foxdaleliberationfront

That's fine. But I believe what I've been told. It was the same person who told me about all the problems that were discovered under the road at Summerhill and that was 4 - 5 months before DOI admitted to them...

The Brewery can't get decent landlords these days (or pub managers as they call them) because they apparently offer a very shite salary for such long hours and responsibility

The easiest way to fix the rail problem is to stop laying them when they reach the Villa. I'm told the horse tram part of the scheme is heading massively over budget already and it's highly likely they will scrap the Loch Promenade section (that also removes the need to lose 90 - 100 parking spaces which should prove popular with the public).

The latest BS spin from the MyProm team has a distinctly festive flavour to it! www.myprom.im/plans/once-upon-a-time-overview I think what all Promenade traders and residents would really like this Christmas is some truth and goodwill from the DOI and for Santa Claus to deliver them some good news - come on Ray, I'm sure you can don a Santa suit and roll out a loss making horse-tram, you could even gaffer tape some antlers to the horse! It is well overdue that they are given some accurate information by Government. Never mind the Once Upon a Time BS! Let's see some actual times, plans, and confirmation that the scheme is being suspended for the summer.

That's the thing, I don't understand how it entered anyone's brain that the fares were instantly going to drop. As you say, nobody promised reduced fares - it seems to have emerged when people started tweeting bollocks about 'the people's ferry' - Corbynomics in action! At least the wifi would be free!

'MS Moaner's Isle' or 'MS HRH Howard Quayle'

So how would you suggest financing two brand new ferries for £120m+?

Don't show this to the delinquents in Tynwald, they'll have the fares doubled in no time!

Bit of a separate subject but I think the public of the Isle of Man are all a bit fatigued by the constant cries by Conservationist that everything should be saved. It feels like every other week there is an objection being raised, an online petition being started or a bleeding-heart article in the paper trying go save some "building at risk". And I think that's a shame because it weakens the cause of saving genuinely interesting or unique buildings that perhaps have a case for being saved. Two examples of the wasteful appeals being the derelict, longtail-infested wreck of a warehouse in Ramsey, and the appeal over demolition of the old Griddles building in town because it had some old cobbles in the cellar.

Why £1 for a bag? Why not 99p or £1.01?

The climate change lobby have muddied the issue. Plastic bag sales are down 90% in the UK, but supermarket plastic use is up about 50,000 tonnes. That could be plastic wrapping or other packaging.... but of course punishing the consumer with extra charges is the way to do it!

@Numbnuts my main point was just that people may be slightly less angry if DOI were honest when they make this next announcement. Apologist for the utter disaster that it has become and humbly announce the new schedule. Instead they will get the departmental BS spreader out and act like the scheme is going from strength to strength. In fact I wouldn't even be surprised if they said something like "due to popular demand we have extended the length of the scheme and believe it will boost tourism by £10m in the next 2 years"

The story that DOI are seemingly hoping to spin on this is that it will reduce disruption to hotels, throw in some other spurious claims about the scheme, and continue to allow the Isle of Man's No.1 tourist loss-making attraction can continue without disruption. Edit to add: There is no way the DOI will take this on the chin and be honest - admit the scheme is a total disaster through their piss poor prior planning. They will try and put some kind of spin on it.

March 2022 sounds about right. My guess is work will stop in March 2020. Start again in November 2020 - March 2021 / November 2021 - March 2022 I'm also told that the DOI/Transport have been massively resisting calls for the horse trams to be suspended in full until the scheme is complete, after the idea was put forward by Chris Robertshaw MHK following his role in sitting on the Environment and Infrastructure Policy Review Committee. As someone who has sat through the hearings in their entirety and hearing about the unforgivable disruption to businesses based on the promenade, you would think they views of Mr Robertshaw would be given more weight.

Ornamental or useless. Take your pick, those words are interchangeable where the DOI Minister is concerned.

The Minister carries his fair share of blame in all of this mess. After all it was a 'political decision' that the scheme was originally scheduled to be complete 'before the next election' when all the contractors were saying it would realistically be a 3.5 year scheme, but to hurry it along it was decided to dig up the entire stretch of Prom and that has since fallen flat on it's arse. Those responsible for forcing through the horse trams as a priority also have a share of the blame and should leave government employment forthwith.

The Project Manager was Saint Greta, she called in on her round the world yacht trip. She was future proofing the steps against sea level rises.

Seems to be a hotch potch of Auldyn doing a little bit but then there's definitely been a UK contractor doing other bits. MyProm posted that had a specialist company over last week to file the rails down. Heard another rumour that the rail part of the scheme has gone "well over budget" with what they expect it will cost now. Wasn't the rail tracks budgeted at about £7m to begin with?

It looks like they're rushing to finish the least needed part of the whole prom.

Would one really good welder be able to do it in a fortnight?

I wouldn't lay the blame entirely at Crethey's door. If my memory serves me right (and often it does not) his original idea was moving the horse trams off the road but more importantly working on one block at a time. In fact I think the bit with the Jubilee clock was actually the start of his idea? It's just that Ministers were shifted around, Tynwald came and went.... Gawne... I'd lay most of the blame at his door - he was the one that was so adamant that the bloody horse trams must be saved. A decision that has cost the taxpayer over £10m in capital costs alone and continues to saddle us with losses exceeding £650k each year. Man of the Moment - Ray Harmer Esq. is also to blame, it was political grandstanding that resulted in the scheme being rushed through without proper prior planning being in place. He should resign. Now the scheme is underway it's in the hands of the civil servants, a political resignation would have zero impact now.

Once you pop you just can't stop (spending money)

My bet is only small change from £100m for the Promenade and Terminal schemes combined

This is Douglas, the laws of thermodynamics work differently here.

So with the massive time delay to the project and all this seemingly extra work on the tram tracks (I'm told the rail filing/grinding isn't cheap!) What is the cost implication? They must be pushing a couple of million over...