Steam Packet considers shake-up of fleet

[code99]

19 hours ago, manxman1980 said:

I presume that everyone complaining about the new terminal in Liverpool has heard of HS2?  Now there is a monumental waste of money.  Not only that but that project was born as a Labour Government idea, resurrected by the coalition government and heralded by successive Tory governments as part of the "Northern Powerhouse" and "levelling up".  

Now it looks likely that after spending billions it will connect two random stations in Birmingham and London.  Our collection of MHK's are only learning from the UK Government.

IMHO, taking a dig at Labour over HS2 is a bit unfair. As I recall it, Labour proposed that this project should commence in the North; that it would firstly link the northern cities (and also the Scottish cities) together, and then extend this network ‘down’ to London. In subsequent years, the Tories procrastinated interminably. All of their dithering, chopping and changing resulted in multiple (re)iterations and, inevitably, ever higher costs. During the last two years, Inflation (e.g., cost of building materials) has gone rampant. Whatever they decide to do now, the fact remains that the North desperately needs a much better railway network coverage, which will take some of the pressure off their congested roads, which are becoming increasingly unfit for purpose.

I agree with your comment that “Our collection of MHK's are only learning from the UK Government.“ The Liverpool Dock saga may well turn out to be our equivalent of the UK’s HS2 debacle. If the IOMG’s plans to grow the population by 15,000 to 100,000 are to ever come to fruition, the Government here will not only have to improve our external Sea and Airport transport links, they will also have to deal with our congested roads and crumbling infrastructure. That being said, by limiting the topics for discussion at last week’s Government Conference to; Education, Construction and Finance, the IOMG avoided having to publicly discuss these vital issues, at least for now.

The strategy of avoiding discussing difficult/ practical issues may be working with some residents. At the Conference, I recall one gentleman, who was so impressed with the Government’s handling of our economy (and its own finances) that he suggested that the IOMG sever the Manx Pound from the GBP. In his view, compared to the “poorly managed” UK economy the IOMG’s financial performance has been exemplary. He implied that if we de-linked the Manx Pound, we could become another Switzerland - our currency would rise, our Inflation would fall and everything would be sorted. I have heard warped wheezes before, but this one is definitely on a par with Baldrick’s cunning plans.  

[manxman1980]

@code99 There was no intended dig at Labour in my comment. 

The point I was making was that the UK Government (Red or Blue) are capable of blowing even more money on white elephants than the Manx Government.  It would be interesting (but I have not got the time) to see how these projects compare as a percentage of Government budget.

A major problem with all these projects is the capacity of the UK & Isle of Man's construction industry.  We don't do planning very well and instead the construction industry goes through huge peaks and troughs of work.  At peak times we struggle with supply of materials, skilled workers, equipment and the cost rises accordingly.  During the troughs we dismantle all the supply chains, lay off many skilled workers and don't invest in equipment which then causes more problems in future.

The Manx & UK Government's need to learn how to plan major infrastructure projects in a more efficient manner that means the construction industry is not placed under these strains and can deliver.

[woolley]

@manxman1980  Nail on head. This is the essence of our problems and has been for decades.

Having reached this stage though, for all of the cack-handed and over-remunerated management of HS2 from the outset, it is total lunacy to ditch the project now because it will bring enormous regeneration and stimulate the economy all along the route.

Treasury mandarins score settling by whipping a weak government, perhaps?

[doc.fixit]

Last statement sounded like a crossword clue.😄

[Omobono]

not to mention  inflated land and compensation  prices , you cant beat the Tories for looking after their mates and especially the landed gentry 

[Ringy Rose]

23 hours ago, manxman1980 said:

The Manx & UK Government's need to learn how to plan major infrastructure projects in a more efficient manner that means the construction industry is not placed under these strains and can deliver.

The construction industry are the ones to blame for most of the issues! Lots of lobbying for more work, lots of lobbying for over-engineered work, and lots of extra money when the over-engineered solution-looking-for-a-problem turns into a shitshow.

It’s not just an Isle of Man or UK issue either. Look at Brandenburg Airport in Berlin. €8billion over budget and nine years late opening. So much for German efficiency!

[Barlow]

On 9/26/2023 at 4:51 PM, doc.fixit said:

Last statement sounded like a crossword clue.😄

I had it more as a what3words:

Treasury.mandarins.score

(somewhere between Lake Victoria and Mombasa)

Edited September 27, 2023 by Barlow
typo

[asitis]

I guess here, we have a paucity of talent in an all powerful civil service , riding roughshod over the worst Government of the perhaps last 30 years. The net result is the long suffering taxpayers are having to pick up the slack. This post is relevant imo to perhaps 80% of the threads on this board.

The same goes with all powerful developers who Government have allowed to hold the whip hand over them.

Government have engineered themselves into a financial corner and no one has the balls to stand up and begin to sort it out !

 

[Non-Believer]

On 9/26/2023 at 10:56 AM, code99 said:

At the Conference, I recall one gentleman, who was so impressed with the Government’s handling of our economy (and its own finances) that he suggested that the IOMG sever the Manx Pound from the GBP. In his view, compared to the “poorly managed” UK economy the IOMG’s financial performance has been exemplary. He implied that if we de-linked the Manx Pound, we could become another Switzerland - our currency would rise, our Inflation would fall and everything would be sorted. I have heard warped wheezes before, but this one is definitely on a par with Baldrick’s cunning plans.  

It wasn't Calric Randall, was it...?

[Manx Resident]

Extreme weather events are supposed to become more common place in future due to climate change. So, any shake up of the SPCo fleet needs to provide (cargo) vessels which can sail in rougher sea conditions. 

[P.K.]

On 9/26/2023 at 4:08 PM, woolley said:

@manxman1980  Nail on head. This is the essence of our problems and has been for decades.

Having reached this stage though, for all of the cack-handed and over-remunerated management of HS2 from the outset, it is total lunacy to ditch the project now because it will bring enormous regeneration and stimulate the economy all along the route.

Treasury mandarins score settling by whipping a weak government, perhaps?

Smells of desperation to me.

Opening up Rosebank shows how bad it is...

ETA - excellent take on HS2. The Grauniad of course. Who else...?

Every time a project like HS2 becomes a costly fiasco, we wonder why. So let me tell you: it’s clientelism.

The relationship between those profiting from these big projects and those in power is such that no one truly costs or controls them

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/sep/28/hs2-fiasco-clientelism-profit-big-projects

Part based on vapourware it would appear...

Edited September 28, 2023 by P.K.

[woolley]

2 hours ago, P.K. said:

Smells of desperation to me.

Opening up Rosebank shows how bad it is...

ETA - excellent take on HS2. The Grauniad of course. Who else...?

Every time a project like HS2 becomes a costly fiasco, we wonder why. So let me tell you: it’s clientelism.

The relationship between those profiting from these big projects and those in power is such that no one truly costs or controls them

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/sep/28/hs2-fiasco-clientelism-profit-big-projects

Part based on vapourware it would appear...

I wouldn't take issue about the mismanagement and cronyism which is endemic, but I persist in the assertion that it needs to be completed. Should have been built 30 years ago.

[Major Rushen]

100 years ago it would have been built, running and the shareholders would be getting a return on their investment.

[Banker]

And people complain about steam packet, Scottish government are the most incompetent, if they’d got these built in Korea they would have saved £ms

https://news.sky.com/story/amp/cost-of-scotlands-delayed-ferries-rises-again-and-second-vessels-completion-pushed-back-12972348

[HelmutX]

On 9/22/2023 at 9:31 AM, HiVibes said:

yep totally fucking moron.

Yup GFY