Alf Cannan's I Have A Dream

[Hoops]

2 minutes ago, 2112 said:

Clare Barber, DEFA Minister has her turn on the NPM this morning, ‘Tree Disease is a major challenge for government’. It seems to me that everything within IOMG is a major challenge, have developed from problems into major challenges. She further says that ‘DEFA can’t manage it alone’, which sounds like CM Cannan asking the private sector to do the heavy lifting. 

They have a huge problem emerging with ash dieback, it seems to have been particularly devastating, in terms of speed and severity, on the island, and is a predominant roadside tree. Given that ash is not a 'strong' tree at the best of times, it wouldn't surprise me if someone gets hurt by a falling tree/branch in the not too distant future. The private sector in this, the tree surgeons, are as busy as they want to be and can charge what they want, to a degree. In addition, I know some tree surgeons across aren't climbing unhealthy ash now, and will only work off platforms because of the danger inherent in the weakness of this species when it's unhealthy, adding to the cost.

Alongside this, DEFA have been almost criminally complacent and ineffective over dutch elm disease. I know someone who consulted them over a diseased tree, and was told that DEFA would deal with it. They didn't, the beetle was allowed  to continue it's life-cycle, 18 months later the land owner was asked to take it down at their expense as DEFA didn't have the funds anymore.

Another department with too few workers and too many arse sitters. But, in Barber, the ceo of that department has a perfectly malleable spokesperson. 

 

[2112]

Tim but two, on the NPM, asking for government handouts to the farmers as regards to freight and shipping costs, which is described as a major issue- I know it’s a bummer, but it’s affecting everyone and if one sector is helped so should all, which includes SPCo passengers,  cars and vans. Minister Clare says the issue is being looked at, which probably means that farmers will get special assistance whilst SPCo ordinary customers will end up footing the bill with higher fares.

[Dirty Buggane]

The farmers will get grants not to ship . Same as they get grants not to grow. Not to raise livestock.

Thanks Gawne you pratt, every thing that man put in place should be scrutinised and then torn out and trashed

[Dirty Buggane]

50 minutes ago, 2112 said:

Tim but two, on the NPM, asking for government handouts to the farmers as regards to freight and shipping costs, 

What is they are actually shipping. Unused farm machinery bought with grants But can not sell it here because nobody actually is farming any more, how many are employed in the farming industry these days and I do not mean just to get planning permission for farmhand accommodation. You know the 4 bedroom 3 three bathroom cottage in a 1and1"2 acre plot.

I apologise unreservedly to the small man doing his best to earn his living from the land and is struggling, I am also sorry you have been tainted by the likes of Quayle

[2112]

All the news on the NPM and the IOMG state media is rehashing the economic plan, DEFA plan, this plan, that plan. Now the IOM College is having another rebranding to ‘Island Campus’. I thought we had  University College Mann, with courses validated by Chester University and other HE institutions.  All the plans were devised by KPMG, in other words, taxpayers money is used to fill in the voids of both our civil servants and politicos, who have been paid to come up with ideas and implement them. Now we as taxpayers are paying Accountants and Management Consultants to do the heavy lifting, if we have come up with ideas and they have failed …………… badly, what’s to think the ‘fresh’ ideas are going to succeed when the same ‘civil servants’ are left to implement the new plans? 

[2112]

Perhaps we as an island hand the whole system of government over KPMG and let them take control. They can run the civil service as well, the politicos can be binned, and if KPMG make a dogs breakfast of things then I’m sure that IOMNP Facebook page members will hold them to account. CM Cannan seems to have thrown the final roll of the dice. With all these strategies and plans comes a cost to the taxpayers, for example - Island Campus - KPMG suggest increasing courses, getting off island students.
 

Presumably the attraction of studying (on the IOM) Its going to be ……………… cheaper than UK. So the taxpayers will subsidise them. The DESC will then say we need more classrooms, lecture halls and labs, and the Nunnery isn’t big enough …………….. a new super facility will be needed! The list will be endless, so will be the cost. Incidentally, IOMG sold the Nunnery, maybe it’s not such a wise move looking back?

[hissingsid]

Students from across and beyond could be encouraged to study in a University on the Island.   To achieve anything you have got to think big and growing our University would be a step forward.    Some of our students who study away don’t return perhaps some of the students who came to study over here would stay and enrich our Island.   We have to grow our population if we want to move forward and provide all the facilities and attractions people want.

[2112]

9 minutes ago, hissingsid said:

Students from across and beyond could be encouraged to study in a University on the Island.   To achieve anything you have got to think big and growing our University would be a step forward.    Some of our students who study away don’t return perhaps some of the students who came to study over here would stay and enrich our Island.   We have to grow our population if we want to move forward and provide all the facilities and attractions people want.

A Hotel and Catering School - catering for Malaysian and Chinese Students. They could fill the jobs others don’t want to do in the coffee shops and the restaurants. They could get jobs at the Sefton Hotel.

Edited July 24, 2022 by 2112

[John Wright]

1 hour ago, 2112 said:

A Hotel and Catering School - catering for Malaysian and Chinese Students. They could fill the jobs others don’t want to do in the coffee shops and the restaurants. They could get jobs at the Sefton Hotel.

That won’t work long term. Foreign Students in catering can work whilst studying under the current visa regime. But they don’t earn enough in catering, once graduated, to qualify for a visa to stay and work. Tories, Brexit, Hostile Immigration Regime! I don’t get, either, why Malay, Indian, Chinese, Indonesian, African, students are acceptable to fill low paid gig economy jobs, but Europeans aren’t. 

We had a college doing all forms of hospitality and catering courses as well as management. Did well for a while. But the owners were virtually full time on the road in the Far East recruiting students.

This whole thing about a university is so ill thought out. The Island isn’t big enough, doesn’t have the infrastructure or facilities to attract students from anywhere else. So, no doubt there’d be pressure on Manx Students to stay to study. That’s short sighted.

As for the type of course. A degree in most cases isn’t vocational, but a rigorous training into how to think, analyse, research, know how to look things up. Yet still we get the moans about courses in music, film, drama, fine and applied arts, philosophy, English, history.. the list goes on and on.

The not returning is 77 years old, at least. I’ve uncles who studied mechanical engineering and nuclear physics. They didn’t return in the 1960’s. They couldn’t then, or now, study that here. My dad’s generation, immediate prewar, mainly stayed in England and returned in retirement in the 1970’s or 1980’s.

Im all in favour of UCM offering degrees validated by UK institutions. But inevitably the range of courses is always going to be limited.

[SleepyJoe]

5 hours ago, 2112 said:

Tim but two, on the NPM, asking for government handouts to the farmers as regards to freight and shipping costs, which is described as a major issue- I know it’s a bummer, but it’s affecting everyone and if one sector is helped so should all, which includes SPCo passengers,  cars and vans. Minister Clare says the issue is being looked at, which probably means that farmers will get special assistance whilst SPCo ordinary customers will end up footing the bill with higher fares.

DEFA's Sustainable Food Programme has to be a catalyst for change. There's no point in ranching cattle for sale across if their transit has to be subsidised - farmers should concentrate on growing what food they can for local consumption & be subsidised to supplement our paltry tree cover on the land that they can't use for this. Grant assistance will be available for modern farming equipment, including it's transit to the island. Biggest issue appears to be importation of fertilizers - is it absolutely impossible to manufacture these on island? 

[2112]

2 hours ago, SleepyJoe said:

DEFA's Sustainable Food Programme has to be a catalyst for change. There's no point in ranching cattle for sale across if their transit has to be subsidised - farmers should concentrate on growing what food they can for local consumption & be subsidised to supplement our paltry tree cover on the land that they can't use for this. Grant assistance will be available for modern farming equipment, including it's transit to the island. Biggest issue appears to be importation of fertilizers - is it absolutely impossible to manufacture these on island? 

Plenty of bullshit which can be used to fertilise the crops, and if Tynpotwald sits on two consecutive days, there will be enough bullshit for all the farmers for a while. 

[2112]

2 hours ago, John Wright said:

That won’t work long term. Foreign Students in catering can work whilst studying under the current visa regime. But they don’t earn enough in catering, once graduated, to qualify for a visa to stay and work. Tories, Brexit, Hostile Immigration Regime! I don’t get, either, why Malay, Indian, Chinese, Indonesian, African, students are acceptable to fill low paid gig economy jobs, but Europeans aren’t. 

We had a college doing all forms of hospitality and catering courses as well as management. Did well for a while. But the owners were virtually full time on the road in the Far East recruiting students.

This whole thing about a university is so ill thought out. The Island isn’t big enough, doesn’t have the infrastructure or facilities to attract students from anywhere else. So, no doubt there’d be pressure on Manx Students to stay to study. That’s short sighted.

As for the type of course. A degree in most cases isn’t vocational, but a rigorous training into how to think, analyse, research, know how to look things up. Yet still we get the moans about courses in music, film, drama, fine and applied arts, philosophy, English, history.. the list goes on and on.

The not returning is 77 years old, at least. I’ve uncles who studied mechanical engineering and nuclear physics. They didn’t return in the 1960’s. They couldn’t then, or now, study that here. My dad’s generation, immediate prewar, mainly stayed in England and returned in retirement in the 1970’s or 1980’s.

Im all in favour of UCM offering degrees validated by UK institutions. But inevitably the range of courses is always going to be limited.

I agree with everything you have said. My post on the Hotel and Catering School was meant to be tongue in cheek. I studied off island at University, the reason being, was the IOM College didn’t offer the course I wanted to do, it was very static, and I didn’t feel it would enhance my future prospects. I was able to get a good course off island, which also allowed me upgrade. I will say that the teaching at the IOM College is excellent, and the facilities are good. 

[asitis]

3 hours ago, SleepyJoe said:

appears to be importation of fertilizers - is it absolutely impossible to manufacture these on island?

There's plenty of raw material in Tynwald !

[2112]

@SleepyJoeyou can imagine fertiliser being manufactured here. It would cost a fortune, increase food production costs more than imported fertiliser, and would probably get funds from the tax payers. Someone would end up stinking rich. 

[SleepyJoe]

Are you taking the piss?

Well, you can use it to make fertilizer

https://urbanwormcompany.com/organic-nitrogen-fertilizer-microbes-the-solution-for-2022-beyond/

There's lots of stuff out there about making fertilizer without cow shit

Time for DEFA to develop a green start-up to make the stuff - it'd be cheaper than funding the abattoir