‘Scotland’s worst ferry crisis’ cannot be blamed on SNP

Leaving aside the irony of someone with a name common on Shetland suggesting the Orkneys are the ‘most northerly’, David Leask tells us today that that is where Scotland’s worst ferry crisis is. He needs a holiday in South Uist to see some real suffering – folk eating their own dogs and, a contact informs us, their own grannies!

As you can see from the photographs , these are wee boats, owned by the Council, the one planning to secede from Scotland.

Where does the Council get the money to run them? Would council tax be a factor? I bet they pay far more than we do on mainland Scotland with our fancy buses and no need for ferries.

Well, Orkney doesn’t feature in Scotland’s top ten council tax rates for the middling Band D in 2022/2023.

In 10th place its Edinburgh City Council at £1 447 per year, after (!) North Ayrshire at £1 452.

The highest is Midlothian with £1 500 pa.

Orkneys?

Also at Band D, £1 244.

Here’s a thought. Bump that Council tax up to the same as that for the folk of Ardrossan? Buy some new wee ferries or charter them from one of those private companies that the folk of the Western Isles, allegedly, would prefer to Calmac?

Sources:

https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/money/scottish-council-tax-rises-here-are-the-10-most-expensive-band-d-council-tax-rates-in-scotland-from-edinburgh-to-south-ayrshire-4063625?page=1

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.orkney.gov.uk/Files/Housing/Council_Tax/Ctax%20Additional%20Information/Council%20Tax%20and%20Scottish%20Water%20Charges%202022-23.pdf

13 thoughts on “‘Scotland’s worst ferry crisis’ cannot be blamed on SNP”

  1. Perhaps they could approach the Norwegian government for funding.
    Norway has spare oil money from it’s resources.
    Scotland,within the Anglo state,has no such fund and neither does Westminster.
    As usual,the buck stops with the London treasury who have demanded the right to control these resources which makes them ultimately responsible.

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  2. I note that in the article , David Leask has the word ”Journalist” below his name .
    Is that to avert readers thinking that this has been penned by someone who is not neutral and has no axe to grind , unlike some of those Unionist lackeys who contrive to make the smallest inconvenience a full-blown attack on the Scottish Government ?

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  3. The Scottish Gov fund the Councils. The Council tax is a small proportion of Council spending. Orkney had an Oil fund. Orkney is one of the best places to live. 4 ferries are being built. Two will be saving fuel costs. Innovative technology is always more expensive and takes time but is worth it in the end. The increased funding went into the local economy, The increased tourism is because of Covid and better weather. Increasing Scottish revenues.

    The Herald is running out of topics and readership. Boring.

    Compared to HS2 and Hinkley Point ferry funding is nothing. How many more ferries could be built without Westminster complete mismanagement.

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  4. The SNP WILL be blamed.
    Why?

    Because the Brit Nats control the media and therefore the narrative.

    Scotland under Westminster control is little different, news wise, than the GDR under the Russians.

    Glenn/Juan et al news management 5—free & diverse news 0.

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  5. What I’m finding hard to believe is that the ferries ran without a hitch before the SNP was ever near government in Scotland. Certainly, it seems that way does it not? Whoever heard of a ferry breaking down or being late or cancelling because of bad weather when we had a labour government? It never happened, did it? But I suppose they weren’t ‘ageing’ then.

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  6. The Editor probably saw Melissa Thomson’s asinine comment on the SG ” “Are they trying to clear the isles by stealth by not funding us, by not supporting us?” she asked. “Is that their goal?” ” and let David Leask run with it (remove spaces https: //archive .ph /TahNC)

    Yet rather than make clear all of this has comes out of the Council revisiting their disaster planning, it is left to the reader to figure out.

    I hadn’t realised it was in the days of the Scottish Office when these ferries were transferred to Orkney Council – Brexit depriving their EU funding must have boosted blood pressure every time Gove and Jack gushed over levelling-up funding for the Chelsea Flower Show or the mere mention of Michelle Mone….

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  7. Here’s the latest from Leask in the Herald. ‘We might need RAF airdrops’: The ‘forgotten’ ferry crisis gripping Orkney’

    This is a grown man who has just had a wee hissy as everyone took the piss out the earlier Herald Ferry (or Fairy) stories.

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    1. Whit!!!

      Not long back from 2 weeks on Orkney. Shops & supermarkets fully stocked in some cases better than my local Tesco. Northlink Ferries are the link between Orkney & mainland Scotland also Pentland Ferries. We used Northlink this time. All fine.

      We also used the local inter-island ferry service. Went to Shapinsay from Kirkwall & return. Total return fare as foot passengers incl over 60 concession was £8.48.

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      1. Currently in Orkney looking at the brawness of the Bay of Skaill by Skara Brae, have been a few times before and never a hitch with the ferries.
        Did the roro to Shapinsay on foot last year too.

        Strangely, yesterday, on the Hamnavoe as we docked and before the doors were opened for getting to the vehicle deck, either an American or Canadian women thought she could simply open the door and go down pre-permission as ‘this happens on other ferries’ – reckon not ferries in Scotland though.

        Shetland has a big oil fund, as does Orkney. Shetland and Orkney UHI colleges are owned and funded by their councils. Suspect there’s a big load of charitable funding helping the student enterprise too…
        These are wealthy archipelagos.
        Tourism is huge, but Orkney in particular is very fertile, though intensively farmed.
        And of course filled with the ancient wonders of the world 😁

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        1. The Maritime ISPS codes regarding well just about everything are pretty well embedded, Scotland as usual had a fairly substantial roll in developing ferry security protocols, Cairnryan and Stranraer for obvious reasons. Bridge and Car deck security were obvious target areas and I think these protocols in particular were certainly adopted by the States, Canada and Europe.

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  8. Here’s another quality article from Jody Harrison in the Herald

    “Herald poll: Should Scotland have more powers to tackle drug mususe?”

    Am I missing something, is it perhaps a new fondant that gives you a high, is a wicked whipped cream desert that is hitting the streets, apart from Orkney that is..

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