Derek Flint

I disagree. Stuff is always signed off behind the blanket of the Dept. nobody ever says ‘that was my decision’

“The Department” is the problem. It’s what everyone at the DOI hides behind. Someone needs to be an accountable officer.

No appetite for Ramsey jumping on the bandwagon @Rhumsaa.?

There is an option. Take the 30 million hit, and finally, once and for all, learn the bloody lessons! Remember that IOMSPCo boats are a funny length. Most are much bigger. I suspect this folly will be about as much use as a chocolate fireguard to anyone else.

It wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but some folk liked it. Marmite content. “When you were a rozzer” isn’t really relevant, is it? As a Crown Servant there’s a lot of stuff you can’t do, a lot of conversations you can’t have, but I haven’t been fettered by that for some time now. I converse with who I want to, when I want to. I listen to a broad church of views and opinions and make my own mind up. Quite liberating really. What Michael does is his business. I didn’t know he was going to stand for the Keys until he did. As for who is subscribing to MTA, that’s for him to disclose or otherwise as he sees fit, right, proper and most importantly, legal. Personally I think a lobby group is a good thing, and from what I’ve seen so far it’s examining a pretty wide range of issues and doing the hard yards on FOI’s etc. The beef seems to be who is bankrolling him. I suspect we will never find out, even though a few fingers have been pointed. I suppose people could go and doorstep them and ask directly? Or in truth, now MJ has not been elected - twice, and declared he isn’t trying again, is it really an issue?

If you’d bothered to listen to the podcasts you’d have heard me regularly disagreeing with his brand of liberalism. And on the twitters too As a bloke, I like him. As I like you Rhumsaa. Takes a lot for me to dislike anyone.

Lt Gen David Morrison actually.

The standard you walk past is the standard you set. we had a similar problem at Police HQ

I suspect the insurers will have had a massive influence on this, but to have an expert in aviation safety and a world authority in pre-hospital Care lead this is a once in a generation opportunity. And them both being Manx has ensured they have been listened to. Many others have banged on about these issues and never been listened to. They just need to sort out safety on the open roads now, and we’ve cracked it. https://www.iomttraces.com/latest/features/better-safe-than-sorry/

It’s not worth £60m. If folk wanted to go to Liverpool take the plane.

This upsets me. A lot. I miss the island hugely, but I have to take the rose coloured glasses off and remind myself of the lack of energy of the place. Unless you are a hardcore hill walker, or a paddle boarder there isn’t much more to go at. Once I stopped working this became much more profoundly apparent. I do so wish someone could find the magic bullet to return to even the halcyon days of the 90’s - but this time a bit of restraint and care was taken with the public purse.

Going which way? Work out the per head cost over even the next 30 years and it will be even more than the subsidy costs for the Horse trams.

Liverpool never made sense. The line I get from politicians is ‘the public wanted it’. Well, I wanted to fly into Northolt and that never happened. It was a shouty minority as usual and the DOI just went with it. There is just no sense of perspective. A small island with a population of a provincial town. The glory days have gone. One port is needed, that being Heysham. Lobbying for improvements to the rail link- or even investing in them would have made more sense and not cost £60m. the only beneficiaries of this are footie fans and Peel Ports.

£130k. Or as they say in Health, ‘four nurses’

This. Now more than other Manx Care needs strong, visible, on the ground leadership. Someone who will challenge and support, face to face in equal measure. The bit that fuddles me is why you would opt to pay upwards of 40% tax on over £100k of your salary by staying in the UK? At the very least you’d but a flat here and commute on and off at weekends. If the Island can’t attract executives with big salaries and low income tax we may have a problem.