in fairies?

Late last year I ran an item on Sentamu’s Apprentice getting so desperate for inspiration he turned to plundering local fairy folklore (see Manx fairy tales for more).
Now another unelected political parasite is doing the same, as you can see for yourself at http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/Give-the-Little-People-a.5234880.jp.
Locals who know this loon probably wish he’d stuck to doing what he does best, hosting crap Country & Western programmes on local radio. How he ever got to be the ‘political correspondent’ for Manx Radio, never mind an MLC, we’ll never know.
Actually, we do know how he got to be an MLC. He was so accomodating to our dimmest politicians in his ‘interviews’ he should have had ‘Welcome’ tattooed across his face. At least these days Stuart Peters asks the scrotes proper questions.
But this is a hoot of a story for more than sad old losers like Callister and Cringle who jump on board the Whimsy Express for free publicity. Just look at the first comment from Dr Andrew Standring.
Only in the Isle of Man could a spacefiller about fairies turn into an earnest debate because the Tourist Department might be publicising the ‘wrong’ kind of fairies!
At first I thought Dr Standring was one of the island’s legion of underemployed folklorists (well, even family connections can’t get them all jobs at Manx National Heritage or the Centre for Manx Studies). I couldn’t wait for phase two of the argument, when a local farmer weighs in with tales taught at his granny’s knee, or some other professional Manxman points out Manx should be spelt ‘Manks’ as there’s no X in the Celtic alphabet, only to set off someone from the rival Manx language group. I see Gill got a mention almost at once - and for those off-island, that is no relation to A.A. Gill, who set off a major riot here by describing locals at the World Tin Bath Championships a wee bit too accurately.
But it’s wilder than that. I realised Dr Standring must be the same Dr Standring who works at Nobles Hospital and keeps any number of TT riders alive.
I’m due up there soon for some surgery. I warn you, if the anaesthetist asks me to spin round three times and make a wish……I’m gone!