Simple Poll - Are you fed up enough to consider leaving the Island for good?

[GD4ELI]

11 minutes ago, PeachTea said:

Yes - I have previously lived on the island and left 14 years ago . I returned back to live on the island again a couple of years back as my family all live here ( I am not Manx).

Despite finding a job which pays me a fair wage for the role and being closer to my family I regret moving back. I do not believe the island has progressed in anyway since I left back in 2007 , if anything things have gone downhill.  The main areas I am struggling to tolerate include:-

• Cost of services/ - for example, telecoms, utilities 
• Living costs - rental costs have always been high on the island however they have spiralled to unacceptable levels. As i said earlier i earn a fair wage for my role yet i am still spending 40% of my income on rental costs and 25/30% of living ( ie bills, food, fuel, - the basics that i need to get by). 
• The state of the roads . I have been driving over 10 years now and since returning i have had to replace 7 tyres. 2 of which just  needed replacing due to wear and tear however the other 5 i attribute to the piss poor maintenance of the roads. 
• The 2% tax increase . This will have a negative impact on my income. I am really unhappy about the increase and despite what Allinson says i do NOT believe for one minute this is a temporary measure nor do i believe that this money will be ringfenced for Manx Care.  If i could be sure that it would be I would be unhappy about the increase but accept it is very much needed.
• Cost of the Ferry/ Flights and lack of reliability - Whilst i appreciate we have had some shocking weather this winter i cant ever recall the boat being cancelled as frequently. The costs for a car and a passenger are ludicrous . I personally think £300+ for a return journey is much too expensive. Given the SP are owned by the IOMG they should not be trying to profit. I also believe that residents should be entitled to a cheaper fare with residents providing proof that they are indeed a resident of the island. This could be done at the point of booking - for example uploading a letter with a name/address on or a driver licence ( the former could be shown at check in). it could also work in a similar fashion at the airport.  The Manxman is not fit for purpose. It seems to me that the ship will mostly be fine during the summer months when the seas are calmer which is great but not in winter. 

There are other issues which annoy me . (Appreciate that these may not factor for a lot of people but they add to the " reasons to not live on the island list)

• limited banking choices. I miss having a Monzo account. I like the set up and the option of having multiple "pots" to put money into. 
• Poor shopping choices. This is both groceries wise ( i miss Aldi/Lidl) as well as other shops ( clothes, shoes, electricals, home furnishing shops)
• Driving standards. I don't know why there seems to be so many drivers on the IOM that don't understand the basics of driving. Bugbears include: lack of indication, not using headlights in foggy conditions,  giving way to drivers on the left so everyone sits like a knob waiting to see who makes the first move, drivers who seem to have to overtake no matter what, drivers who just drive at 30mph and slow down to 15mph every corner. 
• Lack of other facilities - a modern cinema, bowling alley ( the one in Ramsey is rubbish and smells of chip fat), other indoor activities for when the weather is dire.

Roads and driving not restricted to the IOM. Terry Pratchet coined the word 'Umbuggerance' which sums it up for me: travel, services, just the crap which goes with living on an island.

[GD4ELI]

13 minutes ago, Venus said:

Climate change unfortunately.

This year is a Super El Niño exacerbated by climate change. It's f**king wet down here near Falmouth.

[De nada]

1 minute ago, GD4ELI said:

. Terry Pratchet coined the word 'Umbuggerance' which sums it up for me

Embuggerence...

[GD4ELI]

Just now, De nada said:

Embuggerence...

Ah - thanks.

[Weliveinhope]

according to the poll 38 would consider leaving and 22 wouldnt, although there have been 73 votes cast 🤪

[PeachTea]

9 minutes ago, GD4ELI said:

Roads and driving not restricted to the IOM. Terry Pratchet coined the word 'Umbuggerance' which sums it up for me: travel, services, just the crap which goes with living on an island.

I am in agreement about driving standards/ roads not being specific to the IOM . It is possible that because the island is smaller I maybe notice things more than elsewhere. 

[cissolt]

16 minutes ago, GD4ELI said:

This year is a Super El Niño exacerbated by climate change. It's f**king wet down here near Falmouth.

It's this sort of climate alarmist bollocks that our gullible politicians believe and then start reducing services.

The wettest march in Falmouth was in 1947, did climate change end in 1947 and start again this year?

[joebean]

I have family ties here. If I didn’t, I would have gone about 8 years ago. I have always advised my sons and daughter to get into professions that can expand their horizons. Having all your eggs in a small basket run by basket-cases is never wise. 

[Albert Tatlock]

Given the number of under 30s we have lost here, particularly since 2011 (see censuses), it is not surprising to me that a lot more older people will now be considering leaving too, especially if they now have young grandchildren in the UK. Many of these will be on fairly good salaries in their 40s and 50s.

Successive governments here from 2006 have made it more and more difficult for young people to be able to afford to live here. At the last election 90% of candidates had their main priority as 'affordable housing' and yet none of them have done anything about it. We've also imported a lot of older people, who are downsizing in the UK and buying up what would be first-time buyer houses here - making it near impossible for the young to get on the ladder.

The birth rate here has practically collapsed, so the demographics are going to be financially catastrophic in another 20 years.

Government have also recruited far more people from the UK and afar - instead of developing talent here.

I've said it before, the Manx are essentially being financially cleansed from their own island - and their own government are driving it.

 

[code99]

57 minutes ago, PeachTea said:

• The 2% tax increase . This will have a negative impact on my income. I am really unhappy about the increase and despite what Allinson says i do NOT believe for one minute this is a temporary measure nor do i believe that this money will be ringfenced for Manx Care.  If i could be sure that it would be I would be unhappy about the increase but accept it is very much needed.

 

 

 

You're correct. The 2% tax increase is not a temporary measure - in 2025/26 financial year we will be required to pay the NHS Levy, presumably on every pound earned. Dr Allinson says the NHS Levy will be "ringfenced" for Manx Care...

[PeachTea]

1 hour ago, Albert Tatlock said:

Given the number of under 30s we have lost here, particularly since 2011 (see censuses), it is not surprising to me that a lot more older people will now be considering leaving too, especially if they now have young grandchildren in the UK. Many of these will be on fairly good salaries in their 40s and 50s.

Successive governments here from 2006 have made it more and more difficult for young people to be able to afford to live here. At the last election 90% of candidates had their main priority as 'affordable housing' and yet none of them have done anything about it. We've also imported a lot of older people, who are downsizing in the UK and buying up what would be first-time buyer houses here - making it near impossible for the young to get on the ladder.

The birth rate here has practically collapsed, so the demographics are going to be financially catastrophic in another 20 years.

Government have also recruited far more people from the UK and afar - instead of developing talent here.

I've said it before, the Manx are essentially being financially cleansed from their own island - and their own government are driving it.

 

no such thing as affordable housing on the IOM. 

My sister and her boyfriend have recently purchased their first home . Its a 2 bed on Ballawattleworth which has cost them just shy of £290k. That is not a price that first time buyers should be paying. 

 

[PeachTea]

1 hour ago, code99 said:

You're correct. The 2% tax increase is not a temporary measure - in 2025/26 financial year we will be required to pay the NHS Levy, presumably on every pound earned. Dr Allinson says the NHS Levy will be "ringfenced" for Manx Care...

Probably will be spent on another daft project that no one asked for or another report that will be a waste of taxpayers money because the findings of the report dont align with cannans grand plan.

Edited March 28 by PeachTea
removed a word

[Cambon]

44 minutes ago, code99 said:

You're correct. The 2% tax increase is not a temporary measure - in 2025/26 financial year we will be required to pay the NHS Levy, presumably on every pound earned. Dr Allinson says the NHS Levy will be "ringfenced" for Manx Care...

NHS Levy on wages of working people is a complete con. Just another tax. 
They should introduce a GST style additional levy on sales, where everybody contributes, including tourists, pensioners, and other non-tax payers who can potentially benefit from our health service, 

[P.K.]

1 hour ago, PeachTea said:

no such thing as affordable housing on the IOM. 

My sister and her boyfriend have recently purchased their first home . Its a 2 bed on Ballawattleworth which has cost them just shy of £290k. That is not a price that first time buyers should be paying. 

The BTL brigade are driving a lot of it and IOMG need to get a grip of them

It's true that "control" by IOMG is inevitably the kiss of death to most things they touch because the place is essentially driven by self-interest. But housing is such a fundamental aspect of life it should concentrate what passes for their collective thinking.

Hmmmm.......

[The Phantom]

9 minutes ago, P.K. said:

The BTL brigade are driving a lot of it and IOMG need to get a grip of them

Who is that then?  There are virtually no properties to let.  This is half the mystery of the problem at the moment.  There are loads of properties being built and sold.  But few of them are for or to first time buyers or the rental market. 

Just take a look at any of the local sites for accommodation.  Every day there are people moving over or intending to for jobs and can't find anywhere to rent.  Or if you see an ad for a rental, within minutes it seems to be gone or twenty people tagged. 

If Govt want to increase the population or returning students, they need to increase the rental market.  Very few people would come here initially and buy a property straightaway.