Non-Believer

Frankly, I find Ashford's utterances harder to believe than anything that anybody has ever said to me. The Ranson Enquiry thought similar too. Well, short of anything that Skelly says, that is....

Some of the FB responses to the article amuse me, almost to a man contributors are suggesting that Govt should intervene and compel the Steamie to lower prices etc etc. They're clearly unaware that Govt effectively own the Steamie with the entire motivation from the get-go being that profits be maximised to contribute to the bail-out of Govt liabilities and debts.

They are reportedly working on it overnights in Douglas.

This would be the same VOR who was also trying to suggest that the MEA debacle had never happened, a couple of years ago on these boards....

"Independent Judiciary".

It will be even larger and more uneven if aircraft are swept underneath it....

Nowhere for the masses to park. Or even access it 🤭

There's a distinct possibility that no-one in DOI has relevant qualifications either 😂

There's a large amount of stuff "outed" on here accurately that predates official announcement, in my experience. The main stuff to be discounted is that by the obvious Govt shills. In those instances it's usually a fair call to expect the diametric opposite.

What's securing the rebar to the existing Prom? 🤔

So I'm told; workshop in the old Quarry where he indulges his Land-Rover habit...

The issue is here that things are coming to a head and Joe Taxpayer is becoming frustrated with seeing millions of pounds of public money squandered by those who are receiving little or no sanction for it. For instance, Black's pension may be one thing but he also received a £200k+ payoff and one or two other sweeteners to include "preferential terms" on the use of DOI premises at the Dhoon. He's also making ends meet driving buses for BV. Longworth is another after his contributions to the Promenade debacle. These people were drummed out of the Dept in shame, they and everybody else know it; they shouldn't be anywhere near it now. Gone, banished. That they are still dipping is just further rubbing the public's collective nose in the pile of very expensive shit that they left. Joe Taxpayer is not seeing justice done for the tab he's been left with.

Knowledgeable and interested parties were not listened to in this project where politics were allowed to take precedence over reality and practicality in this madness. PH (the lessors, FFS) warned of the difficulties of the site before a spade was even put in the ground. Any good engineering concern would have taken that on board and investigated and proceeded accordingly. Forewarned is forearmed unless something/somebody was overriding engineering expertise and good practice and dismissing that advice. The SPCo were never properly consulted as to the needs or specifics of their tonnage that would be using the facility, a vital piece of the whole project. Now Manannan also has to be modified with further time lost. Either somebody doesn't know what they are doing or basics have been thrown to the wind in the "must have" drive to get within pissing distance of Anfield. This "Project Team" need stringing up by the balls outside the Sea Terminal.

It doesn't, it became a case of spending whatever money it takes to try and justify it and save face quite some time ago. Under the guise that we were in so deep that we had to keep going. At least that's what our gullible elected were told and all duly hit the green button.

If it has Skelly in it......

That would be this one, Beamans, that was only released in July 2021 though, well after the terminal was underway. The same report that said the DOI had "X" number of "engineers" who may not have any formal accreditation. Perhaps it is time to find out how and why these circumstances come to exist...

It's not a stretch to see them hiking the standing charge like the Channels, that way there's no escaping it.

But who was telling who though? And were qualified advice and recommendations ignored?

So they can be named then. At present they are carrying no sanction whatsoever, just allowed to anonymously slip away with their generous financial severance. But personally, I do not believe that Allinson would be allowed to name and shame though, it might breach CS terms, if not protocol to do so. These people are only allowed to "leave" without formal stated reasons for doing so. To go into detail would also raise questions as to lack of oversight for these individuals whilst they were in post. Look at @DaveHedgehog's recent recollection of dismissing accountability and reporting of DHSS overpayments. The whole Govt culture is one of avoidance and Teflon shoulders.

Gawne was just the elected figurehead mouthpiece, as they all are. Followed by Harmer and Baker and Crookall and Thomas and Crookall again.

Let us not forget the considerable taxpayer funded payoffs too, where applicable. We are paying heavily, even twice, for this incredible degree of rank incompetence. We're still waiting for names, Alex.

I don't think it's the Steamie's fault. They've (primarily Ugland) been long term critics of Liverpool Terminal, citing lack of consultation etc. Now it appears they are having to modify their vessel to fit the new berth with all the out of service time and subsequent re-trials that it entails.

Having to mod Manannan to allow embarkation/disembarkation may be part of it, having modded her, those mods will also have to be trialled?

Price is slowly coming down though... only "more than £70M" now. 🤭

And all assuming that they get the 4th engine fixed in time.