Non-Believer

We also heard the words, "Skelly" and "President" in the same sentence. Truly terrifying.

I wonder what happened to Matt? He was right in a way though. Douglas does look amazing.....

Given that the DOI were previously told that their Promenade overspends would have to be found from within their existing budgets (this was before the latest revelations and a proposed new visit to the next Tynwald for extra funding); one might wonder how much has been siphoned away from other road maintenance budgeting already in the name of this?

Bikers are recognised as being an aging demographic and have been for some time. Not sure if it's a younger generations health and safety thing or just the availability of other activities that appeal, plus there's also the "environmental considerations" angle that is much more part of the younger psyche than previously?

It's line of sight, although it was recognised as long ago as 2004 that marshalling numbers needed to be increased, the standard and numbers of marshals was given new impetus following the inquiry into the 2007 26th Milestone fatalities.

Yes, in 100 years time Longworth's great grandson will be plotting how to extend them and the MER to Castletown....

I'd agree in many respects, the road surfaces coming into and through Ramsey are in a terrible state, I've got some pictures but the data limit won't let me upload them. For example, whole sections of tarmac, some over 10ft long have stripped off at Glen Auldyn Bridge, though off the racing line, leaving ruts @ an inch deep. The ground around a manhole on Parliament Square outside the Swan has collapsed, leaving the ironwork raised right on the line, it's probably a trip hazard for pedestrians too. There's a 10ft long length of subsidence on the racing line on the crest of May Hill that l

Cue an expensive settlement with NDA... Which will conveniently cover the backs and arses of those in the DOI who are ultimately responsible. With the Manx taxpayers again picking up the tab?

Regardless of what the winning contractor bids - who's paying for it - for the second occasion, as it wasn't right the first time? Manx taxpayers is the answer. And as to the penalty clauses applying to the first occasion, non-applicable/non-existent. A complete farce from start to the protracted and expensive finish.

If my memory serves me, the NI "raid" was £44M. (John W?). The project went massively over budget and wasn't far short of £120M by the time remedial work had been dealt with, it set the standard for things to come in many ways. One locally connected contractor (Crowe EPH) went bust in the financial shenanigans which were subject to an inquiry of their own subsequently IIRC. I know a couple of guys who were involved in that remedial work who did extremely well out of it, that work included rectifying access doors that weren't wide enough to allow a hospital bed to pass through and the

Didn't Tony Brown also subsequently claim that it hadn't cost the Manx taxpayers a penny...?

But Laurence appears to cast doubt on whether money will be available for the Grandstand's new digital scoreboard, if I heard the MR interview correctly. Huge pressures on Treasury, Covid fallout etc behind a "If money is available" line. One wonders what they'll do for TT22 if the funds aren't there for the new technology? Might be best to hang on to the plasterboard and battens from the vax hubs after all.....

The DOI were determined from the outset that this job was going to happen, even when it was knocked back at the first (couple?) of times of asking, they came back with revised plans, to include warning of the voids under the road. They've had Gawne, then Harmer and now Baker all proposing and latterly defending it. What I'd like to know is, behind the elected, who and why were they driving this? The stated financing has proved to be bollocks, the timescale was bollocks (as predicted by many) and the scaremongering over the foundations has been proven to be bollocks too. So the reasons tha

IIRC, they were voted an extra £750k last year which had to come out of the Heritage Rail budget. It's clear that Harmer and Baker simply regurgitate what the DOI spoon-feed them for public consumption, the DOI could have said that the job was going to cost 50p and the outcome would be the same; endless extra funding needed. Perhaps the next question should be; Do we want DOI continuing in this fashion until the project is "completed" (whatever that means) - or should they be binned off, we cut our losses and get an experienced management contractor in to get things done to an acceptable

Black has confirmed that the job is open chequebook. There never was a "set" or realistic budget (or timescale), it always was an open-ended journey with Tynwald having no option but to keep feeding the animal on demand to fend off public and national embarrassment until such time as it is completed, which will be another story altogether. With the aforementioned snagging (18 months? Ho ho), this will go on for a lot, lot longer yet. Were this job being managed by the private sector, some people would have been dismissed long ago. Still, Beamans' is yet to come too. Perhaps that may sting