Aer Arann to abandon Isle of Man to Luton route in 2007

In fall 2006, BA Connect and Flybe announced that Flybe would be taking over the BA Connect business of BA. However, no announcement was made by FlyBe that it would be flying the Manchester and Gatwick routes still flown by BA Connect.

Manx2.com started 2006 with flights to Belfast, Blackpool and Leeds/Bradford.

Jul 21, 06 Manx made movie goes on gen release / "First lady" trial
Stormbreaker's London premiere was held Mon Jul 17, 06 and the film, which promises to be the most successful Manx-made movie so far, went on general release Fri Jul 21.
On Sunday Jul 23, the Children's Centre gala evening had a champagne reception, followed by a screening of the film - the proceeds of which will go to the Isle of Man Children's Centre Building Blocks Appeal.
The story from IOMToday.co.im at http://tinyurl.com/qpmeu :

MOVIE STORM GATHERS - Fri 21 Jul, 06

THE gala presentation of Stormbreaker is just days away, with only a handful of tickets left. Actor Bill Nighy and author Anthony Horowitz will be the star attractions at the event, alongside the £26 million movie. Money raised on the night will support the Isle of Man Children's Centre's Building Blocks appeal.
Stormbreaker is based on the first in the hugely successful Alex Rider series of books, written by Mr Horowitz. It tells the story of the teenage spy, played by Alex Pettyfer, as he is recruited into the British intelligence service.
Stormbreaker, filmed here last year, features huge stars including Ewan McGregor, Mickey Rourke, Damian Lewis and Mr Nighy – who also featured in Love Actually and is Johnny Depp's underwater foe Davy Jones in the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
Stormbreaker's London premiere was held on Monday and the film, which promises to be the most successful Manx-made movie so far, goes on general release today (Friday).
On Sunday, the Children's Centre gala evening will start with a champagne reception, followed by a screening of the film. A spokesman said tickets, priced £30, had sold well, but there were a few left. She added all money raised at the Bradford and Bingley International-backed event will go to the charity's Building Blocks appeal. The appeal aims to raise £500,000 to extend the charity's headquarters and expand services to meet changing needs and demands.

Established in 1868, the Children's Centre provides a safe environment for children and young people to develop potential.
The planned expansion will allow the development of a true children's centre, with all service coordinated from one point, fully integrated and more accessible.
It will include the family centre, nursery, parenting classes, support groups, child contact centre, outreach team, outdoor education team, after school and holiday care.
Links: http://www.buildingblocksappeal.org
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"First Lady Trial" continues

The so called "First Lady Trial" continued yesterday Thurs (Jul 20,06) after the key witness suffered a significant heart attack on Tuesday - the Island's hottest day this year. Ms Corkill is the wife of the island's ex-Chief Minister and is in the dock following grants "for tourism" and alleged "false accounting" and "obtaining money from the island by deception". However, it is all a matter of perception and whether cookery is regarded as a virtue or vice - let's let the Deemster decide.

CORKILL TRIAL TO RECONVENE TODAY (Thu Jul 20, 06)

THE trial of Julie Corkill is due to reconvene today after it was sensationally halted following a heart attack suffered by a key prosecution witness. William Kelly, 51, collapsed at home after nearly six hours in the witness box at High Bailiff Michael Moyle's Court on Tuesday on what was the hottest day of the year so far. He is being treated in the intensive care unit at Noble's Hospital
Mrs Corkill denies four counts of false accounting and two of obtaining money by deception in relation to tourism grants totalling more than £90,000.
The court will resume today for an update on Mr Kelly's condition and, after getting the latest medical advice, consider when he will be able to resume his evidence.
Mr Kelly, partner in the GC Construction firm that had built holiday cottages and a warehouse conversion at the Corkills' home in Onchan in 2002 and 2003, had been giving evidence with only short breaks from 10am to 4.45pm.
The following morning prosecutor Stuart Neale told the court that Mr Kelly had collapsed at home at about 6pm on Tuesday.
'He was taken to the intensive care unit and the doctors have told Mr Kelly's daughter that he suffered a significant heart attack.' 20 July 2006 IOMToday.co.im

Dec 14 From AirNews (via http://travel.holidays.com)
Alpha One Airlines are now flying regularly between the Isle of Man and Edinburgh (currently with PYN = Haverfordwest Air Charter Services. Callsign Poyston).
PYN103 leaves IOM at 18.15 for EDI and
PYN104 leaves EDI at 19.00 for IOM, arriving at 20.15

Following today's Edinburgh £36 excl (14 Dec 05), Cardiff £58 excl (Jan 18) and Southampton £92 excl (Jan 23, 06) are planned. Taxes and fees can vary between £15 and £30 for UK flights. Originally, Blackpool was planned for 2005 but appears to have been forgotten.

Nov 05 - Turmoil in the air and sea connections! Quite a year!
Well, airlines have come and gone and more are coming and the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company (and the Lady of Man) have been sold.
Emerald Airlines finished flying on own account in 2005 and EuroManx never really did become Manx and scrapped the Stansted, Southampton and Glasgow routes (for the season they say). Anyhow, its two ARJ-70s are up for sale and the boss resigned in favour of his son this year. A massive capital injection followed.
Euromanx won't have been happy to hear that Aer Arann decided to fly Liverpool and Manchester this month and Luton is to follow (competing with BA). Aer Arann already flew IOM-Dublin in competition with Euromanx.
The Belgian VLM Airlines started a London City service in competition with EM also on Nov 1.
Blackpool has become an interesting hub as Monarch and Jet2 fly there and Flykeen was taken over by A2B which was also taken over by Aero Condor but continues to fly IOM and Belfast (also EM destination).
New on the scene (at least according to announcements) is Alpha One which promises to fly us to Southampton (from Nov 7) and to Blackpool from Nov 21. Edinburgh is also promised for "soon".
Where this leaves (the more expensive) Euromanx on the routes now plied by Aer Arann, VLM and Alpha One, one will have to see.

Jan 31 Euromanx takes on BA for Manchester
AIRLINE UNVEILS NEW ROUTE AND MAJOR INVESTMENT
EUROMANX is going into direct competition with its biggest rival by launching a major new route. And a massive investment in the company is also expected to be announced by its owners.
The airline is set to run three daily flights to Manchester from late March using an 82-seat jet putting the burgeoning company up against British Airways CitiExpress on that route. Flight times have not been confirmed yet, but return prices, including taxes, are expected to start from £49. EuroManx is also launching a summer weekend service to Bristol, taking its total number of routes to nine.
The airline –launched in 2002– was taken over for an undisclosed sum last summer in a buyout led by aviation entrepreneur Warren Seymour who runs private jet operator club328.

EuroManx was also able to take over the London City and Belfast routes from previous operator flybe, a major boost for the airline, and announced a service to Southampton, which will also start in late March and be operated by a 32-seat jet. EuroManx is due to take delivery of the first of its BAe Avro RJ70 jets on Friday and another RJ70 is due within weeks, ahead of the Manchester service being launched on March 28. The first plane, which will feature a prominent Three Legs of Man, will be named Sheean yn Aer – The Sound of Air – following a naming competition run with Scoill Phurt le Moirrey (Port St Mary school).
The Manchester and Bristol routes were officially announced at a EuroManx celebration held at the Mount Murray Hotel & Country Club on Jan 31. The event, due to be attended by TV Pop Idol judge Simon Cowell, other guests including Lieutenant Governor Air Marshal Ian Macfadyen and several UK journalists.
This move could cast doubt on the future of BA's links with the Island. Last year the airline, which took over Manx Airlines, dropped all but three routes and confirmed it would pull off Luton if an extra Gatwick service could be added.

Jan 15 IATA facilitates ticket sales abroad
This weekend, IATA has scrapped the provision that prevented foreign travel agents writing out air travel tickets for flights commencing in countries other than their own.
The benefits will no doubt show mostly for 1st and Business Class travel and somewhat less for economy travel (which is already often discounted). Take care when booking as 2 single trips might just come cheaper than return (round-trip). If in doubt - check it out. And that you can do via the links at http://travel.holidays.com/

The Isle of Man is especially pleased with this move and the "IsleofMan" Yahoogroups list observed, "this will also mean that US, Canadian, Australian etc originating travellers will be able to book for the last leg of their flight from London, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Belfast or Dublin to the Isle of Man"

17 Nov Fire Brigade History / ManxScenes.com
An excellent site for Fire Brigade enthusiasts is Peter Killey's Bygone Years which is adequately documented with rolling stock and incidents. Even those of you who are not enthusiasts will find this site of interest.

Also by Peter Killey is the excellent - ManxScenes.com which has exactly what it promises. Enjoy Peter Killey's work

New at the Isle of Man Government site are harbour wind, wave and temperature data - something which the Steam-Packet Company has failed to supply in ages. Start out at - Douglas and Peel Weather Stations homepage.

17 Sep Chief Minister has nothing to hide
Chief Minister Richard Corkill says he has 'nothing to hide' after it was revealed he and wife Julie are being investigated by the police. He says allegations against him and his wife are 'malicious' and 'without substance' and that the good work of the government will continue as normal, pending investigations into grants paid by the Department of Tourism for the development of his tourist accommodation at Ballacain in Onchan.
Mr Corkill says he invited the Tynwald Standards and Members Interests Committee to look into the matter, and is equally happy to co-operate with any further enquiries. He also adds the government, with the approval of Tynwald, is successfully pursuing policies in support of the quality of life of the people of the Island, and does not believe it should be blown off course by the personal allegations which have been made against him.
In a statement, Mr Corkill says he hopes the Island's community still respects the principle of innocence until proof of guilt and feels it's regrettable the endeavours of those who have the Island's best interests at heart are undermined.

16 Sep POLICE INVESTIGATE CHIEF MINISTER
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fm http://www.iomonline.co.im

CHIEF Minister Richard Corkill and his wife Julie are being investigated by the police, it has been revealed.
The news has lead to a standing committee of Tynwald, which is probing the payment of grants for tourism accommodation at the couple's home, at Ballacain, Onchan, to defer its sittings.
The latest public sitting of the standards and members' interests committee had been due to be held at 2.15pm today (Thursday) but it was announced at 1pm it would not be going ahead after the committee accepted Attorney General John Corlett's advice to defer all hearings until the conclusion of the investigation.
Mr Corlett revealed in a letter to the committee that the police investigation was launched at the beginning of the month to look into 'whether any criminal offences had been committed by, amongst others, the Honourable R. C. Corkill MHK and Mrs J. Corkill in relation to these grants'.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ITV Regional news Thursday spoke of £92'000 in tourism grants having been afforded to Mr & Ms Corkill

Picture of Alan Wicker at Castletown at: http://www.iomonline.co.im/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=1144&ArticleID=854498

WHICKER'S WORLD: Alan Whicker relaxes in Castletown during his whirlwind tour. He was invited by the Department of Tourism and Leisure after mentioning his first holiday was spent in the Island when he was six years old JM040911-152

VIRUS ALERT Recent bogus mails received telling recipient that his/her mail contained a virus. Do not open these mails. Any such report would come from your webmaster or Internet Explorer server.

May 11 On June 1, EuroManx to launch two return flights a day, on 44-seater ATR 42 aircraft, to Stansted, with tickets priced from £69 return. Important link to Ryanair hub airport. The Isle of Man now has four routes into London. EuroManx are also to increase capacity on the Liverpool route with the introduction of a jet service using the popular 146 aircraft. The Stanstead route will commence at the beginning of June 04 (www.iomonline.co.im and www.manxradio.com Manx News)

Apr 19 No further updates until end April

Keep up to date with news from Mann at: www.manxradio.com and www.iomonline.co.im

Apr 8 Offshore fund brings Bollywood to the Isle of Man
http://www.citywire.co.uk/partner/default.asp?section=0&vid=64248
By Gerry O'Kane, Funds Reporter
Experienced investors are being offered a novel opportunity with the launch of an Isle of Man-based Bollywood fund. Media Vision Management is launching the Bollywood Media and Entertainment fund as an open-ended investment company with an initial investment of £15,000 or $20,000. The fund is only to be sold through IFAs and it is emphasised that it is an Experienced Investor Fund, meaning it is designed only for those deemed experienced enough to understand the risks. It also falls outside the Isle of Man's investor protection regime, although the operator and administrator must be licensed by the island's regulator.
Iain Fairbairn, a non-executive director with Media Vision Management and managing director of Armstrong Management, an Isle of Man investment company, acknowledged the product was a bit of a 'mind-bender'. 'But the structure has even attracted interest from some of the larger institutions although the fund is unlikely to be big enough in the early days,' he said. It is aiming to raise $50 million during the first offering and already has seed cash of $5 million. Once they have a script and director in tow, film producers get pre-sales agreements from global distributors with the provision that named staff come aboard and the project is completed on time. As a requirement for their gap financing, the producers insure themselves with a completion bond, which is rated as sub-investment grade - a so-called 'junk' bond. The fund will lend against a movie's completion bond, which are common in the industry and generally structured by specialist firms such as financial group IFG. Along with the short-term loan, a smaller amount of cash will be used as the riskier equity financing but also giving the fund the benefit of considerable returns should the film be a success. Bobby Ailwadhi, a non-executive director with Media Vision Management and whose dream it has been to launch such a vehicle, agreed there is risk but said the quality of the advisory board would help plan good projects. (continued...)

Branagh heading for Isle of Man - www.online.ie
Kenneth Branagh will be heading for the Isle of Man to make the £14m (€21.1m) Five Children and It, based on the classic E Nesbitt children's story about five youngsters sent to stay with their uncle in a strange seaside house. The Belfast-born actor will be joined by English comic Eddie Izzard and Freddie Highmore.
The live action-animated film starts shooting in July. The Isle of Man has become a centre these days for the British film industry, with Johnny Depp also on the island for a major new adventure film.

Apr 2 Steam Railway running April 5 and Dhoon Glen re-opens after 18mth closure due to storm damage
All the details at www.manxradio.com > News
Waking Ned brings Californian couple to IOM to wed After watching the movie Waking Ned, a Californian Couple thought the Isle of Man was so beautiful they decided to get married here.
Route changes for Flybe Flybe have announced they are pulling out of their Jersey to London City route.
IOM Government investment in oil company involved in take-over bid A Regulatory News Service announcement from the Stock Exchange reveals the Isle of Man Government has an investment holding of 909,343 shares in Tullow Oil. The shares in Tullow Oil were recently suspended on the London and Irish Stock Exchanges at 86.5 pence each following the announcement of a reverse take over of the larger Energy Africa Limited
--> Nothing like a bit of governmental speculation for getting rich quick!! Lets hope that Tullow Oil has nothing to do with the Isle of Man company Yukos whose billionaire director is in court in Moscow for fraud and tax evasion!!
Allied Irish report Chief Executives salary Allied Irish Banks Group, which has offices in Douglas, have reported its Chief Executive's pay packet grew to €1.4m in 2003.
---> Well it's only in euros!

Mar 29 Sellafield. Wiping out the Isle of Man (or having a jolly good try)

Sunday Express - Front Page: *RAF jet misses Sellafield by 100 feet
Apparently, the incident occurred in DECEMBER last and was just short of a nuclear disaster - and, NO the pilot was not wearing religious head gear!! It was just the inability of the RAF to fly clear of nuclear power plants. What ever happened to NO-FLY zones??
All this on the day that Ireland stops smoking in pubs and restaurants.

www.manxradio.com > manx news reported:

--Back in February: BNFL Fined £30,000 - Sat 7th Feb 2004--
British Nuclear Fuels has been fined £30,000 plus around £21,000 costs at Carlisle Crown Court. The company was found guilty of failing to protect the Health and Safety of an employee following a diving accident at Sellafield last year. The diver did not suffer any serious injury.
Director at the Sellafield Site, Brian Watson says the company deeply regrets that the accident happened and is determined to make all the recommended changes to ensure something like this never happens again.

--And yesterday: Jet's near Miss at Sellafield - Sun 28th Mar 04--
A Sunday paper is claiming that an RAF jet came within a second of crashing into the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in Cumbria. A report in the Sunday Express quotes a company source as saying that the jet came within 100ft of the cooling tower at plant in December.
British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL), have totally rejected the claims. The company has plans to erect new safety structures at the site, but are not releasing any details for reasons of security.

---> How come Manx Radio that this item is already archived one day after it became news. We can read about vandalism to motor vehicles and achievements of teenagers today but no word more of such a serious incident that could have wiped out the whole Manx nation.

--This is going up on my webpage http://ask.dad.com and will not be archived so quickly--

Who is responsible in Manxland for getting Sellafield shut down (instead of it running guided tours of its insecure plant!!) and is our responsible person in contact with the Irish who have been pressing for Sellafield's closure for ages now. Who cares about smoke in Irish pubs when we have a potential bomb across the water that we don't even have to be afraid that terrorists will attack - the UK is perfectly capable of doing that itself.

Turn Sellafield off and close it down England and do it quick!

Only last Wednesday could we read: --EU slams Sellafield nuclear plant--
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The government has failed to fully account for nuclear material at the Sellafield nuclear power plant, an EU commission says. "There has been a continuous failure to produce and keep operating records to permit accounting for all nuclear material in the B30 site at Sellafield," said an official at the EU executive Commission, which enforces laws in this field.
He said European Commission inspectors had been unable to gain full access to B30, a series of reinforced concrete ponds that store radioactive waste under water at the plant run by British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL).
The 20-member Commission is to decide next Wednesday on whether to ask Britain to submit a plan to Brussels by the beginning of May, detailing how it accounts for the waste.
London said it was working with the European Commission to solve the problem.
"Safeguard arrangements for B30 have been the subject of discussion with the Commission dating back some 15 years," a British government statement said, adding that Sellafield received regular Commission inspections. If Britain fails to comply with the Commission decision, it could ultimately face EU fines.
The Commission official also said the issue set a bad example for the 10 states joining the EU on May 1. "We can't ask new EU countries to respect nuclear safety rules... impose monitoring... if it is not applied to all states," he added.

Mar 20 Loganair start service to Edinburgh
The Scottish airline Loganair is to operate a new service between the Isle of Man and Edinburgh. The company, which has already taken over the Glasgow route from British Airways CitiExpress, is to use a 34-seat Saab 340 aircraft on the Edinburgh flight, starting in May.
The service will operate Monday to Friday, with a morning flight from Edinburgh to the island and a mid-afternoon return. Loganair says it hopes to exploit a growing potential for business and leisure travel on the new service.

Mar 17 The UK Budget
Now what does the UK Budget have to do with the non-UK Isle of Man? Well, in things relating to customs we have the habit of going along with the UK so that we are actually taxed by them!!
Beer +1p, Wine +4p, Cigarettes +8p reads the plan of war and so the British Chancellor gains from those who are well and truly ...... well not platonic towards his budget. Cider and the "hard stuff" stays taxed at the same rate so there is still SOME choice. Mr Brown's argument that he is taxing cigarettes even higher for health reasons is absolute cods whallop - He couldn't balance the books if the nation stopped smoking.
Drivers will be pleased with him as he has not raised the Petrol (Gasoline) taxes ----- well not yet. In 6 mths even they come up for review after the government has had time to find out if they can risk another road strike or not.
The main item that could have impact on the Isle of Man is an attempt by the Brits to grant relief to filmmakers in the UK. Trying to get in on OUR act are they? Well they tried that once already then changed their minds so I wouldn't wonder if Johnny Depp and co still show up on Manxland.
Otherwise, Mr Brown spoke and spoke and spoke until everybody fell asleep. Pensioners will get an extra pittance from 70 onwards (first you have to get there). Britain hasn't had it so good for 200 yrs and they will far exceed European and American economic growth next year ("let's hope the voters belief that tee hee")
The decision on joining the Euro monetary system has been put off for a further year (they could save billions in interest by joining)
Bottom line is that the UK will borrow like it has never borrowed before ("to leave the next parliament with a nice problem tee hee") and thousands of jobs must go (Inland Revenue and Customs under one hat)
Coincidentally, there was a drop in unemployment figures announced today ("bet they believe it tee hee")
Nice to live on the Isle of Man where we know what the government is squandering money on.

Mar 13 Emerald Airways Ltd - Liverpool to Isle of Man

It could just be that seats on Emerald might be bookable in April. I was told to watch their website but:
www.emerald-airways.co.uk doesn't do it right now. Watch out for www.flyjem.com

Mar 8 Filming on Mann - Johnny Depp & John Malcovich The future of a high profile film starring Johnny Depp and John Malcovich was secured Feb, with help from the IOM. The production of the film 'The Libertine' was put in jeopardy when the British Government made significant changes to tax relief for film investors, but Isle of Man Film Limited was able to seize the opportunity and step in. As a result, technicians are arriving to start extensive pre-production at Island Studio's in Ramsey. DTI Minister, Alex Downie is the current Chairman of IOM Film Ltd.

Feb 27 Castletown History - Why is the Castle Arms in Castletown known as the Glue Pot?

In days of old there used to be a furniture maker/boat repairer on the waterfront next to the Castle Arms (Queen's Arms) who constantly had a pot of fish glue on the boil. The not so pleasant fumes from this pot wafted into the pub and thus the name. (Source: Peter McKenzie, Landlord of the Castle Arms)

And from Isle of Man Pub & Brewery Guide (Strand/Castle St bookshop):
About two centuries ago, the establishment underwent extensive alterations when it is believed that the then Lord of Man converted it from the castle's Arms House into a residence for his newly wed daughter. At one time called the Queen's Arms and in 1853 known simply as The Castle, the pub is the only pub known to appear on a bank note of the British Isles - the current Manx fiver.
Castletown: http://www.castletown.org.im/
Castle Rushen: http://www.gov.im/mnh/castleRushen/welcome.asp
Rushen Abbey: http://www.gov.im/mnh/rushenAbbey.asp
Old Grammar School: http://www.gov.im/mnh/oldGrammar.asp# (oldest roofed structure in the island)

Feb 19 2.5hrs and still no playgrounds for the kids - Tynwald
One would think that, where MHK for Peel the Honorable Mrs Hannan goes to such lengths to prepare a report which is praised right left and centre and the photographs supplied by the MHK for Douglas North the Honorable Mr Henderson also, a simple Report of the Select Committee on Playground Facilities for Children could be "received and approved" within two and a half hours!
Not so. Oh no siree.
Mrs Hannan presented the report and read out at length a weighty letter from a young man who obviously knew what he was talking about. From a sales point of view, a condensed and impersonalized version not exceeding two pages would have carried more weight in my opinion but the entirety version certainly struck home.
The Rt Honorable Lord Bishop added wise and passionate support. The Speaker (MHK for Castletown Hon Mr Brown) got really carried away and in his passion addressed the Speaker (himself) instead of the President and a couple of others really showed passionate personal support for something getting moving for "tomorrow's voters".
Somebody said that £15'000 was available or offered. The Hon Mrs Crowe who is responsible for buildings had a motion which appeared to apply the brakes on the enthusiasm and later even mentioned a sum of over £1 mio being needed to properly satisfy the needs of each community.
The 50:50 recommendation of Mr Brown didn't immediately appear to find echo until red-tape arguments of all the problems involved in the state coughing up say £100'000 a couple of times for a couple of communities (payable on a first come, first served until the budget is exhausted system - Ms Hannan) and arguments of insurance and the rules and regulations of the European Union and more had been brought to table when the Hon MHK Mrs Cannell Douglas East blew her top and told the assembled what a poor lot they were if they couldn't simply say "yes" to the presentation of the report.
Some extremely good arguments were aired and compliments to the Honorable Lord Bishop, Mrs Hannan, Mr Brown, Mrs Cannell and Mr Henderson for pushing this motion forwards. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay until the bitter end and had to leave after 2.5hrs wondering whether the agenda would be finished this evening as scheduled.
My own recommendation would be to have an "inquiry" now as to why:
a) We can't let a hundred grand spring for the kids
but
b) We can pay £1.5 mio for inquiries into why houses are lived in.
Perhaps we have to wait the obligatory 14yrs first for that.
Let's give the cash to the Lord Bishop and let him dole it out as and where he thinks fit!

Feb 18. Soon in this theatre - The Mystery of the Houses that are Lived in! - Tynwald
The Mount Murray Report is yet to come and must obviously read like the Albert and the Lion story of Stanley Holloway fame in years gone by. After the lion ate Albert, the story goes:
"...and went before 't magistrate chap - who said that no-one was really to blame - and he hoped that Mr & Mrs Ramsbottom - would add further sons to their name"
All we have to do is change the "Ramsbottoms" into "Mount Murray development" and "sons" into "homes"
Some 12 yrs ago when the House of Keys (and possibly Tynwald too) believed in fairies, wonders or both; some bright chappy had the idea that the houses on the Mount Murray estate were to be objects of "tourism" as opposed to houses for living in. Some weird proviso stated that, if the owners made their homes available for 5mths per annum (if my memory serves me correctly) to the Mount Murray Hotel, then some tax set-off advantage (if needed) over 3yrs could be obtained.
I enquired on moving into the estate at the time with the hotel manager regarding usage of this 5mth "place at the hotel's disposal" and, as nobody had taken the trouble to work out how this should all work, nobody knew whether the hotel in fact was required to make use of the houses at its disposal.
Needless to say, nobody understood this funny wording and nobody used it apparently and no advantage was obtained by the residents. They did, however, do something very naughty indeed - They lived in the houses.
When, it was discovered about 7yrs later that indeed it was not a Butlin's Holiday Camp that had been erected at Mount Murray but houses which were being LIVED IN!! the obvious hit the fan and the first of two or three inquiries was called for. After all, you can't have people living in houses on an island with a housing shortage when the whole government had lived so long in the belief that they were "Ojects de tourisme" and only planted for their beauty.
The outcome of all the inquiries must have been obvious from the outset as the continuation of building on the estate continued and was not halted sub judici or whatever. The building just continued and is continuing to this day - Inquiries or no inquiries.
Yes, it was not one Honorable Member only that was a bit mixed up in his mind at the time but the whole Government. Why, otherwise, do we have a House of Keys and a Court of Tynwald if it is not to question strange practises before they happen?
And why did we not spend the £1.5mio on building the much needed housing instead of investigating why already built houses were being lived in? A strange island is Mann.

Feb 17 How to make yourself popular - Make a maiden speech at Tynwald!
It is well worth reading the Manx news at www.manxradio.com these 3 days from Tuesday 17th to Thursday 19th Feb.
After Ms Crowe defended at length her housing department blaming the Water Authority for dust gathering projects in here department, she did not go on to explain or criticise why the island, which has a shortage of housing, was spending £1.5 mio on inquiries into why houses which had long been build were being lived in.
Others attacked the beaurocracy and red-tape swamps which would appear to have befallen the island.
If it isn't the Honorable Member for Micheal having a go at all the glossy-backed material then it's another Hon Mbr having a go at the weight of the clip binder full of (glossy) material or another having a go at the content (or lack of) and yet another Hon Mbr pointing out that half the questions and complaints are answered in the glossy binder - if Hon Mbrs would only take the time to read it all - and it would appear that the Hon Mbrs appear to feel it their duty to take exception year in year out to whatever is and however it is presented to them.
Then, to cap it all, comes the Honorable Member The Lord Bishop who launches his maiden speech which shakes the whole chamber awake and who says he had never spent such a sleepy time listening to a load of meaningless bickering (or words to that effect).
Quite rightly so and goodonya Lord Bishop as the Government Plan is obviously not going to change and the happy Manx end is guaranteed whatever the Hon Mbrs care to set out. A right reverend is the Right Reverend.
See also comments at http://www.manxradio.com

Feb 8 New addition to our Links and to http://travel.holidays.com = http://www.jet2.com
Jet2 opens Belfast-Prague service
Northern Ireland was given a new air link with eastern Europe when budget airline Jet2 announced it is to start scheduled services to Prague, the Czech capital.
The low cost carrier said it would operate four flights a week from Belfast International Airport to Prague from the end of April with one-way fares starting at £29 including taxes.
It is only the second scheduled European destination flown out of Belfast - easyJet operates daily flights to Amsterdam.
from www.manxradio.com Manx Business News
Jet2 [Channel Express (Air Services) Ltd] is to be found at http://www.jet2.com and flies (from Leeds) to Faro, Malaga, Murcia, Alicante, Palma de Mallorca, Nice, Venice, Geneva, Prague and Amsterdam at exclusive one-way prices from £1 to £60.
Unfortunately, the Jet2 website does not limit the choice of destinations to those flown when flying from Belfast - one just has to keep trying or fly from Leeds!
Also offered through this website are hotel rooms from £16 ppn via hotelconnect.co.uk and car rental from £9 pd.

Jan 29 New airline today - http://v-bird.com - Manchester (MAN) to Niederrhein (NRN) nr Dusseldorf GBP 27 one way incl taxes. Also to Munich and Copenhagen. From NRN, onward flights to Palma de Mallorca to Helsinki. Helsinki for e.g. euro 99 out and euro 49 back incl taxes. Great way to get to Estonia or St Petersburg for example

New airline offers low cost travel, plus leg room
-------------------------------------------------
German carrier V Bird Airlines will start weekday daily services between Manchester and Niederrhein, near Dusseldorf, on January 29.
A Sunday service will also operate from February 1 to March 28, with the airline claiming to offer more leg room than other no-frills carriers.
V Bird will be using 162-seater Airbus A320s on the route and is offering one-way fares from £27.
Niederrhein is the 7th German destination served from Manchester. There are already regular services to Berlin, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Hannover and Stuttgart.
Meanwhile, another German low-cost carrier Hapag Lloyd Express http://www.hlx.com/en/index.html will operate four return flights every week on the Manchester-Stuttgart route from April 1, with one way flights starting from £13.99 incl taxes. HLX also flies to Dublin .
Stuttgart connects via http://www.hlf.de with most Mediterranean/N. African countries for mostly under euro 100 single incl taxes

Jan 24. BA.COM offering an all seats/flights guaranteed flights Isle of Man to Glasgow at £65 return

Jan 24,04 http://www.manxradio.com reports FLYBE.com quits BRISTOL. EASTERN take over
FlyBE is to cease flying the Isle of Man to Bristol route in the Spring. Its last service will be on March 28th.
The Bristol service is to be taken up by Eastern Airways, who will use Jetstream 41 Aircraft on the route. Eastern say they're working in co-operation with FlyBE and the transition should be seamless.
The company will also honour tickets of those passengers who have confirmed bookings with FlyBE after 28th March, and hope to be able to increase the frequency of the service from summer 2004, targeting the business comminuties.
Eastern are already operating the Isle of Man - Birmingham service on behalf of British Airway's CitiExpress, and will take over that route in its own right from February 1st.

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Back Forwards

THE FUTURE OF THE TT RACES UNDER DISCUSSION

TT Grandstand IOM GUIDE - TT Section The history and photographs of the TT

CALLS TO SCRAP TT SPLITS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE iomonline.co.im reported 12 Jan 04:

Aer Arann to abandon Isle of Man to Glasgow-Prestwick route

Dec 2003 - After the news of the last two weeks from BACitiExpress, another carrier is pulling back from a Manx route. Aer Arann is to abandon their Isle of Man to Glasgow-Prestwick route after just seven months. They started it up in May but say the take-up has been disappointing and this has forced their hand. Commercial Director Jennifer Mooney says It will cease on January 8 2004.

On Nov 14 it was announced that BA are dropping their Liverpool, Birmingham, Glasgow and Dublin flights. BA's Manchester, Luton and Gatwick flights remain (important for long-distance through ticketing which they call OneWorld). This doesn't mean that nobody flies the abandoned by BA routes however.
Aer Arann flies Dublin but their Prestwick (for Glasgow) route is being dropped.
EuroManx flies Liverpool, Dublin, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Eastern Airways will be flying Birmingham from Feb 04 and flies East Midlands, Leeds/Bradford and Newcastle. They also fly Manchester to Stansted which is an important link to the Ryanair hub
Loganair might be flying Glasgow and changes have taken place for Newcastle, Leeds/Bradford and East Midlands (flown now by Eastern Airways I think).
Liverpool is flown by EuroManx and Emerald is re-emerging on this route.
KeenAir's Blackpool service and offers should also be mentioned - especially as Ryanair serves Blackpool (as well as Liverpool, Dublin and Prestwick)

Tourism Minister David Cretney says he's disappointed with the organisers behind the TT forum at Beaulieu Motor Museum later this month (Nov 03), for not inviting anyone to officially represent the Isle of Man.
The meeting's aim is to discuss the future of the TT The panel includes Tony Jefferies, Jim Moodie and John McGuiness, but the gathering has not been arranged by the TT Riders Association. Mr. Cretney spoke to former Association Committee member Allan Robinson earlier this week: Listen at Manxradio.com Manx News

MANX RADIO PUBLIC CRITICISMS MADE BY TONY JEFFRIES

The father of TT absolute lap record holder David Jefferies says his son need not have died at this year's meeting. In an article in the current edition of Motor Cycle News, Tony Jefferies is critical of organisers saying marshals lack both the training and experience needed for modern day racing. David Jefferies was killed in a crash at Crosby during the Thursday afternoon practice session. A verdict of misadventure was recorded by the Coroner at an inquest in August. The public comments of a grieving father will pile more pressure onto TT bosses in a year that has turned into a nightmare. In the article, which is an edited version of a letter sent to TT organisers and major teams, Tony Jefferies says he believes not enough marshals are stationed around the Mountain Course. He says had an oil flag been displayed in the area ahead of where New Zealander, Daniel Jansen's bike engine blew, his son would have slowed down and anticipated danger. Mr Jefferies is appealing for a change in the regulations, so that all machines are equiped with an oil catch tank in common with all other major racing organisations around the world. He ends his letter with a question, "Does the TT have a marshalling system in place to the standards expected in 2004?" He goes on to say he believes the answer is "NO".