PLANS to equip Isle of Man tram horses with nappies advanced on Wednesday as councillors resolved to call the nappies 'animal waste receptacles' in future.
Council leader David Christian said he hoped the press would pick up on the name change and use the new terminology.
Policy and resources committee chairman Stephen Pitts said information requested about systems used on tram horses in South Australia had not been provided.
'I don't see why someone in-house can't design something for us. In the mean time I will try and get in touch with Blackpool to find out more information,' he said.
Mr Christian said the matter should be resolved as quickly as possible as the road sweeper was flicking the manure into the gutter and causing weeds to grow abundantly.
>> Tram bosses being 'obstructive' over horse nappies15 February 2008>> Call to put tram horses in nappies13 December 2007>> Your Shout: Tram horse nappies?WHAT DO YOU THINK THE NAPPIES SHOULD BE CALLED?Send your comments to newsviews@newsiom.co.im YOUR COMMENTSI am totally outraged that the poor Horses are expected to wear Nappies. For many centuries we have not been affected by the fact that Horses have had to go to the toilet where desired, this is after all, all part of nature! What isn't part of nature now are these Gas guzzling road sweepers doing more damage than good to the earth. Yes we all know that these monstrous machines are suppose to keep the Island tidy, and they are driven manually not automatically so why are they sucking up the Horse
(offensive word removed) ?????? Der…get a grip will you!!!!!!!
ANGRY ONCHAN RESIDENTI can't believe I'm reading this......Bad enough to demand the nappies in the first place, but then to try to disguise this idiocy be renaming them in such a pretentious fashion is absolutely ridiculous. I thought Id left this kind of stupidity behind when I left the UK, in fact that's why I did leave; I was under the impression that the Isle of Man was an altogether more sensible and free society. First the smoking ban, now this, it's so sad to see the island going the way of the EU and descending into lunacy.
BBWhatever they're called I am speechless that Council leader David Christian feels the need to spend rate payers' money in this needless and utterly frivolous manner. On what basis has it been decided that these 'animal waste receptacles' are needed? How will they benefit Douglas? More to the point who has decided that horse manure is so dangerous that it needs to be contained in this ridiculous way? Another case of HSE obsessed bureaucrats gone barking (or should that be neighing) mad. I strongly object.
BW, DouglasWell done Mr Christian. Not for proposing that the horses should wear nappies (let's call a spade a spade, shall we?), of course. I mean well done for adding another good reason that Manx politics in general are an absolute shambles at the moment. First it's telling people they can't exercise their dogs, then it's 'is the TT too dangerous?' and now it's this rubbish. And don't even get me started on the incompetence of the DoT! What's next? Nappies for the pigeons and seagulls maybe? Or how about fizzy drink tax to reduce carbon emissions from carbonated beverages? Cobblers and twaddlespeak the whole lot of it! I'm proud to be Manx, and I rate being independent from the UK (thank God) and the EU (which I see as the tool of the Devil) very highly as a reason for my national pride. But, as I say, Manx politics are a complete mess at the moment, and the fact that the government are trying to copy the UK and EU is insulting and, frankly, embarrassing. We'll be changing the national anthem next; "… thy throne of home rule/ Makes us free as thy sweet mountain air". Apparently not. Suggestions on a postcard please.
SSSS, you forgot Mr Christian and the statue of the seagull cost £ 29,000,Oh does anybody know if this is still on the cards ?.
BW Douglas, Yes a right waste of money,the stuff makes gardens grow.
Angry Onchan Resident, The gas guzzling sweepers,in the old days,when we had visitors,men with brush and shovel done the job,and there was more manure then because there were 14 trams all at once on the prom,and hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers who didn't complain.
We are not a member of the EU,but when they throw a directive down,we seem to pick it uplike a dog picks up a bone,the French ignore all these,even the UK complies,remember the item about straight bananas.
EORHWhy does the Council have to contact Australia. Every winter, all over Austria and Switzerland ,you will come across 'horse nappies' on horses, pulling carriages, taking tourists on snow rides etc. They have been operating schemes like this for over 10years to my knowledge. Perhaps that is to easy for our councillors, next thing is they will be sending someone off to Australia? The the answer is on the door step, so to speak
BRIAN I missed this episode of Monty Python - does anyone have the dvd?
DKI'm not sure if people have got the wrong idea of the "Horse Nappies" because of the name. When in Belgium, I noticed the horse drawn carriages had an "attachment" between the horse and carriage that allowed waste to be stored under the carriage without any inconvenience to it's passengers or public roadways. It was made from a heavy plastic and not connected to the horse but to the equipment between the horse and carriage which allowed the horse to do what it does naturally and whenever it needed to without any inconvenience.
FIONA