Max Power

Many businesses really struggle on the island due to the low population. I was involved in the motor trade both here and in the UK, this is a high cost business. Everything was extremely fragile but employed a lot of people. Government paid lip service for years and did nothing when scammers brought in below par imports, threatening livelihoods with cars bought in Belgium which were VAT subsidised by the manufacturer. Then they quietly ignored it when all the VAT problems surfaced and cancelled the bills owed by high profile islanders! They ignored all the expensive failures when Gypsies had driven cars with the speedo disconnected, leading to dangerous incidents with the new owners. They let a handful of dishonest horse traders get away with murder, at least one of them is behind bars now! Our government are ineffectual wankers, paralysed by fear of risking their pensions, they don't stand up for honest business, they see them all as cash cows to be milked. In my opinion, the one good thing they could do is break away from the common purse agreement, and set our own taxes. But they will sit on their hands forever, talk about it until the cows come home and do nothing!

"Civil Servants sir, thousands of em"

The hospitality industry industry is calling for more government help! I think it is a valid request, but what do they want from government? The IOMG do not set the VAT rate, they can't force people to go out more, drink and eat more and spend what disposable income they have socialising. Perhaps there are too many places available now to go out, for the market which is available? I hate to say that because I love a vibrant nightlife and culture, but I feel that it was regulated out of existence by the police and licensing courts long ago! https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/hospitality-bosses-to-attend-call-to-arms-meeting/ https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/not-appropriate-for-govt-to-help-individuals-in-struggling-hospitality-sector/ Press release from the meeting tomorrow, apparently?

I'm disabled and use those spaces quite regularly, I'm unsure who thought it was a good idea to remove them? I'd be interested to know??

Nice images of the Tevir Group's plans for Villiers Square, I hope it's built before I die? https://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/multi-million-pound-regeneration-of-douglas-eyesore-recommended-for-approval-681074

Absolutely wonderful, but we live on an island and need regular access to the mainland at a reasonable cost. The SPCo are really getting away from the 'island's lifeline' business and are beginning to destroy the hope of any revival of tourism or regular travel by locals!

I've always been a huge supporter of the SPCo but I have to admit to being tested lately. I paid £134 as a foot passenger to Liverpool last week, despite booking three weeks in advance. Quite frankly that's an outrageous fare. They are determining the success or failure of every event which involves travel to and from the island and are undermining the place. There are moves to cut services by changes to the user agreement under the popular excuse of lowering their carbon footprint! Does this sound like the actions of the 'Island's lifeline?' There doesn't appear to be any joined up strategy to improve either tourism or the service to the local community. I'm rapidly becoming disenchanted.

It seems that any country can get into a conflict with its neighbours and commit all sorts of war crimes and atrocities, a lot are written off as just the outcome of war. That is unless it happens to be Israel and the Jewish people responding to pre-planned provocations by an Arab alliance which was arranged to have the effect of stirring the underlying antisemitic hatred which some idiots have. The pawns in Iran's and their puppets game are the Palestinian people, it is they who are paying the price for their leaders ambitions to drive Israel into the sea, which has been the mantra all along!

When there was just a few thousand of them? Strange that Gaza grew from small beginnings to c.2m if it's so bad to live there, particularly since 2005 when Israel handed it over completely?

I'm not sure that's always the case, in Brno, the local city put on the buses to ease traffic congestion for example.

Several international race meetings abroad provide a free shuttle bus from the town centre to the circuit, it wouldn't take much planning. Waiting time is just a few minutes, but the chance of a few coppers profit is too hard to turn down I guess?

Lots of facts are available about a myriad of issues, it seems that the interpretation of those facts is what is questionable. We tend to be swung by confirmation bias on so many things in this and every conflict.

This is the trouble with this and every conflict, nobody really knows the truth of anything. There is right and wrong on both sides and the truth is distorted to match the narrative of each side. We plebs are left trying to understand things for which there is no answer available, there are still unanswered questions about WW1 and WW2! All we can do is try and see it from all perspectives, and not become too partisan and choose sides to the detriment of all reason!

Glad to have woken up!

It depends where you go I guess, but British and Manx prices have been soaring for raw ingredients as the Brexit benefits are felt.

I was in a small town in Belgium last week, Tielt. We had a couple of meals in a cafe/bar, one of which was Spaghetti Bolognese. It was well presented, served professionally and was substantial and tasty. 15 Euros. Flash forward to this week in a well respected local restaurant, same dish, half as much in quantity, sloppy, unattractive and spaghetti had been replaced by fuselli, £15 as part of a £20 lunch menu, tasted ok mind you. Service wasn't bad but nothing special. We either have to accept that we are crap at most things, or make an effort to be better and stop moaning. The Belgian cafe was family run, quite busy but the staff were very friendly and clearly enjoyed giving service. I don't think we have that mindset on the island, nor in Britain if the truth be told, we just don't have a service culture and seem to judge those who serve as being minions rather than professionals.

Come the revolution comrade! I don't like the thought of it, but eventually something will break I'm afraid.

It hasn't stopped one government institution from buying around 15 new trucks to cover for the fact that Ellerslie can not keep to the required service safety regime, and too many are backed up awaiting safety checks? Got to be over £1m spent there! Imagine this magnified throughout government, you soon begin to see the problems.

Yes indeed, thanks wrighty. Not recovered from SPCo delays!

I think she's got the abilities to be a better chancellor than we have had recently, she does hide her talents behind what appears to be a carefully cultivated northern labour persona perhaps? Unfortunately there is very little that she can do about the UK economy if Labour are elected, although she seems to be having a lot of ideas which are adopted by the conservatives. Hopefully she's got some more up her sleeve which she's holding back before the election so that they can't be inserted into the cons manifesto?

Yes, yes you can! And you can drive them over the swing bridge four times a year, between the hours of 11pm and 6am!

The SPCo are pulling out all the stops to make sure that the papers arrive on time!

If only there had been a nightclub nearby, like Toffs, with a few people milling around, someone could have intervened. There may even have been police in the area, keeping the peace.

This has been their strategy from day one, playing to the latent anti semitic portion of western populations. Make sure your Palestinian friends die, if they don't die in enough numbers then lie about it.

Very good at getting rid of the smell of puke I believe? ETA: What am I saying, let's not start another 'Spewin' Juan' thread!