In an authoritative manner today, on BBC Scotland, we heard:
‘Bosses at Ferguson shipyard were to blame for the delay and spiralling cost of two new CalMac ferries, according to the chief executive of the government agency which placed the orders. Kevin Hobbs, of CMAL, also rejected calls for the unfinished ferries to be scrapped and the work started again.’
The interview with Hobbs came many months after the damage had been attempted on the SNP Government with serial coverage blaming it for the delays. We saw a similar pattern in stories such as the NHS Tayside breast cancer story where BBC Scotland even described the authority as ‘dysfunctional’ before quietly slipping in later and via the website only that the treatment may have been beneficial.
Back in December 2019, we had BBC Scotland giving abundant space to an ill-informed rant by Jamie Greene MSP:
It is entirely the SNP’s fault that we are in this mess. Having buried bad news, we are being told that the total cost to the taxpayer will have doubled to £200m and be over three years late in delivery. It’s clear that no-one in the SNP has been keeping a watching eye over this project for many years and questions will rightly be raised about the contract award in the first place.
Readers will remember of course the Westminster Tories’ proud track record of keeping a watching eye on the costs of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station (£2.9 billion over and 7 years late), London’s Crossrail (£650 million over and 2 years late) and, best of all, HS2 (£20 billion over and 5 years late).
Yesterday, Hobbs went on to say: ‘senior management were “fairly and squarely” to blame and he addressed a series of claims he described as “urban myths” but was too polite to name Greene as the propagator of the myths.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Top story on GMS today , blame put firmly on Ferguson management.
Now for the SNP baad bit . There is an enquiry going on into this at Holyrood , Jamie Green will be on that enquiry I have no doubt , along with other Unionists, they are going to play down the management failings and blame the Scottish Government for picking Ferguson ‘s in the first place as there was other tenders put in , that’s how Unionist minds work , it’s ALWAYS the SNP’S fault no matter what ! .
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Thanks for doing what you do John. I was thinking that a summary article once a week in the National (and/or other newspapers) would be useful to spread the truth. Have you ever been approached by The National?
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Their honorary editor, Richard Walker does not believe the BBC is biased!
While editor of the S Herald he refused to report my 2014 research proving it.
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Maybe time to approach Calum Baird ,as he is the editor of the National and allegedly pro Indy .It would be it his papers interests to challenge distorted reporting from the BBC and he has had articles that condemn the BBC in the past. Not all your analytics are about the BBC , there are many other tellers of lies out there that need exposed .
If Lesley Riddoch can get a column on the Unionist Hootsmon , there should be no barrier to a pro Indy blogger getting a colum in a supposed pro Indy paper .
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Maybe I’m too nippy at times?
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No more than Lesley Riddoch can be 😁
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