Give them a piece of your mind

[Moghrey Mie]

Comms are working overtime putting a positive spin on the Ministerial Roadshow.

[Non-Believer]

1 hour ago, Moghrey Mie said:

Comms are working overtime putting a positive spin on the Ministerial Roadshow.

That's always going to be a given, there are a large number of people for whom it is their raison d'étre and there's never any doubt that it would be announced that the shows were going to be a huge success and a huge amount of feedback gratefully received, all of which will be taken back and thoroughly analysed with a view to be fitted into policy for the future.

But not policy now 🤭

[asitis]

Perhaps the takeaway from the meetings for me was ,' if we were governing properly in the light of day, these meetings would not be necessary' ! 

[Dirty Buggane]

Perhaps the take away from the meetings will be that they nod there collective heads and murmur placating soothing  sounds then go back to the office, saying thank f$#k that's over for another year. Business as usual honorable ladies & gentlemen. Now where are the plans for the carbon neutral sail powered monorail

[code99]

During recessions and times of general economic malaise, one of the tried and tested methods used to shore up the private sector is to increase governments spending, especially on new infrastructure projects. Even when money is spent wastefully, large economies often borrow and spend themselves out of a ‘problem’ (the USA, European Union, Japan, and the UK, all use this method). The alternative route i.e. austerity does not work (as the UK’s Tories recently learnt) because austerity ushers in a smaller economy, greater inequality with ubiquitous social problems including greater levels of crime and higher social welfare costs, etc.

The IOMGs do not have the same market power to being able to borrow large amounts of money from financial markets to fund; big lapses in fiscal discipline, profligate pipe-dreams, hypocritical expensive token gestures, duplication of roles at DHSC and Manx Care, and to remodel harbours in order to accommodate our new ferry.  When the VAT farrago occurred 10+ years ago, our then Government did not tighten its ‘financial belt’ but instead kept on spending and expending the public sector - no one has seriously reviewed and challenged the Government as to whether current CS/PS numbers are justifiable and are still needed (the latest whim is the sketchy plan to increase the size of the population to 100,000).

The public is disgruntled and whilst the Government says it is ‘listening’, they are diving ahead with their obscure ‘tax strategy’ as a sign that this Government has given up on growing the local economy. Unfortunately, our incumbent political leadership does not seem to understand that it must do better than squeezing more taxes from residents. The risks are that they could deplete the private sector or that the private sector will become unwilling to stump up more money for diminishing services.

[Moghrey Mie]

Thinking the unthinkable.......

https://www.three.fm/news/isle-of-man-news/welcome-centre-now-part-of-dfe/

'As part of its business as usual, the Welcome Centre provides a visitor/ resident information (and retail) centre. During the pandemic it was transformed to become the Covid-19 Community Support Information and Information Line which signposted support and advice to residents. It is currently being used to provide cost of living support in addition to its normal services.'

Looks like a camel. Walks like a camel. Thinks it's a donkey.

Edited April 28 by Moghrey Mie

[Two-lane]

How many executive meetings did it take? Huw many chocolate Bourbon biscuits were consumed? Were any minutes taken?

[WTF]

1 hour ago, code99 said:

During recessions and times of general economic malaise, one of the tried and tested methods used to shore up the private sector is to increase governments spending, especially on new infrastructure projects. Even when money is spent wastefully, large economies often borrow and spend themselves out of a ‘problem’

so how many trillion do we need to borrow ?

[code99]

21 minutes ago, WTF said:

so how many trillion do we need to borrow ?

££££££££££££££££££....

When the Power Station was completed in 2003 there was an overspend of and unauthorised borrowings circa £135m (presumably, that debacle was not meant to be a standard that subsequent IOMGs should aspire to repeat). More recently we have had the Liverpool Landing Stage, Douglas Prom, Net Zero, etc. They think new projects/ new residents will make current CS/PS affordable...This idea is a bit like the need to extend Douglas harbour so that it can accommodate our new oversized ferry.

[Dirty Buggane]

Our latest fuck up in buying a boat to big to be economical and or maneuverable/to deep a draft for the size of harbours it is supposed to be using.

[Non-Believer]

52 minutes ago, code99 said:

££££££££££££££££££....

When the Power Station was completed in 2003 there was an overspend of and unauthorised borrowings circa £135m (presumably, that debacle was not meant to be a standard that subsequent IOMGs should aspire to repeat). More recently we have had the Liverpool Landing Stage, Douglas Prom, Net Zero, etc. They think new projects/ new residents will make current CS/PS affordable...This idea is a bit like the need to extend Douglas harbour so that it can accommodate our new oversized ferry.

I'm not sure if the growth of the PS is the PS out of control or some sort of hare-brained attempt to grow the population or at least keep it at economical critical mass.

If it's the latter then it's a huge gamble using the reserves and taxation to fund it IMHO.

[2112]

Hot on the heels of the IOMGs roadshows, it’s a new week, so IOMG have cranked up the propaganda machine. Today on the ‘radio’ is the boast by DEFA of 650 planning applications for new build housing, in the system, and there will be an increase in the amount of new builds on the market. 
 

Sorry to sound cynical but would these developments be Dandara, Hartford Homes and Others? How many FTB schemes to be built in partnership with IOMG? Lack of housing was brought up time and time again at these roadshows, and now we get Minister Barber of DEFA grandstanding and dickwaving with statistics, pretending it’s wonderful good news.

If there many affordable housing schemes being built and completed within the next 12 months, that would be a positive outcome? 

[Moghrey Mie]

2 hours ago, 2112 said:

Hot on the heels of the IOMGs roadshows, it’s a new week, so IOMG have cranked up the propaganda machine. Today on the ‘radio’ is the boast by DEFA of 650 planning applications for new build housing, in the system, and there will be an increase in the amount of new builds on the market. 
 

Sorry to sound cynical but would these developments be Dandara, Hartford Homes and Others? How many FTB schemes to be built in partnership with IOMG? Lack of housing was brought up time and time again at these roadshows, and now we get Minister Barber of DEFA grandstanding and dickwaving with statistics, pretending it’s wonderful good news.

If there many affordable housing schemes being built and completed within the next 12 months, that would be a positive outcome? 

Or new social housing as opposed to refurbishment/ replacement of existing ones.

Edited April 29 by Moghrey Mie

[Dirty Buggane]

2 hours ago, 2112 said:

If there many affordable housing schemes being built and completed within the next 12 months, that would be a positive outcome? 

That would be a bloody miracle. 

[2112]

3 hours ago, Dirty Buggane said:

That would be a bloody miracle. 

Indeed.

The whole thing sounds like IOMG telling people what they want to hear. Yes, lots of Dandara, Hartford and others housing will spring up, but it’s doubtful they will be affordable, but aimed at big earners, and executive types, who CM Cannan wishes to entice to the island. 
 

I also think that the figures quoted by Minister Barber are somewhat fanciful, and some would say the figures were written on the back of a beer mat on a night out with CM Cannan. 
 

More bullshit, and dreamery by Minister JPW, who says that legislation will be needed for passenger verification at ports. What are they wanting - passengers producing passports, photo identification? Legislation could have been introduced if JPW really wanted, but unfortunately both in the HOK and Tynpotwald, priority is given to pet topics - assisted dying and bashing the bishop, whilst other issues are either ignored, or legislation introduced with more loopholes than Swiss cheese. 
 

I wonder if passenger verification at ports was brought up at CM Cannans roadshow?

Edited April 29 by 2112