The 67 year-old, still in-service MV Tillikum in Washington State USA, 23 years older than CalMac’s oldest The 62 year-old, still in-service MV Queen of New Westminster in Canada 18 years older than CalMac’s oldest Help Talking-up Scotland keep goingCrowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-goingOr by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Back in 2022, BBC Scotland offered the above, under the heading – The problem with CalMac’s ageing ferries. Even after you add 4 years, you’ll hopefully be surprised to see that that even the oldest above, are not at all ‘ageing‘, in parts of the world far wealthier than Scotland. How about BC Ferries … Continue reading The problem with BBC Scotland’s lack of research before reporting on ‘ageing’ ferries

Help Talking-up Scotland keep goingCrowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-goingOr by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 From BBC UK today, the above, and: Passengers say they feel like nothing is being done as they face an “extremely frustrating” wait for winter ferry timetables to be published. People in the Channel Islands said they had been unable to book any journeys to and from Jersey after December, while others were unable to get times for a slower service between Guernsey and Portsmouth. One tourist said the delays had put him off visiting and other passengers had called for clarity on the situation. Brittany Ferries and DFDS, … Continue reading Islanders’ fury and tourists put off visiting as Channel Islands winter schedule publication lags months behind Scotland

Help Talking-up Scotland keep going at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON, Sort Code – 08-91-04, Account 12266421 Very many thanks to the 184 supporters so far, inc bank transfers not listed in crowdfunder. You are very much appreciated. Today’s posts: Continue reading I hope you see the value in funding Talking-up Scotland today

Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Labour has been urged to lay out a credible plan for the future of British Steel, as the government spending watchdog warned of the “startling” costs of keeping the struggling manufacturer in business with no end in sight. British Steel was taken into public ownership in July to protect “the future of steel production”, 15 months after the government stepped in to prevent the closure of its steelworks in Scunthorpe and the loss of 4,000 jobs. But it is costing £1.3m a day to keep … Continue reading Latest increase – Scots taxpayers to pay first £120 million instalment to keep old English steelworks in business and another £100m to save old English oil refinery so that it can replace Scottish oil refinery to refine oil almost entirely from Scottish waters

Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 A former Police Scotland officer has been convicted of a catalogue of sex crimes, including two counts of rape, over a 17-year period. Campbell Petrie, 50, was found guilty of nine charges involving physical and sexual abuse towards two women between 2006 and 2023 at the High Court in Glasgow. Petrie, who was a serving officer at the time of the offences, was initially arrested in 2009 following allegations made by one of the women but was released after five hours and remained in … Continue reading Watch out for media inappropriately trying to blow these two cases up into a ‘Wayne Couzens’ crisis for policing in Scotland and door-step an SNP minister with accusations from Jackie Baillie