Sigh

[Blade Runner]

29 minutes ago, Ativa said:

Agreed.  Together with regular retests for everyone.

They should be less frequent for the youngsters who have just done their test and become more frequent as people get older and their knowledge is more out of date and they start to lose their faculties and eyesight.

I have been in modern cars with old duffers who can’t even work the radio.

I have followed some old duffers that can't get round the new Windy Corner at more than 55mph

P.S. You should start one of those Social Media Influencer / New Guru sites that advises peeps how they can get more done in a day.

Reading your posts on here you seem to be everywhere, doing everything, all at once................ 

There may be a film in that? 🙂 

[Stu Peters]

Old duffers doing 55mph anywhere would be a bonus that’s rarely seen. Except in 30 and 40 zones.

[majkul]

You can all keep arguing, on every topic in this forum, "till the cows come home" (as long as they're not going too fast, on the ever-narrowing "city" roads)... But keep in mind that every decision taken by the powers that be, has only got to do with how much money they can keep stealing from the tax payers. And *that*, is what makes the beautiful Isle of Man not so great.

[Non-Believer]

5 minutes ago, majkul said:

You can all keep arguing, on every topic in this forum, "till the cows come home" (as long as they're not going too fast, on the ever-narrowing "city" roads)... But keep in mind that every decision taken by the powers that be, has only got to do with how much money they can keep stealing from the tax payers. And *that*, is what makes the beautiful Isle of Man not so great.

+1. And I wonder if any consideration is given to what effects their hikes have on those already struggling with the costs of living before they are imposed?

[Stu Peters]

In fairness the revised fees will make very little real difference to the cost of living. An option is to keep prices artificially low and cut services to make up the shortfall, but people (me included) want reasonably maintained roads and infrastructure. Government departments are facing huge cost increases too, remember - energy being a prime example.

[Non-Believer]

4 minutes ago, Stu Peters said:

In fairness the revised fees will make very little real difference to the cost of living. An option is to keep prices artificially low and cut services to make up the shortfall, but people (me included) want reasonably maintained roads and infrastructure. Government departments are facing huge cost increases too, remember - energy being a prime example.

And the wage increase demands of 11% from the PS unions too, presumably.

I'd suggest that whilst it may not impact the national inflation figures too much, rises of 25% (and more in some VED cases) may impact considerably at the individual and families level.

Does "well-maintained roads" include the installation of pointless pelican crossings on short stretches of straight, slow, narrow roads in Ramsey for instance? Could you give us an insight into the thinking that led to this, including any RTI history including pedestrians at this point?

Could you also advise us of how and why Dr Allanson gleaned the Treasury opinion of the roads being so good that the DOI budget from Treasury could be cut, please?

[Stu Peters]

8 hours ago, Non-Believer said:

And the wage increase demands of 11% from the PS unions too, presumably.

I'd suggest that whilst it may not impact the national inflation figures too much, rises of 25% (and more in some VED cases) may impact considerably at the individual and families level.

Does "well-maintained roads" include the installation of pointless pelican crossings on short stretches of straight, slow, narrow roads in Ramsey for instance? Could you give us an insight into the thinking that led to this, including any RTI history including pedestrians at this point?

Could you also advise us of how and why Dr Allanson gleaned the Treasury opinion of the roads being so good that the DOI budget from Treasury could be cut, please?

Pelican crossings are usually installed at the request of local residents/users but I don't know the specifics of the ones you cite. Dr Allinson and others probably realised that our roads are not as bad as the usual critics say. I've been critical in the past, but that reality becomes apparent if you travel to the UK or Ireland - our roads aren't perfect but they're not bad, and we can't afford perfect. Some (like Douglas Head Road which I used to drive up and down every day) are quite horrid, but adequate for the 20mph limit imposed on them. Our economy can't currently afford any more 'nice to haves' and needs to concentrate on essentials for a while.

People might more reasonably criticise the vast amounts spent on vanity schemes like Douglas Prom and the new Liverpool Terminal instead of more general maintenance. But both projects had to be undertaken and both previously reflected badly on the Island. As far as I remember there was plenty of time for people to come up with alternatives during the consultation phase, and many were considered but found wanting.

But it is what it is, we are where we are, mistakes were made and lessons learned, moving forward... (a phrase I hate but probably appropriate).

[La Colombe]

[Non-Believer]

4 hours ago, Stu Peters said:

Pelican crossings are usually installed at the request of local residents/users but I don't know the specifics of the ones you cite. Dr Allinson and others probably realised that our roads are not as bad as the usual critics say. I've been critical in the past, but that reality becomes apparent if you travel to the UK or Ireland - our roads aren't perfect but they're not bad, and we can't afford perfect. Some (like Douglas Head Road which I used to drive up and down every day) are quite horrid, but adequate for the 20mph limit imposed on them. Our economy can't currently afford any more 'nice to haves' and needs to concentrate on essentials for a while.

People might more reasonably criticise the vast amounts spent on vanity schemes like Douglas Prom and the new Liverpool Terminal instead of more general maintenance. But both projects had to be undertaken and both previously reflected badly on the Island. As far as I remember there was plenty of time for people to come up with alternatives during the consultation phase, and many were considered but found wanting.

But it is what it is, we are where we are, mistakes were made and lessons learned, moving forward... (a phrase I hate but probably appropriate).

Well, Stu, just working through your response point by point, you've disregarded my comment about the impact of the rises on individuals and families, the pelican crossing I and everybody else are referring to and discussing is the one outside the Royal George in Ramsey which is ostensibly just a budget-using-up exercise with no proven safety requirement otherwise whatsoever. We can't afford any more "nice to haves", you say...?

I don't imagine anybody responding to any consultation by requesting a complete and shameful clusterfuck on the scale of Douglas Promenade which has got to be one of the most embarrassing piece of civil engineering failures ever seen on Island, still close to 1000 defects outstanding and presumably more being generated in use every day and still incomplete, in respect of the horse trams route despite at least 2 budget extensions to accommodate. All that is what anybody would describe as being "found wanting", surely.

Your accurate description of the above and Liverpool Terminal as "vanity schemes" is precisely why people are thoroughly cynical about the use of their indefensibly rising taxes. You've put it in a nutshell yourself.

"We are where we are and lessons will be learned" is not an adequate response...it was trotted out at the time of the Power Station fiasco and has been dusted off countless times since. Lessons are clearly not being learned in the conservation and use of public funds. Other than voting for taxation rises to allow the obscene squandering to continue, what are you doing about it please?

ETA. And FWIW, here's my opinion from another current thread.

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by Non-Believer
Extra bit

[Stu Peters]

2 hours ago, Non-Believer said:

Well, Stu, just working through your response point by point, you've disregarded my comment about the impact of the rises on individuals and families, the pelican crossing I and everybody else are referring to and discussing is the one outside the Royal George in Ramsey which is ostensibly just a budget-using-up exercise with no proven safety requirement otherwise whatsoever. We can't afford any more "nice to haves", you say...?

I don't imagine anybody responding to any consultation by requesting a complete and shameful clusterfuck on the scale of Douglas Promenade which has got to be one of the most embarrassing piece of civil engineering failures ever seen on Island, still close to 1000 defects outstanding and presumably more being generated in use every day and still incomplete, in respect of the horse trams route despite at least 2 budget extensions to accommodate. All that is what anybody would describe as being "found wanting", surely.

Your accurate description of the above and Liverpool Terminal as "vanity schemes" is precisely why people are thoroughly cynical about the use of their indefensibly rising taxes. You've put it in a nutshell yourself.

"We are where we are and lessons will be learned" is not an adequate response...it was trotted out at the time of the Power Station fiasco and has been dusted off countless times since. Lessons are clearly not being learned in the conservation and use of public funds. Other than voting for taxation rises to allow the obscene squandering to continue, what are you doing about it please?

ETA. And FWIW, here's my opinion from another current thread.

 

I agree with everything you say, with the exception of £300m for the airport which I think was probably a misquote and the request to bugger you.

Car tax hasn't been increased for years, so it's been a catch-up and bigger increase than just inflation in some cases, in others it's trying to rectify some historical inequities. We all know that scrapping road tax/RFL/VED and adding an extra duty to fuel would be fairer all round, but I'm told it would be impossible given our reciprocal agreements with the UK and the difficulty of segregating commercial vehicles. I only do a couple of thousand miles a year in my thundering V8, Ringy might do ten times that in his/her Fiesta but pay much less tax - it's nuts but I can't change it.

What am I going to do? What I can as a DoI member with a keen interest in representing the interests of the motorist. I could also ask pointless questions every week in Keys which might be amusing and give the media something to cut and paste from Hansard, but achieve nothing and waste yet more taxpayer money. I think (but can't speak with any authority) that there has been a reckoning in terms of these vast overspends, but nobody is going to give us £50m back, so we need to move on. Hopefully the benefits will be enjoyed long after the cost has been forgotten (to misquote Henry Royce). The Prom scheme and Liverpool Terminal have gone vastly over budget and taken longer than the pyramids to build, but I don't know that many of us are directly affected, apart from some inconvenience and being maddeningly frustrated. I doubt the Pelican crossing was a 'use the budget fast' scheme as that kind of thing is rather frowned upon these days.

I'm not excusing any of this, just trying to be pragmatic.

[Shake me up Judy]

5 hours ago, La Colombe said:

I can think of a few who should be making that walk.

[Andy Onchan]

6 minutes ago, Stu Peters said:

I agree with everything you say, with the exception of £300m for the airport which I think was probably a misquote and the request to bugger you.

Car tax hasn't been increased for years, so it's been a catch-up and bigger increase than just inflation in some cases, in others it's trying to rectify some historical inequities. We all know that scrapping road tax/RFL/VED and adding an extra duty to fuel would be fairer all round, but I'm told it would be impossible given our reciprocal agreements with the UK and the difficulty of segregating commercial vehicles. I only do a couple of thousand miles a year in my thundering V8, Ringy might do ten times that in his/her Fiesta but pay much less tax - it's nuts but I can't change it.

What am I going to do? What I can as a DoI member with a keen interest in representing the interests of the motorist. I could also ask pointless questions every week in Keys which might be amusing and give the media something to cut and paste from Hansard, but achieve nothing and waste yet more taxpayer money. I think (but can't speak with any authority) that there has been a reckoning in terms of these vast overspends, but nobody is going to give us £50m back, so we need to move on. Hopefully the benefits will be enjoyed long after the cost has been forgotten (to misquote Henry Royce). The Prom scheme and Liverpool Terminal have gone vastly over budget and taken longer than the pyramids to build, but I don't know that many of us are directly affected, apart from some inconvenience and being maddeningly frustrated. I doubt the Pelican crossing was a 'use the budget fast' scheme as that kind of thing is rather frowned upon these days.

I'm not excusing any of this, just trying to be pragmatic.

Couple of things....

Is fuel costing segregated now for commercial vehicles?

Can you tell us, specifically, why adding a transport levy/duty/fee onto a product that has already landed on IOM soil can't be done? It's not rocket science or mathematical bollocks.

Why do so many of these issues get thrown into the "Hard to Do" tray? Might it be because the status quo is actually producing more revenue than the fairer alternative?   

[finlo]

17 minutes ago, Stu Peters said:

I agree with everything you say, with the exception of £300m for the airport which I think was probably a misquote and the request to bugger you.

Car tax hasn't been increased for years, so it's been a catch-up and bigger increase than just inflation in some cases, in others it's trying to rectify some historical inequities. We all know that scrapping road tax/RFL/VED and adding an extra duty to fuel would be fairer all round, but I'm told it would be impossible given our reciprocal agreements with the UK and the difficulty of segregating commercial vehicles. I only do a couple of thousand miles a year in my thundering V8, Ringy might do ten times that in his/her Fiesta but pay much less tax - it's nuts but I can't change it.

What am I going to do? What I can as a DoI member with a keen interest in representing the interests of the motorist. I could also ask pointless questions every week in Keys which might be amusing and give the media something to cut and paste from Hansard, but achieve nothing and waste yet more taxpayer money. I think (but can't speak with any authority) that there has been a reckoning in terms of these vast overspends, but nobody is going to give us £50m back, so we need to move on. Hopefully the benefits will be enjoyed long after the cost has been forgotten (to misquote Henry Royce). The Prom scheme and Liverpool Terminal have gone vastly over budget and taken longer than the pyramids to build, but I don't know that many of us are directly affected, apart from some inconvenience and being maddeningly frustrated. I doubt the Pelican crossing was a 'use the budget fast' scheme as that kind of thing is rather frowned upon these days.

I'm not excusing any of this, just trying to be pragmatic.

Not sure where you're getting the "car tax hasn't increased for years" bit from!

[Karellen]

13 minutes ago, Stu Peters said:

The Prom scheme and Liverpool Terminal have gone vastly over budget and taken longer than the pyramids to build, but I don't know that many of us are directly affected, apart from some inconvenience and being maddeningly frustrated.

I'd say that we are all directly affected.  We are all poorer, as it is the increased burden of taxes that pays for government mismanagement.   If Douglas prom and Liverpool Terminal had been professionally managed and come in on budget, what stealth and other taxes might we have avoided?   

[Non-Believer]

1 hour ago, Karellen said:

I'd say that we are all directly affected.  We are all poorer, as it is the increased burden of taxes that pays for government mismanagement.   If Douglas prom and Liverpool Terminal had been professionally managed and come in on budget, what stealth and other taxes might we have avoided?   

Many thanks for this point @KarellenLet's add to that the daddy of them all, the MUA debt with the "toilet tax" on the rates and the cost of electricity itself with standing charges too.

The population of this Island is being crushed under a burden of rising debt and taxation arising from epic incompetence on a rinse and repeat basis and all we're getting is platitudes from politicians whilst the squanderfest continues with zero accountability for any concerned.

Stu, I'm afraid is being infected with the glib waffle and dismissiveness beloved of his departmental superior.