Just like the higher-rate taxpayers fleeing south, islanders fleeing to the mainland from their frankly better, subsidised lives, is a mythical whopper employed by folk like Transport Committee chair, Edward Mountain MSP, Con.
I can’t see the actual report yet but it will be interesting to see if, in its pages, there is any actual consideration of the evidence of reliability in actual statistics.
For the last 7 years of records, CalMac has consistently served more than 30, sometimes quite remote and small communities, with 95% reliability and 100% safety, sailing, at times more than 500 times a day.
No other equivalent service in the islands of Canada or Greece, far less in South-East Asia, compares in reliability and certainly not in the protection of lives, despite operating on the edge of the wild Atlantic.
In Greece, the smaller, more vulnerable, communities get zero government-funded ferry services from November to March!
Scottish islanders know this and they’re staying where they are.
In the most recent population change data for 2020-2021, Na h-Eileanan Siar was one of only 13 out 32 regions to experience significant population growth.
Part of the perceived problem with the ferries, I suspect, is the sense of entitlement of some of those typically choosing to settle in the islands after making their wealth in urban areas.
Source:
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files/statistics/population-estimates/mid-21/mid-year-pop-est-21-report.pdf
Talking-up Scotland 
Out of sheer curiosity, I’d been looking into the history of the Lochboisdale ferry et al, and time after time there was a general report on the reliability of ferry services in Scotland criticising the lack of redundancy going back to the times of the Scottish Office.
Yet it was this piece in the Oban Times that caught my eye https://www.obantimes.co.uk/2023/03/16/the-ship-that-sank-an-island/ as it was the South Uist to Oban route in 1973.
Aside enjoying reading such a wonderfully written article, what struck home was no political party or politician being blamed, no hyperbolic nonsense of “existential crisis”, nobody complaining it was 25 minutes late, it was just one of those things – Folks mucked in to help, the company redeployed ships, and every captain on the line learned never to allow their authority over the ship to be overruled by the management.
I’ve no doubt the vast majority of islanders would any less pragmatic today even on South Uist, they will know who is stirring up who, not that it will never be published or broadcast in these highly politicised times anyway.
They will also know once the MV Hebridean Isles gets it’s pitch propeller fixed, the summer service will resume, and the BBC in Glasgow will find something else to moan about.
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Yes, indeed, a well-written and informative bit with a lot of humanity and common decency included.
Nevertheless, even though he was not even born at the time that Humza Yousaf must go and Jackie Baillie elevated to the House of Lords for making such a demand.
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Oh yeah , live in south of England work til fifty get subsidised wages to ensure you can pay the whopping mortgage for a wee bit But and Ben then at fifty sell yer wee bit But and Ben in England and buy a whopping great hoose on one of the Scottish islands for half the money you got for yer wee bit But and Ben in England, the remainder of your But and Ben money will allow you live comfortably on one of oor beautiful Scottish islands with out having to work , then if you want more money turn your new island hoose into a B&B the taxman won’t chase you for proof of profits but mind and complain about Scottish life Scottish government and ferries as often as you can , oh and hoist a Union Jack just to pee us off a bit more.
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Spot on that money is behind all the agitation so far as ferries in Scotland are concerned, it has been since McColl lost his gamble to make a tidy profit out of claims for his investors and failed.
Your point on “English incomers” grinds a little but there is part truth in it, greed is not restricted by nationality, or as it is better known in modern times, business investment –
In Lochboisdale alone there are 5 properties on booking dot com available over the next 3 months, yet locals can’t rent a house let alone buy one in all of South Uist because of “business investment” ?
Only an independent Scotland can make it’s people priority, that’s why so few are ranged against us but in positions of “influence”.
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Don’t forget free nhs prescriptions et al…
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Yep and all that lovely clean water…which must be a luxury in England now.
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Yep, and while they are at it, benefit from the SNP gov not charging ’em for prescriptions, and they can make use of Scotland’s NHS when they need it…it’s mostly older folk so will impact care and health services. Not only folks moving into Scotland and our Islands, also many have cottages where they go to for a couple of weeks a year, we know of one older guy in England who owns a cottage on one of the Islands for just that purpose.
One thing we maybe need is to only allow people to vote in Scotland if they have been resident for three years more or less F/T at least. Is that fair and would it make any difference to voting outcomes? Dunno.
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I guess once independent there will be no more ‘freedom of movement’ for England’s rich to come to live in Scotland like they can and do now. It’s Ok I am not anti English, just anti Scotland being taken for granted and having the rip taken out of it by the next door neighbours.
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I agree , I think there at least has to be some sort of minimum time spent living in Scotland before you get to vote in Scotland , let’s face it the 2014 Scottish independence referendum allowed anyone to vote with no time restriction at all which was such an unusual rule that nobody knew of any other country in the world that had ever done that .
I think for a general election they have to show they live in Scotland most of the year and not just the day of the vote.
Otherwise we risk losing to those cheating the system
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Neil Blain has a few articles on Bella that are relevant to our wonderful media. His latest is worth reading –
Not least because he’s been taking lessons from the master –
“Earlier this month The National newspaper covered research by Professor John Robertson about disparity in coverage of public services by BBC news respectively in Wales and Scotland, which persuasively indicated an exaggerated tendency in Scotland to relate such matters to government responsibilities. “
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I wonder where the £billions for bridges and tunnels would come from, Scotland’s huge oil reserves of course. Oh, wait, those £billions/trillions go to England’s government, so that knocks that on the head and no funding will be available from the EU, of course, and can’t see the EngGovs’ levelling up putting in a few £billion for Scotland’s transport infrastructure. So, it’s ferries, ferries, ferries. Makes for good headlines though for the BritNat state run media. Scotland is being held back by the next door neighbour, as has been the case for a long time. Tragic.
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Ps see Norway for transport infrastructure for the 21st century that traverses very difficult terrain similar to Scotland…I wonder how they paid for it, hmm.
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The most effective stipulation for the right to vote in Scotland would be possession of a Scottish unique tax reference
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