In the Herald today:
MINISTERS have lost over £60m in public money through trying to salvage the shipyard company at the centre of Scotland’s ferry-building fiasco, the Herald on Sunday can reveal.
New financial papers have revealed that £36.1m of the £50.1m of public funds the Scottish Government has tried to reclaim after Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd (FMEL) fell into administration in August, 2019 will not be recovered.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/19529636.revealed-ministers-lose-60m-public-funds-bailout-ferguson-marine/
Note the amount, note the intention to save jobs and remember the yard is still open.
Two years ago in England, note the same factors:
Labour has claimed transport secretary Chris Grayling‘s political gaffes have cost the economy and taxpayers over £2.7bn during his time in government.
The analysis comes after Downing Street was forced to declare once more that Theresa May has full confidence in Mr Grayling as it emerged the government had settled a £33m fee over the no-deal ferry contract fiasco.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chris-grayling-ferry-contracts-blunders-cost-a8803296.html
The contract is one of three agreements worth a total of £107.7m signed by the government without a tendering process to help ease “severe congestion” at Dover by securing extra lorry capacity.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/dec/30/no-deal-brexit-ferry-company-owns-no-ships-and-has-never-run-ferry-service
So a vast sum overall, compensation paid to P&O with no return and what about jobs? See this:
P&O SEAFARERS Union RMT today reacted with fury following the release of Government contracts detailing the UK taxpayers’ support for roll-on roll-off ferry operators during the pandemic.
Critical Freight Grant payments have been allocated to operators to keep essential goods, medical and veterinary supplies coming into the country. The recipient of the highest amount is P&O Ferries who are seeking to cut 1,100 jobs on the same routes by the end of this month.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said;
“The Government is supporting ferry companies to the tune of over £33m until mid-July. By that time, P&O Ferries will have put 1,100 workers – mostly seafarers in Dover and Hull – on the dole and working class seafarers will have been failed by this Government.
https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-slams-scandal-of-taxpayer-support-for-pando-shareholders/
There you have it. The Scottish Government, with the best will, invests money to try to keep shipbuilding on the Clyde alive and to save jobs.
The Conservative Government wastes money AND the recipients sack workers before, no doubt, tucking the proceeds away in the Cayman Islands.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
The Herald, another enemy of Scotland. £60 million wouldn’t even register in Westminster, to them it’s peanuts, it’s only when the English government wastes billions of public money, that it might sometimes get into the news.
The BritNats are hoping the people of Scotland have no idea about numbers, and very short memories, forgetting about the billions upon billions of public money being handed out by the English government like confetti to their pals, during the pandemic, and no doubt we don’t know the half of it either.
Try to save jobs in Scotland under the constraints of the so called union, and it’s a ‘fiasco’.
The jobsworths ignoring the consequences of the English governments’ catastrophic no deal Brexit and mishandling of Covid, are a disgrace to journalism.
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Ultimately Westminster is 100 % responsible for the complete demise of the shipbuilding industry
Norway has one of the most successful
All round shipbuilding industry in the world
Technology has now moved on so fast now there is no chance or hope for Scotland now
E.G.Norway now building 100% battery powered ferries and in partnership with
Germany to built the Worlds 1st large freighUniohe battery powered
Even our Warship Building is a sick joke
No one in the world wants to purchase any of what we build
China has just launched Destroyer no.2 of
4 for Pakistan and has orders for over 30 naval vessels from many countries
The skills and infrastructures for modern shipbuilding is now completely lost for ever now
So Scotland must focus on Renewables
But we are held back so much by the deliberate policy of Westminster in hideous feed in charges to the grid and refusing to allow vital underwater cable connections
Why
Simple
They know full well that if ever we Scots
Woke up to the tremendous riches we have in renewables
That the vote for Indy would breach 65% + easily
They know we are alert to what happened with our oil and that we won’t let them repeat with renewable sources
Especially Tidal
Westminster is in a quandary now because of code red climate change
And need dramatically to up their game
But cannot without letting the cat out of the bag
The new agreement with Green/SNP
Should be used to jointly scream out all i speak of here at COP26 to expose Westminster i
in full view of the whole worlds media
F**k Boris and the whole lot of them
Land a fatal blow to them and their
Preciousssss rotten Union
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£6om ? No self-respecting Tory Chancer would get out of bed for a Government contract worth so little .
Scotland – you don’t really have a Government ( or the incompetence ) for corruption , do you ?
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The ferries are still being finished. Two ferries cost £200million. One ferry can cost £100Million. It is an expensive exercise for any company/country. They are still getting two ferries out of it. The monies have not been wasted. It is just the case of getting them finished.
Historically not enough has been invested in ferries for the island, The Scottish Gov is trying to rectify it. Investing in more ferries. The funding is not wasted it has gone into the new ferries. Created jobs, gone into local communities and the economy. It will increase connectivity and investment leading to more prosperity. Just what is needed not isolation. The funding has not been wasted. Two expensive ferries will come out of the investment.
The pandemic means more people are trying to visit the islands. Much more than usual. Tourists are putting pressure on the facilities. Bring monies into Scotland. Scottish tourism is very profitable. If visitors cannot get to the island. They can go elsewhere. There are plenty places they can visit and make room for the locals. Lifeline.
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The monies being wasted are on Hickley Point and HS2 etc, £Billions being wasted. £13Billion+ a year. Scotland has to contribute to it, with no benefit. .
A total waste of monies with no business case. Not enough customers and too expensive. Civil servants have illegally hidden the true cost. Totally over budget. It is an absolute scandal. Tory incompetence and corruption. The Tory slush fund. Pigs at the trough of wasted public monies. The monies wasted could build many more ferries or fund essential services.
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