Nom de plume

Can anyone tell me how many people were employed within the civil service here, say 25 years ago, as opposed to current figures. I don't think there has been a dramatic rise in the Island's population during that time. Can I find this data anywhere without a FOI!!!!!!

So, about 20 years below the current Island demographic ... Hence we need to move with the times! I'm still not over retaining the horse trams - f'ing lunacy.

This Island is absolutely crying out for Wetherspoons, Nandos and Uber. It's what the kids want - they might even stay!

Word reaching NDP that the Steam Packet are strongly considering reducing the Manxman service to one journey (return service) per day. Simply not viable as a 4 sailing schedule.

The roads here are certainly no worse than those in the UK. Hate to burst a few doom bubbles. I do a lot of miles across and am constantly surprised (though shouldn't be) at the state of the highways in and around major cities but more so out in the country. The UK like the Isle of Man is economically bust. PS - a trip to a NW hospital A&E Dept would have many here begging for a kippers tit.

I'm not quite sure when the penny will drop for the majority on here who actually believe individually elected MHK's can reform Government or effect change within the civil service. It would need at least 13 candidates all standing on the same policies and manifestos to be returned at the next election who have the cajones and will to begin the process of shrinking the monster and addressing the real issues of tax, property prices, pensions, travel, front line services, non-culpability ... etc etc, etc. Someone needs to begin the process of pulling a body of men & women together with the sole objective of attempting to save this Island whilst there is still time.

More disturbing is the UK taxpayers willingness to allow successive Governments to arm Israel with state of the art weaponry to impart mass murder, or genocide, on a nation and slaughter innocent women and children in their thousands.

To hell in a handcart. This Government is slowly, correction, quickly killing this Island. Why we have parish commissioners & local authorities is beyond me in the first place. All of this bullshit should be centralised & the numbers shrank in conjunction with an all Island rate. What a sorry place this has become.

Just another nail in the housing crisis coffin. Ridiculous house prices, abhorrent rents, spiralling rates & utility pricing. @IOMGovernment Start taxing multiple home ownership where it becomes unviable to hold hordes of real estate. We cannot grow a population & retain our talent until this elephant in the room is addressed. Couple this policy with assisting returning students with debt subject to a nominal period working on the Islahd following their graduation, eg 5 years earning. We are in a death spiral. Nobody seems to want to recognise it or do anything about it.

Have the statistics been released yet in regards those who have died as a result of the Covid backlog & lack of adequate healthcare provisions? They were very quick to give us daily charts on Covid cases & ‘associated’ deaths during the whole charade.

... and they allow people like H&B to put covenants on properties such as the Liverpool Arms so nobody can at least have a go at opening up a new restaurant. The place is going to hell in a handcart.

Yep, we live in a world where nobody wants to take responsibility for anything. Unless it's credit of course.

I work in the Engineering & Manufacturing sector. The DFE have just commissioned a third party external consultant from the UK to visit the Island and conduct a survey with local businesses. They are going to improve the way we do things following their findings. Really!!!!!! I have asked who instructed their appointment, how much it is likely to cost the Manx taxpayer and why there isn't anyone within our already swollen DFE who has the expertise to figure these things out. I won't receive an answer. I actually don't know what they do within the DFE and there are literally dozens of very highly paid Business Development Managers chugging gravy in there.

Can we not just get back to Alf’s 100,000 population pipe dream?

Lots of chatter in the pubs of Douglas last night regarding said allegations. I’m sure if there’s any truth in it, the media will get wind & run the story. Until then, file under ‘wouldn’t surprise you’.