Tim's Time's Up

[Wavey Davey]

3 hours ago, Hmmmm said:

I am surprised Tim Nice but Dim lasted this long.  Never cut out to be a minister,   Alf realised the same early in to Tim's tenure at DOI.  

Not sure. Tim knows Cannans new population expansion plans will involve the Island being littered with new estates like Ballatwattlworth. He’s never going to be able to sell it to the people in Peel who voted him in. He’s probably made the right decision personally if he wants to get back in again in 4 years. 

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

6 minutes ago, Gladys said:

Yes  can do the maths, but what is the type of housing they are categorising as affordable?

Different types  need a different strategy to encourage and secure, surely?

Affordability refers only to the cost - there should be a range of different accommodation that is affordable to anyone, or at the very least anyone working full time.

The root of the problem is that housing has been allowed to become a cash cow investment opportunity for rich developers and landlords instead of the basic human necessity that it is. Importing 15000 people or doing up the nurses home is not going to fix that.

[Kopek]

1 hour ago, Max Power said:

That's what I mean by starting in the middle without getting the base right, if all housing is aimed at bringing in high income groups, who is going to cut their grass, fix their cars and boilers, mend their broken windows, teach their kids, nurse them back to health etc etc etc!

I think you've just made the case for population increase???

[finlo]

10 minutes ago, Kopek said:

I think you've just made the case for population increase???

I'm no economist but I don't think the figures stack up.

For every chunk of new people we would need to expand all services therefore canceling out any net gains?

But hey what do I know!

[Maugholdmafia]

I think the plan is a step in the right direction. Especially the fact they have realised (finally) that they need less older and uneconomic active people to move here, and punish them financially if they do. Similar to australia

 

and for young people, cheaper houses and more entertainment! 

[Non-Believer]

14 minutes ago, finlo said:

I'm no economist but I don't think the figures stack up.

For every chunk of new people we would need to expand all services therefore canceling out any net gains?

But hey what do I know!

Before we attract all these extra 1000s here, the infrastructure needs to be in place first. That has to be part of the attraction.

People won't come if they have to wait silly time for doctors and dentists, there's no place for their kids at a school, the roads are falling to bits, energy costs are extortionate, travel links are tenuous or their sewage isn't being dealt with.

I think it might be too late now. All the billions (yes billions) that have been squandered on pointless, bit-part, fucked up vanity projects in the last 20 years could have been focused on the above and we could have been welcoming a steady stream of people to improve our economic lot.

Instead, we have......?

[Kopek]

22 minutes ago, finlo said:

For every chunk of new people we would need to expand all services therefore canceling out any net gains?

If they expand the services it will benefit those of us who are already here???

[finlo]

6 minutes ago, Kopek said:

If they expand the services it will benefit those of us who are already here???

But you'll be jostling in the queue with thousands of other plebs!

[Stu Peters]

I think many are missing what I consider the most important part of Tim's statement: ''Sadly however I have reached the conclusion that I cannot continue to play an effective part in this Council of Ministers team.'

I've got to know Tim a little over the last 10 months and think he's a straightforward, no BS kinda bloke with integrity. Naturally you may disagree.

[Josem]

44 minutes ago, Maugholdmafia said:

I think the plan is a step in the right direction. Especially the fact they have realised (finally) that they need less older and uneconomic active people to move here, and punish them financially if they do. Similar to australia

and for young people, cheaper houses and more entertainment! 

The Isle of Man and Australia have basically diametrically opposed migration policies.

It is very hard to migrate to Australia as an elderly migrant, and relatively easy if you are a young, qualified and willing to work. Here in the Isle of Man, there are essentially no migration restrictions on elderly, non-workers, moving from the UK or Ireland, but significant restrictions on most people who want to come here and work from UK and Ireland.

If we're going to restrict people who come to IOM to work with a work permit, it is unlikely to be sustainable to continue to have no restrictions on people coming to IOM to not work from UK/Ireland.

Obviously, the Isle of Man Government is always a step-behind, but one relatively easy opportunity to improve our rules in the right direction would be to welcome high performance people to the island. It costs us nothing, the people are already vetted, and would benefit the people of the IOM substantially to have such people migrating to here.

[Gladys]

7 hours ago, A fool and his money..... said:

Affordability refers only to the cost - there should be a range of different accommodation that is affordable to anyone, or at the very least anyone working full time.

The root of the problem is that housing has been allowed to become a cash cow investment opportunity for rich developers and landlords instead of the basic human necessity that it is. Importing 15000 people or doing up the nurses home is not going to fix that.

Affordable, of course, refers to the cost, but misses the real problems which are who is to provide it, how is it to be funded and is it for rent or sale.  Those are the real issues, get those right and affordability follows and, so far, I have seem nothing that really gets to grips with those issues. 

Unless government decides to step in and be the only provider of rented housing there will always be people making money out of it.

There has been nothing of substance said to get to grips with these issues just the bland 'we need more affordable housing' with no pointers in how to achieve it.

Of course, the other side to the equation is that everyone earns at least sufficient to allow them to afford the housing that is available.  Can't see that coming any time soon, can you?

'Affordable Housing' as a policy is meaningless without clear objectives and the defined strategies to deliver them.  You might as well say we have a policy of a happy life for all. 

[ian rush]

We’ve got a Residence Act (2001) on the books which could have been used these past 20 years instead of misdirected work permit controls. If the politicians had had the bottle it could’ve helped prevent the demographic / job vacancy shit storm we have now. Too many retirees and a lack of people to do hospitality jobs.

[Will Halsall]

6 hours ago, Josem said:

The Isle of Man and Australia have basically diametrically opposed migration policies.

It is very hard to migrate to Australia as an elderly migrant, and relatively easy if you are a young, qualified and willing to work. Here in the Isle of Man, there are essentially no migration restrictions on elderly, non-workers, moving from the UK or Ireland, but significant restrictions on most people who want to come here and work from UK and Ireland.

If we're going to restrict people who come to IOM to work with a work permit, it is unlikely to be sustainable to continue to have no restrictions on people coming to IOM to not work from UK/Ireland.

Obviously, the Isle of Man Government is always a step-behind, but one relatively easy opportunity to improve our rules in the right direction would be to welcome high performance people to the island. It costs us nothing, the people are already vetted, and would benefit the people of the IOM substantially to have such people migrating to here.

Skippy, if ever you get homesick drop me a line and I will set up a 'Just giving page'.

The big difference between the IOM and Australia, is that this beautiful island has few areas left for Dandara, Hartford etc to exploit with ugly and expensive housing, and we don't have the infrastructure (hospital, schooling and sewage spring to mind) for 86,000 let alone 100,000. Some indigenous folk like me look fondly back at the days of Spuds and Herring. 

Then it rises like a vision
Sparkling bright it shines for me
My own dear, Ellan Vannin
With it's green hills shabby white houses by the sea

The Gov model is aimed at CSP and Gaming high earning employees, but what contingencies are in place if/when they get a better offer elsewhere and leave for a warmer and less breezy location? What percentage of the 100,000 will be non-contributing low paid employees of Tesco, Shoprite, Bus Vannin etc. living in poor housing on top up benefits etc?

Previous Chief Ministers and their disciples have let this island down badly in too many ways to mention, some have been more interested in vanity projects (Film industry) and cosying up to HNW's, than the betterment of our isle. I don't claim to know the answer but I don't believe rapidly increasing the population is healthy. Tackling head on buy to let and increasing the tax threshold on HNW's would imho be my option, but CoMin are reluctant to upset these groups suspiciously.

TE Brown:

To unlock the treasures of the islands heart

with loving feet to trace each hill and glen

and find the ore which is not for the mart of commerce

this is all I ask!

[HiVibes]

7 hours ago, Stu Peters said:

I think many are missing what I consider the most important part of Tim's statement: ''Sadly however I have reached the conclusion that I cannot continue to play an effective part in this Council of Ministers team.'

I've got to know Tim a little over the last 10 months and think he's a straightforward, no BS kinda bloke with integrity. Naturally you may disagree.

Taxi Driver gets on with Postie shocker.

[Will Halsall]

7 hours ago, Stu Peters said:

I think many are missing what I consider the most important part of Tim's statement: ''Sadly however I have reached the conclusion that I cannot continue to play an effective part in this Council of Ministers team.'

I've got to know Tim a little over the last 10 months and think he's a straightforward, no BS kinda bloke with integrity. Naturally you may disagree.

Stu,

Is it because in TC's mind the shit will literally be hitting the fan by the next election:

https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/further-16-5-million-approved-for-sewage-works-in-peel-and-garff/

He may well be a straightforward, no BS bloke but I seriously question his integrity, and I have done so since his spell in the DCCL - he authorised the Cabbage and continued to defend the indefensible actions of Black and Longworth.

He was hugely unpopular with the Gobbags and knew he wasn't going to be elected in the previous campaign, so he became an MLC (chosen ahead of the esteemed Mr Moyle ffs), then at the next election when even a Dogfish (see what I did there) would have beaten Boot and the other fella, he gave this illusion that he would rise like a phoenix from the ashes, threatening to take the bull by the horns and completely shake up the DOI. However, at the first opportunity he grabs Alf and asks for the DfE job, somehow, Alf in his infinite wisdom thought that Crookall would make a good DfE Minister and Thomas a good DOI Minister - one can only assume that Alf was pre-occupied 😉 and inadvertently got their jobs mixed up.