A potentially lively Tynwald sitting will
commence this morning, with their being eighteen
questions and one protest planned for the
morning's schedule. Friends Of Ramsey Pier are
to hold a demonstration outside the House of
Keys this morning, lobbying MHKs and Ministers
as they arrive at the house. The focus of their
attention will be on Transport Minister, Tony
Brown, who is due to make a statement on the
future of the old Pier. The Pier was the subject
of a previous placard wielding demonstration
late last year, when the Ramsey MHK, Leonard
Singer, formally requested the funds from
Tynwald to complete the restoration of the pier.
An independent survey, commissioned by the
Friends of the Pier revealed that the pier would
only need a fraction of the money that an
official government survey claimed it would need
to mount a restoration project.
This
morning, outside the House of Keys, the Ramsey
MHK, Leonard Singer claimed that Tony Brown, the
Transport Minister is trying to delay the
decision of the future of the pier until after
the next election, and to wash his hands of the
eventual conclusion.
"His
intention, as I can see it, is to delay it as
long as he can," said Mr Singer, "so he can get
to the election and wipe his hands of it. He has
had four years to go through this, and he has
actually gone against a Tynwald resolution which
gave him four months to come up with this
report." The matter was raised in Tynwald four
months ago, when the conservation group lobbied
Ministers entering the House in request for the
funding to restore the pier. Mr Singer revealed
that the Transport Minister requested more time
to review the facts of the matter, and was
handed four months in which to do so. It is
feared by the group that the case of the pier
will be once again, not so much delayed by Mr
Brown, as ignored and brushed aside.
"What
he is going to tell, us today is why he hasn't
complied with the Tynwald resolution from last
November which said he should submit his final
report on the fate of the pier this month,"
continued Mr Singer. "He hasn't done, and he is
going to tell us why he hasn't done. But as far
as I am concerned, these are just delaying
tactics." "I have seen this report," he
continued, hinting that he will not be easily
brushed aside by these delaying tactics, "and
the amount of extra material contained in the
report does not warrant an extra four months to
come about."
This
morning's protests certainly seemed to have
captured the public's attention and support for
the pier. The air was filled with passing cars
sounding their horns and shouting support for
the placard waving protesters as they stood
outside the House of Keys. This display of
public support for the Victorian Pier shows that
there is only one outcome of this situation that
will be accptable, and, if Mr Singer's fears
over Mr Brown's delaying tactics, then the fate
of the Ramsey Pier could well be one of the many
contentious issues at the Ballot Box in the
forthcoming election.
Our thanks go to
Mike Wade, Content Journalist BeeMedia PLC.
Tel:01624 624624
for the text above, which featured in Beemanx's
news section.
Photo's are courtesy of David Lloyd-Jones
This
morning, outside the House of Keys, the Ramsey
MHK, Leonard Singer claimed that Tony Brown, the
Transport Minister is trying to delay the
decision of the future of the pier until after
the next election, and to wash his hands of the
eventual conclusion.
"His
intention, as I can see it, is to delay it as
long as he can," said Mr Singer, "so he can get
to the election and wipe his hands of it. He has
had four years to go through this, and he has
actually gone against a Tynwald resolution which
gave him four months to come up with this
report." The matter was raised in Tynwald four
months ago, when the conservation group lobbied
Ministers entering the House in request for the
funding to restore the pier. Mr Singer revealed
that the Transport Minister requested more time
to review the facts of the matter, and was
handed four months in which to do so. It is
feared by the group that the case of the pier
will be once again, not so much delayed by Mr
Brown, as ignored and brushed aside.
"What
he is going to tell, us today is why he hasn't
complied with the Tynwald resolution from last
November which said he should submit his final
report on the fate of the pier this month,"
continued Mr Singer. "He hasn't done, and he is
going to tell us why he hasn't done. But as far
as I am concerned, these are just delaying
tactics." "I have seen this report," he
continued, hinting that he will not be easily
brushed aside by these delaying tactics, "and
the amount of extra material contained in the
report does not warrant an extra four months to
come about."
This
morning's protests certainly seemed to have
captured the public's attention and support for
the pier. The air was filled with passing cars
sounding their horns and shouting support for
the placard waving protesters as they stood
outside the House of Keys. This display of
public support for the Victorian Pier shows that
there is only one outcome of this situation that
will be accptable, and, if Mr Singer's fears
over Mr Brown's delaying tactics, then the fate
of the Ramsey Pier could well be one of the many
contentious issues at the Ballot Box in the
forthcoming election.
