Hmmmm

I have often wondered when we started dipping so heavily into the reserves. Alf has certainly gone full Tonto since he became CM and latterly when he was Treasury Minister.

It's all about stealth taxes across government. J Turner has a fair point. Understand all the Courts, Registry and Probate fees are going up by 5.7% w/e 1 April 2024. I

The fact they are back in for almost £100 m of reserves tells you all you need to know about the attitude and mismanagement of this administration. By the time there are done the cupboard will be almost bare. Manx care has proven to be a colossal money pit that can not be controlled. They will be over budget this time next year.

Judging by his CV you can envisage his press interview when he moves on in the next 3 to 5 years, stating he always intended to return to (insert UK Borough/County) to complete his public service, having stabilised and refocussed the IOM CS as the inaugural CEO. The secret to his success as CEO of the IOM CS -it was very much a numbers game, both in terms of budgets and headcount. Does seem rather 'left field'. Could be an opening somewhere with the MDC, subject to HR vetting of course.

This smacks of carry on as normal. This attitude towards Douglas rate payers is not sustainable. They need to look at their wastage and staffing, its the closest thing to a mini CS. You cannot keep hiking rates at twice inflation. Businesses and householders deserve better. The service is poor already, make some cuts.

Yes the rates seem to be catching up. Suspect Douglas rates increase will be near the 9 to 10% mark.

The 2005 article gives an overview of the MEA debacle. It is hard to fathom how a robust judicious investigation was never carried out. The end quote from Proffitt has not aged well: Asked about the criticism he, and the rest of the MEA board, have been receiving, Mr Proffitt dismissed it as a "storm in a tea cup. I have been on the receiving end of a concerted campaign to discredit me. Everyone acknowledges that we delivered a first class power station at a time when the island's old infrastructure was falling apart." Mr Proffitt left MEA in 2004.

But it highlights these overspends are not merely due to pay increases. As previously posted all the overspends need a comprehensive breakdown not bullet point overviews. These depts give the impression of shrugging their shoulders knowing the tab will be picked up.

They should provide a detailed breakdown of the overspends. There seems a lack of discipline with these departments. People are paid good wages to monitor finances and run the departments and they are clearly failing.

This latest debacle concerning the Southern Pool brings into sharp focus how totally inept Comin is. When it was first announced I wondered how the closure would fit in with Alfs vision of growing a vibrant economy and population with wonderful leisure facilities and services. Yes it was ill thought out but it also highlights how weak the government is when confronted with public angst. It also demonstrates a complete lack of a collective plan to address the cuts that need to be made - picking small quick fixes is not the answer - a strategic approach is sadly lacking for national reductions. Departments seem to be acting in silos until unpopular decisions like this are made. Alf would have been a good CM in the halycon days of the building and business boom when Douglas sky line was framed by numerous cranes and VAT was flowing abundantly. Perhaps the MDC would have been a perfect fit for that era. Unfortunatey these are different times and Alf is not the right man. Do Comin or indeed the whole govt. not look at the diminishing reserves and think the situation is not sustainable. It seems they just carry on regardless merely paying lip service to impending and mounting financial issues.

I believe a lot of people have reservations and don't understand how the MDA is going to turn a profit in the near term. They must have provided a business case to the bank for the loans - the fact Treasury underwrite them will have helped but there must be some hard numbers. This arms length approach is fraught with difficulty, effectively giving the small number of BoD from MDC a free hand with the money pot.

Some interesting language from SP 'As a result of Nautilus’ ongoing ‘industrial action short of a strike,’ no fellow officers will swap shifts or cover the absence via paid overtime' 'The Company has therefore been forced to implement the following timetable' So reduced sailings just as the better weather is due.

Yes he has been placed into the public spotlight due to his wife. I wonder how comfortable he is with this exposure to himself and his buisiness.

I broadly agree and once they are in place it is as if they transfixed by their surroundings and percieved self importance. It really is a fascinating process whereby they appear to completely forget what they stood for and are content to sit back and enjoy the comfortable trappings of their new position and believed status. Cannon has been truly woeful. The constant use of reserves is ridiculous and used to bolster a failing govt. with an out of control CS. The legacy of inflated capital projects such as the ferry terminal et al is shameful and yet it continues to occur. Manx care has not worked, airport is a mess etc etc. You really can go on and on with state of the island. The MDC, is a headscratching project as to its profitablitity against cap/op expenditure- whereby the Treasury underwrites all loans- that has a stated aim of eventually paying a dividend back to the manx taxpayer - although they are wise to not put a time frame on this. A New Year but I fear more of the same inept Govt.

Quite correct, reliant on the boat and weather. What another retrograde step for an island with such high ambitions. We all know the Post Office will be a different body in the not too distant future but this will just increase the pace. Once a reliable profitable business being reducedto join the rest of the failing island services. This adminstration is leaving an awful legacy.