Taxpayers to dig for £20M for Liverpool Dock

[SleepyJoe]

It was DTs £60m

[NoTail]

What? You mean free? 

[Derek Flint]

7 hours ago, Uhtred said:

I had a phone call this morning from a former MHK who was providing me with some info relating to a local charity. Said ex-politico tells me that behind the scenes Quayle is bricking it over this. 

But why would he be? Is he going to be held to account? Has Whitehall finally started to question the 'good governance' clause in the Island's independence?

The worst that can happen to HQ is he retires from politics with a nice pension to top up the wealth he already had.

Reputation in tatters? Would he care and would it matter? 

[SleepyJoe]

I think it matters that a Chief Minister cares

[finlo]

13 minutes ago, SleepyJoe said:

I think it matters that a Chief Minister cares

 

[Whatnonsence]

25 minutes ago, SleepyJoe said:

I think it matters that a Chief Minister cares

He would be the first

[Boo Gay'n]

8 hours ago, Uhtred said:

I had a phone call this morning from a former MHK who was providing me with some info relating to a local charity. Said ex-politico tells me that behind the scenes Quayle is bricking it over this. 

Mr Toad is a typical politician who is more concerned about his ego than making mistakes.  In that he is similar to BoJo, Trump etc.

In the case of the new Liverpool terminal, the lil ol' IOMG is dealing with Peel Group - think vampire squid on steroids, bristling with lawyers and destroying everything in its path like a juggernaut (sorry for the gleeful use of too much metaphor and simile).

Here is my version of the events, which I humbly opine to be the truth.

Ring, ring on Mr Toad's desk.  "Hi, Mr Toad, this is one of John Whittaker's boys".  Mr Toad kneels.  "The Racket's lease on the linkspan is about to expire and the kit is sinking into the Mersey mud."  Mr Toad starts to sweat.  "You know that we are developing most of the old Liverpool Docks and Harbours Board land, which we bought for 50p some years ago?"  Mr Toad's face contorts as he tries to understand such high-rolling financial concepts.  "You'll get a lot of glory if you build a new terminal."  Mr Toad starts to glow.  "We can sell...[coughs]...er, make a site available to you in a ...[coughs]...er prime site."  Mr Toad stands and stares magisterially out at Prospect Hill.  "As long as we make a small turn on our investment, John will be really happy."  Mr Toad hunches over like Uriah Heap (I'm a Very Umble Person).  "One of the lads will be over with the paperwork this afternoon."  Mr Toad says, "Thanks you, it's a deal!"

No need for anything dodgy when our politicians and senior civil servants wouldn't understand commercial due diligence if it hit them in the face.  They have been shafted, and it is a scandal, but they run that risk every single day.  We suffer.

 

[Uhtred]

1 hour ago, Derek Flint said:

But why would he be? Is he going to be held to account? Has Whitehall finally started to question the 'good governance' clause in the Island's independence?

The worst that can happen to HQ is he retires from politics with a nice pension to top up the wealth he already had.

Reputation in tatters? Would he care and would it matter? 

Well if my (well connected) informant is correct and Quayle is indeed sweating profusely over this, there must be some element to it that he (Quayle) feels leaves him particularly exposed. As to whether he believes his reputation will suffer (in my opinion it’s already round the u-bend on its way to the septic tank), whether he thinks there’s scope for political damage if he’s contemplating another Keys run, or there’s some other avenue of potential criticism I couldn’t say.

[Uhtred]

13 minutes ago, Boo Gay'n said:

Mr Toad is a typical politician who is more concerned about his ego than making mistakes.  In that he is similar to BoJo, Trump etc.

In the case of the new Liverpool terminal, the lil ol' IOMG is dealing with Peel Group - think vampire squid on steroids, bristling with lawyers and destroying everything in its path like a juggernaut (sorry for the gleeful use of too much metaphor and simile).

Here is my version of the events, which I humbly opine to be the truth.

Ring, ring on Mr Toad's desk.  "Hi, Mr Toad, this is one of John Whittaker's boys".  Mr Toad kneels.  "The Racket's lease on the linkspan is about to expire and the kit is sinking into the Mersey mud."  Mr Toad starts to sweat.  "You know that we are developing most of the old Liverpool Docks and Harbours Board land, which we bought for 50p some years ago?"  Mr Toad's face contorts as he tries to understand such high-rolling financial concepts.  "You'll get a lot of glory if you build a new terminal."  Mr Toad starts to glow.  "We can sell...[coughs]...er, make a site available to you in a ...[coughs]...er prime site."  Mr Toad stands and stares magisterially out at Prospect Hill.  "As long as we make a small turn on our investment, John will be really happy."  Mr Toad hunches over like Uriah Heap (I'm a Very Umble Person).  "One of the lads will be over with the paperwork this afternoon."  Mr Toad says, "Thanks you, it's a deal!"

No need for anything dodgy when our politicians and senior civil servants wouldn't understand commercial due diligence if it hit them in the face.  They have been shafted, and it is a scandal, but they run that risk every single day.  We suffer.

 

All perfectly plausible as Quayle is that most dangerous (and yet exploitable) commodity, a profoundly over-blown ego with a stunted intellect.

[Roger Mexico]

1 hour ago, Derek Flint said:

But why would he be? Is he going to be held to account? Has Whitehall finally started to question the 'good governance' clause in the Island's independence?

The worst that can happen to HQ is he retires from politics with a nice pension to top up the wealth he already had.

Reputation in tatters? Would he care and would it matter? 

I can only assume that he's worried that all sorts of strange and irregular things may turn up when the English police start investigating.  Without a nice friendly local AG's Office that might bury/ignore anything that is too incriminating, embarrassing or just plain difficult, a gullible (at best) local politician might find himself swept up with similar types in another jurisdiction. 

And even if there's no criminal charges, Liz might feel a bit cautious about handing out the automatic gong.

[2112]

3 hours ago, Derek Flint said:

But why would he be? Is he going to be held to account? Has Whitehall finally started to question the 'good governance' clause in the Island's independence?

The worst that can happen to HQ is he retires from politics with a nice pension to top up the wealth he already had.

Reputation in tatters? Would he care and would it matter? 

What reputation? Would he care? He would as he is vain and pompous OAF - Toad of Toad Hall. It’s the prestige, the glory and the adulation of the Great Manx Public, greeting him as a hero, as he does a victory lap around the TT course - Road closed...... of course!

[Non-Believer]

9 hours ago, Boo Gay'n said:

Mr Toad is a typical politician who is more concerned about his ego than making mistakes.  In that he is similar to BoJo, Trump etc.

In the case of the new Liverpool terminal, the lil ol' IOMG is dealing with Peel Group - think vampire squid on steroids, bristling with lawyers and destroying everything in its path like a juggernaut (sorry for the gleeful use of too much metaphor and simile).

Here is my version of the events, which I humbly opine to be the truth.

Ring, ring on Mr Toad's desk.  "Hi, Mr Toad, this is one of John Whittaker's boys".  Mr Toad kneels.  "The Racket's lease on the linkspan is about to expire and the kit is sinking into the Mersey mud."  Mr Toad starts to sweat.  "You know that we are developing most of the old Liverpool Docks and Harbours Board land, which we bought for 50p some years ago?"  Mr Toad's face contorts as he tries to understand such high-rolling financial concepts.  "You'll get a lot of glory if you build a new terminal."  Mr Toad starts to glow.  "We can sell...[coughs]...er, make a site available to you in a ...[coughs]...er prime site."  Mr Toad stands and stares magisterially out at Prospect Hill.  "As long as we make a small turn on our investment, John will be really happy."  Mr Toad hunches over like Uriah Heap (I'm a Very Umble Person).  "One of the lads will be over with the paperwork this afternoon."  Mr Toad says, "Thanks you, it's a deal!"

No need for anything dodgy when our politicians and senior civil servants wouldn't understand commercial due diligence if it hit them in the face.  They have been shafted, and it is a scandal, but they run that risk every single day.  We suffer.

 

Wasn't the Terminal ball set rolling during the previous administration though, under Bell? It was Gawne's "no cost to the Manx public" proposal at the start that set the stage, that was back in 2014/15.

That having been said, it would make little difference to PG whom they had over the barrel.

Edited April 13, 2021 by Non-Believer
typo

[Derek Flint]

https://www.jobtrain.co.uk//iomgovjobs/DisplayJob.aspx?JobId=11971

[GD4ELI]

1 minute ago, Derek Flint said:

https://www.jobtrain.co.uk//iomgovjobs/DisplayJob.aspx?JobId=11971

I wonder how much money has already been transferred for this funky new terminal?

[Pipsqueak]

It was claimed to be a publication error  which somehow people seem happy to think means typo, it doesn't, it means it was published in error, as in it wasn't supposed to be published so people could see the real amount of money that is getting handed out.. that 53.108.00 will be the current costing, wake up.

Edited April 13, 2021 by Pipsqueak