Airport.

[Ringy Rose]

4 hours ago, doc.fixit said:

Or really turn it into a nostalgia trip? Charabancs, paddle steamers, all the above

Works for the Lake District! Bowness-on-Windermere is an absolute shithole but you can't move for the crowds most weekends.

Let's face it, nobody's coming to Man for the weather.

[James Blonde]

6 hours ago, IOM said:

I think its a bit unfair to characterise the island in this way. If you want peaks there is Snaefell Mountain which beats anything in the Lake District it even has a railway going right up to the top. On a clear day you can see England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland something you will never see in the Lake District. There is also the steam railway and the electric tram to Ramsey. Then the beautiful beaches and coastline at Peel and Port Erin, the sights across Douglas Bay from Douglas Head. I think it would be better if we all started to get behind some of the things the island offers and encourage more people to come here that can only be a good thing for everyone. 

Are you on drugs?

[A fool and his money.....]

17 minutes ago, James Blonde said:

Are you on drugs?

Perhaps just seeing the positive in stuff rather than your own negative default outlook.

[IOM]

26 minutes ago, James Blonde said:

Are you on drugs?

What an odd and disrespectful comment ! Exactly as the previous poster says I like to think positively and don’t lead my life constantly denigrating the island ! I would respectfully suggest if you don’t like it why not go and live somewhere else I know plenty of people who would love to live here . 

[James Blonde]

1 hour ago, A fool and his money..... said:

Perhaps just seeing the positive in stuff rather than your own negative default outlook.

 

1 hour ago, IOM said:

What an odd and disrespectful comment ! Exactly as the previous poster says I like to think positively and don’t lead my life constantly denigrating the island ! I would respectfully suggest if you don’t like it why not go and live somewhere else I know plenty of people who would love to live here . 

🥱

[asitis]

1 minute ago, offshoremanxman said:

That’s close to the truth. Amazing we have an aspiration that is so detached from reality that they don’t even check if it can be achieved with our current infrastructure. Maybe we’ll end up with some sort of “adopt a tourist” home stay style scheme so that we can actually accommodate the 500,000 visitors if they come?

Many of the islands ills has been created by a lack of realism in the corridors of power. Whilst I agree with those above who talk up the island, it is difficult to ignore the state of the place in many areas. For successive Governments to have had access to so much cash over the past 30 years, it does beg the question where has it all gone, and what good has it done the residents who finance it ?!

[Non-Believer]

1 hour ago, offshoremanxman said:

Agreed but it’s rather worrying that 25 seconds after some genius came up with the 500,000 figure (which let’s face it is completely made up to try to justify the last round of airport spend) that someone didn’t then ask “Where are all these extra people going to stay?”  

Additionally worrying that Dr Allinson who is an intelligent man by definition can stand up in front of the Tynwald assembly and rattle it off without first questioning it and substantiating it.

[Boris Johnson]

Chasing 500,00 will keep minimum 40 or 50 CS busy for the next decade, that is what it is all about.

That it is a bonkers figure without the infrastructure to support it or the tourists willing to come here, there are only so may train and bike fans in the world, this is just job creation IMHO.

[Derek Flint]

9 hours ago, asitis said:

Many of the islands ills has been created by a lack of realism in the corridors of power. Whilst I agree with those above who talk up the island, it is difficult to ignore the state of the place in many areas. For successive Governments to have had access to so much cash over the past 30 years, it does beg the question where has it all gone, and what good has it done the residents who finance it ?!

Spaff. Pure and simple. 

The cops were getting hand me down desks from banks. Meanwhile, Government were renting plush offices throughout the capital, whilst missing golden nuggets like buying Coutts bank at Onchan for a new DHA HQ and selling off Woodbourne Road at the point it was worth something. Or hanging on to the old MEA building in Ramsey for a new police station. MEA running around in new Land Rover Discovery’. A department somewhere buying a 2.5litre ST S-Max (we only found out when the engine went in the decade-old police one and someone noticed that one lying around with a tenth of the mileage) 

There was no thrift, no cutting of cloth or saving for a rainy day. Just spaff.

[finlo]

11 hours ago, asitis said:

Many of the islands ills has been created by a lack of realism in the corridors of power. Whilst I agree with those above who talk up the island, it is difficult to ignore the state of the place in many areas. For successive Governments to have had access to so much cash over the past 30 years, it does beg the question where has it all gone, and what good has it done the residents who finance it ?!

Oh I'm sure it mostly found its way into the right pockets!

[The Voice of Reason]

3 hours ago, Derek Flint said:

 

The cops were getting hand me down desks from banks. 

There was no thrift

Well as long as the desks worked OK I think that should be applauded.

[Amadeus]

 

[Flyingfemme]

500,000 visitors a year is ten packed Sleezyjet flights day.........on top of the travelling Manx residents. Is this in addition to the TT/Festival crowd? Seems totally unrealistic for so many reasons. The IOM is a pretty niche destination and the best way to encourage visitors is to improve some more niche reasons to visit - preferably spread across the year. It would have to grow organically because nobody is stupid enough to invest in enough hotel rooms to service that lot without some hope of getting a return. But I don't want to rubbish the Isle of Man particularly because the government is no worse at planning "stuff" than any other government out there..........

[Andy Onchan]

19 hours ago, Amadeus said:

 

So what exactly does the Deputy Airport Director do? He certainly isn't looking after the airport, is he?

[asitis]

55 minutes ago, Andy Onchan said:

So what exactly does the Deputy Airport Director do? He certainly isn't looking after the airport, is he?

He presents blogs from Heathrow and pisses off everyone he meets in the Isle of Man who wants to invest and help ! Keeps him busy !