Let?s face it all the United Kingdom has been for years is ?the bag-man? for the United States on the International scene.As the US superseded the UKs Imperial role and started to extend its influence across the globe it was handy to have a useful side-kick to sometimes add an element of ?collective intervention? to Washington?s adventures.The UK has happily filled that role up to and including the current air campaigns over the Middles East (Syria and Iraq) indeed the only time it let the US down was over Vietnam when a combination of a leftist Labour Party and lots of hairy folk shouting ?hey, hey LBJ how many kids did you kill today? stopped an interventionist tendency by the UK in that sorry conflict down.Given then that the UK is simply the hand maiden of Washington why do people in the Isle of Man who have not got the guts to seek full independence cling on to the apron strings of Westminster. Why if you?re so inadequate that you need a bigger state to hang onto settle for the monkey and not the organ grinder?I thought about this as Chief Minister Allan Bell was doing his most recent rendition of a Shakespearean tragedy and prophesying doom and gloom if the UK does something called Brexit. Does the Isle of Man have to be so in thrall to the UK that it?s every clumsy step on the International scene is a cause for concern that gives Allan and the rest of us sleepless nights?Surely its time to cut loose from the UK and find a new bedfellow if we are not mature enough for independence!What about looking to the US to ?hold our hand? and at least we might get some complementary tickets to Disneyland instead of (as with next month when the new Lt Governor arrives) thinking we live in the bloody place.A tie-up fiscally with the US I can hear you saying – don?t be ridiculous! Well actually it was mooted before when there was another EU related crisis (link): (voir le site) note that in the article, which has a strange resonance today, I was asked for a view and said:{Bernard Moffatt, trade unionist and member of Mec Vannin, the Manx independence party, says the time is ripe for the Isle of Man to sever at last its constitutional links with Britain.“For 50 years, we have have been climbing the ladder towards the high diving board,” he said. “We have now reached the end of that board and there is nowhere else to go except take the plunge into the world and see if we can survive as an independent state.”}I still hold to that view I do wish Manx people would have the guts to take control of their own destiny!Then Allan Bell and the rest of us can have a good nights sleep!BERNARD MOFFATTIssued by: The Manx branch of the Celtic LeagueTEL: 01624 877918 or 07624 49160923/04/16THE CELTIC LEAGUEThe Celtic League established in 1961 has branches in the six Celtic Countries including our own Mannin branch. It promotes cooperation between the countries and campaigns on a range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights human rights abuse, military activity and socio-economic issuesThe link for the main web pages is below: (voir le site) this!