Chris Thomas and the sea services agreement

[joebean]

Maybe Manx Radio have it in for Chris Thomas with the way they edit his interviews but, once again, I finish the interview and am none the wiser what he is asking for, or why. He is the master of putting words together that mean nothing. It’s like reading an undergraduates essay in social sciences where things are discussed at length, without any conclusion being reached.
I think he wants Tynwald to reset the agreement to interfere with Steam Packet’s judgement about what vessels they need in the next few years. Or maybe it’s to allow the Company to use their judgement. Or maybe to engage in some kind of consultation with some people before resetting the agreement in Tynwald for reasons unspecified. Interviews with politicians like this just fill up the space for news without bringing any news. A shorter news slot and a couple of decent tunes would be better. 

[John Wright]

2 minutes ago, joebean said:

Maybe Manx Radio have it in for Chris Thomas with the way they edit his interviews but, once again, I finish the interview and am none the wiser what he is asking for, or why. He is the master of putting words together that mean nothing. It’s like reading an undergraduates essay in social sciences where things are discussed at length, without any conclusion being reached.
I think he wants Tynwald to reset the agreement to interfere with Steam Packet’s judgement about what vessels they need in the next few years. Or maybe it’s to allow the Company to use their judgement. Or maybe to engage in some kind of consultation with some people before resetting the agreement in Tynwald for reasons unspecified. Interviews with politicians like this just fill up the space for news without bringing any news. A shorter news slot and a couple of decent tunes would be better. 

Or just get rid of Chris at the next election. 

He may be bright, well educated, but he just comes out with verbal diarrhoea posing as a stream of  consciousness and signifying nothing.

[joebean]

2 minutes ago, John Wright said:

Or just get rid of Chris at the next election. 

He may be bright, well educated, but he just comes out with verbal diarrhoea posing as a stream of  consciousness and signifying nothing.

At last. A concise conclusion on the subject I can agree with. 

[Happier diner]

5 minutes ago, John Wright said:

Or just get rid of Chris at the next election. 

He may be bright, well educated, but he just comes out with verbal diarrhoea posing as a stream of  consciousness and signifying nothing.

Don't sit on the fence John 🤣

Say it like it is.

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

And get rid of the "arms length" nonsense which requires the need for a sea services agreement in the first place.

It is extremely inefficient and pointless to have a public service in public ownership and then pretend it's not. I really can't see the benefit.

Why have our politicians decide on the services the steam packet offer via a sea services agreement when we own the whole shebang anyway. Cut out the layers of management and cling ones involved and run the bloody thing in the best interests of its owners (the people). 

As far as I can see the only benefit to the whole costly charade is politicians being able to absolve themselves of any blame when the inevitable balls up occurs. Hardly democratic is it?

Edited October 27, 2023 by A fool and his money.....

[Omobono]

30 minutes ago, John Wright said:

Or just get rid of Chris at the next election. 

He may be bright, well educated, but he just comes out with verbal diarrhoea posing as a stream of  consciousness and signifying nothing.

to add to that he never makes a decision ,  he had the chance to sort DOI out and make some changes ,  but no evidence of him doing  anything like that , thets probably why some of his department members bailed out , as they saw the writing on the wall , same old bull shit ,

[Stu Peters]

27 minutes ago, A fool and his money..... said:

And get rid of the "arms length" nonsense which requires the need for a sea services agreement in the first place.

It is extremely inefficient and pointless to have a public service in public ownership and then pretend it's not. I really can't see the benefit.

Why have our politicians decide on the services the steam packet offer via a sea services agreement when we own the whole shebang anyway. Cut out the layers of management and cling ones involved and run the bloody thing in the best interests of its owners (the people). 

As far as I can see the only benefit to the whole costly charade is politicians being able to absolve themselves of any blame when the inevitable balls up occurs. Hardly democratic is it?

Well, at least the prices for crossings would come down in the six months leading up to a general election on that basis (who would dare vote against?), and the new administration would have to pay for the losses incurred.

[Fred the shred]

Chris Thomas is one of the most useless MHKs he also has an inflated idea of his own importance.    He has achieved nothing as an MHK and I was amazed he got re-elected last time.   

[ian rush]

The sea services agreement is minimum crossing numbers, maximum fares, a % of fares at a discount, specifies types of vessel. What’s wrong with that? Most other things are regulated and quite rightly the state takes an interest in lifeline goods and connectivity for humans.
 

If left to the market there’d be freight and no grumbling know it all passengers for most of the year.

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

59 minutes ago, Stu Peters said:

Well, at least the prices for crossings would come down in the six months leading up to a general election on that basis (who would dare vote against?), and the new administration would have to pay for the losses incurred.

Nice to see you hold yourself your colleagues and the electorate in such high regard. Integrity obviously isn't abundant in your line of work.

I think what you mean is that the taxpayer would have to pay for the losses - as the taxpayer has  had to overpay for a company which was worth nothing without a user agreement, or as the taxpayer has had to pay tens of millions over the odds for the Liverpool ferry terminal, to name but a couple ferry specific unessesary costs.

If you wish to prevent unnecessary costs to future administrations, I would suggest there are much more constructive places to start than shielding a publicly owned public service from democratic scrutiny on the off chance the prices may be lowered once every five years.

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

59 minutes ago, ian rush said:

The sea services agreement is minimum crossing numbers, maximum fares, a % of fares at a discount, specifies types of vessel. What’s wrong with that? Most other things are regulated and quite rightly the state takes an interest in lifeline goods and connectivity for humans.
 

If left to the market there’d be freight and no grumbling know it all passengers for most of the year.

The market is irrelevant, it's a publicly owned public service with little to no competition. 

It was left to the free market for years, it didn't work in modern times.

Now it's being left to the market and we are footing the bill - the worst of both worlds.

We have a golden opportunity with public ownership, target tourist travel could be subsided, exports increased, you name it.

Instead we continue with an expensive sham of arms length independence, paid for by the taxpayer who is receiving no more benefit than they did before parting with millions to buy the bloody thing.

It's madness.

[Cueey Lewis And The News]

2 hours ago, John Wright said:

Or just get rid of Chris at the next election. 

He may be bright, well educated, but he just comes out with verbal diarrhoea posing as a stream of  consciousness and signifying nothing.

He’s just seems so bitter about being canned by the DOI this time round. Normally he seems to have a bit of common sense and strategy about his approach but most of what he has done recently just seems to be to poke sticks at Cannan because he booted him from the DOI. 

[Fred the shred]

He is used to being booted Howie booted him out of CoMin because he joined the club, knew the rules, but reckoned he knew better and broke them.   Everyone who has ever sat on a committee knows you go with a majority decision but not him.

[Passing Time]

4 hours ago, John Wright said:

Or just get rid of Chris at the next election. 

He may be bright, well educated, but he just comes out with verbal diarrhoea posing as a stream of  consciousness and signifying nothing.

all the qualifications required to be a lawyer then...

[Yibble]

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

And get rid of the "arms length" nonsense which requires the need for a sea services agreement in the first place.

It is extremely inefficient and pointless to have a public service in public ownership and then pretend it's not. I really can't see the benefit.

Why have our politicians decide on the services the steam packet offer via a sea services agreement when we own the whole shebang anyway. Cut out the layers of management and cling ones involved and run the bloody thing in the best interests of its owners (the people). 

 

Are you seriously suggesting the Packet would be better run if our politicians micro-managed it? 

If so, could you perhaps give us some examples of their successful intervention in running businesses or capital projects?