foxdaleliberationfront

29 minutes ago, yootalkin2me said:

So the whole department are useless and need sacking according to you. I take it you know everyone in the department personally and know their competence levels and consiencousness, you also know everything about highway engineering and special events? You truly are awesome, we, here on MF are in the presence of greatness, we are not worthy oh great one.

DOI certainly needs dismantling. It's not fit for purpose and in certain cases is a total train wreck (or should that be tram wreck?)

Splitting it up has to happen. It's out of control. While many workers at the coalface are good at what they do, there are layers upon layers of middle and senior management that wouldn't be given a second look for employment in the private sector.

If the Nation's Station [sic] really must continue, they could learn a lot from Magic. 

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/feb/04/magic-radio-indestructible-easy-listening-streaming

32 minutes ago, Uhtred said:

I can’t see EasyJet operating to Liverpool and Manchester. And would they have an available aircraft to operate the Manchester rotation. 

They have 19 or so based there so the idea doesn't seem impossible. They also fly to Jersey from both Liverpool and Manchester. Any Easy Jet flights would be nowhere near the five times a day pattern of FlyMayBe at the moment. 

9 minutes ago, Numbnuts said:

Your optimistic aren't you !! Will we ever hear ? It has to  be costing much more already as the extras to Tram lines alone will account to big money . I've heard that 66% of contingency fund is gone already so not looking hopeful to being anywhere close to budget .

It'll come out in the wash eventually. It always does. Even if it's years later like the MEA loans debacle. 

As you say the contingency fund is apparently pretty much gone, the massive time overrun won't see workers working for free, so that's going to cost too. 

I noticed as well it looks like some of the cracks have progressed/joined up and it looks like the road is starting to break up?

6 minutes ago, Numbnuts said:

You wouldn't need them would you . DOI are superfluous to requirements and are just delaying and complicating the job . Oh in time costing the tax payers loads . Imbeciles!!  

I look forward to when the full extra cost of this scheme becomes public knowledge! 

16 minutes ago, Neil Down said:

If the work has been sub-contracted out to Stephen Christian, would you see any DoI staff out there?

Yes, plenty. Holding clipboards, pointing fingers, generally looking officious, and taking great efforts not to get their boots or hi-viz dirty. 

1 minute ago, WTF said:

i'd back the  Stephen Christian outfit too,   it must be frustrating for them to not be allowed to do the job once and properly

Support this also. You see the Stephen Christian lads out there in all weathers working. It's the DOI wallahs that seem to be the issue. 

I fully expect Stobart Air to fill the gap. There is almost a precedent for this last February when BMI Regional collapsed. Loganair then cherry picked some of the assets and better performing routes - both BMI Regional and Loganair shared a common parent company (Airline Investments Limited). 

Loganair were then free to carry on operating without any of the debts or problems that had been saddled on BMI Regional. Is it morally right? Not sure. But it's happened before and it could easily happen again. 

I imagine Liverpool must be fairly appetizing for them - nice juicy Government contract for the hospital transfers. Possibly Manchester too for connections to the Virgin/Delta/Air France network, but that could change if Easy Jet decide to muscle in on the route. 

26 minutes ago, Numbnuts said:

Correct me if I'm wrong but going on Auldyn's work schedule it's at least  the end of February now lol that went well then . I had actually picked up on that also and had a quick look today haha not even close as you say .

 

You're quite right. 

Also today's newsletter claims the seaside opposite Summerhill is now 'complete'... they've even painted parking lines.... only problem is the road is about 2 inches lower than the drain covers (and becomes a lagoon whenever it rains now) and also about 2 inches lower than the rail fail corridor. 

The writing is on the wall for FlyMayBe. 

The Promenade appears to be massively behind the (already revised) work schedule. 

The December 2019 phasing plans show the so-called rail corridor as 'complete by January 2020' as far as Castle Mona Avenue. 

Well they're still working on it and it looks far from complete! 

8 minutes ago, John Wright said:

Shoe Zone ( or a shoe shop, Freeman Hardy & Willis, Saxone, Stead & Simpson, Dolcis - one of the Sears/British Shoe Corporation conglomerate  ) was always on the corner of Drumgold and Strand Streets. In fact it’s the only original bit still left.  It didn’t drop on anything near the Dogs.

It's an ugly old building. Shame they didn't drop that instead of the Dogs 

This thread brings back some memories (or lack of)! The Dogs Home, what a place! 

Time to pull the plug once and for all on this sorry institution. 

9 minutes ago, Neil Down said:

Mate of mine has submitted an email to DoI. Not sure if he has a response yet as he is away on business at the moment. If he has, I’ll check to see if he is happy for me to post it on here.

An email about what? 

Perhaps Manx Radio could try something like this for next Christmas, and perhaps the TT?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2019/radio-1-christmas-guest-presenters?

Picking random people off the street would probably not be too much different from the current output. 

21 minutes ago, gettafa said:

Well I have to say, I have just had over 2 hours of Christmas record overload on BBC Radio 2 (Sorry Ken Bruce, you are nowhere near as cool as you like to make out).

I might be forced to try Manx Radio.

16 minutes ago, Mr Helmut Fromage said:

Taking a little look into MECX Limited - Promenade Contractors - https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/08874601/filing-history

Focus on one of the Directors (now resigned 2015) but still apparently a shareholder........... ASTONISHING 

STRUGGLING TO UNCURL MY TOES.............................

Is it the same person? 

4 minutes ago, Donald Trumps said:

Brindley bears the title of "Controller of Programming and Content"

He'd prefer the title Fat Controller. Maybe there will be an opening for him at the DOI once Longworth moves on?

15 minutes ago, Numbnuts said:

DOI are really in a class of their own aren't they . They seemingly can't get anything right no matter what they try or throw at it . It really is incredible how incompetent they all are . That's management structure of course . Wonder are they all having a internal  competition to see who can come up with the biggest or most original scheme to totally piss us all off . I'm sorry but in private sector they would have been a cull .

You're spot on with this assessment! 

47 minutes ago, WKRP said:

It appears the station has decided to dump the current affairs option for a music show with the odd interview interspersed throughout. This morning there was a truly toe curling item from John Moss in a plantation. With no one to interview we were left with a classic Moss special, talking to himself but thinking we could see what he was looking at. I expect this report didn’t get anywhere near an editor for checking, but was just sent to air to fill the quota of a non music item.

And this is the crux of the issue with the latest changes! 

They're now receiving even more money for 'public sector broadcasting' whilst at the same time reducing down the current affairs coverage that was used to justify the incrased funding. 

The MD of Manx Radio is always keen to say they aren't a 'jukebox radio station'  -  they're a broken jukebox station run by incompetents. 

1 minute ago, Ham_N_Eggs said:

Probably even though they have no approval from Tynwald for this. But when has that ever stopped the DoI!

DOI is very much a tail that wags the dog. 

13 hours ago, Ham_N_Eggs said:

So we're back to the over engineering again.

Isn't the over-engineering down to the DOI's wet dream to extend their electric tram toyset along the promenade? 

1 hour ago, John Wright said:

I haven’t noticed them being louder or creating more vibration than Amsterdam, Sofia, Dublin, Zaragoza, which are the last 4 places I’ve been which have had them.

And there’s a real difference between a double tram unit, weighing 40 tonnes, travelling at 3 or 4 times the speed  of a horse tram ( in shared space - and up to 50mph on dedicated segregated track ) and carrying 200+ passengers, and a light, slow horse tram moving at walking pace.

Probably the difference between a modern form of transport run properly for people's convenience, and a rickety old nag cart that's trundling along empty as it shakes itself apart! 

14 pubs a week are closing down in the UK. It's part of a shift in the wider economy. 

It's mental that people want to try and keep them all open.

Let them flog them off rather than letting them sit derelict for another 10 years.