By Professor John Robertson
From BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight today:
A ferry operator has cancelled several high-speed services across the Solent due to staff shortages.
Red Funnel confirmed its Red Jet service between Southampton and Cowes, Isle of Wight would not be running due to “limited availability of crew”.
It is the latest in a series of cancellations, with the most recent happening in March due to an “unexpected technical issue”.
Passengers told the BBC in February that the unreliable ferry services were causing “huge stress”.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-68795557
No staff? Unexpected technical issues? No service? Now that’s a ferry fiasco, friends.
It’s hard to imagine anything worse.
Well…on the same island….
In the Island Echo January 23, 2024:
Wightlink [the other Isle of Wight ferry operator] made a profit of £16million in the financial year to March 2023, according to the company’s latest financial figures. The cross-Solent operator published its accounts – which are available on Companies House – on 8th January, covering the period from April 2022 to March 2023.
The highest-paid director – who is unnamed – took home £398,000, with a further £285,000 paid out to other directors. A dividend of £10million was proposed to be paid in June last year, despite Wightlink taking a COVID rescue grant from the Government.
No CalMac or previously Caledonian MacBrayne ferry has ever sunk. No passenger has been hurt but the fully privatised Isle of Wight ferries often breakdown at sea, burst into flames and in 2014, four passengers had to be hospitalised after an incident.
Isle of Wight ferry costs?
Most summer visitors pay somewhere around £150-£200, although peak fares sometimes reach £300 during school holidays.
https://www.isleofwightguru.co.uk/isle-of-wight-ferry-beginners-guide.html
Calmac costs?
As an example, Brodick to Arran, longer than the Isle of Wight crossings, a car with two passengers is £45.
Scottish islanders, be careful what you wish for. This is what Neu Labour has in mind for you.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Ah, but Calmac is Scottish therefore it is the pure pishest service you can get. (Mr Union Jack Suit Murray, potential Secretary of State for Scotland in an avidly pro-nuclear weapons Labour Government)
Alasdair Macdonald
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This is all very well but nothing like the Ferries fiasco in Scotland which is a sh** country anyway says our Unionist friends and we subsidize you so get back in your box you loving SNP people and shut up.
DOUGLAS Ross demanded Michael Matheson should be sacked as Health Secretary over the £11,000 iPad bill row during a clash at First Minister’s Questions.
Donelan, you wasted £34,000 of taxpayers money, result – no payback and carry on.
Come on Ross why are you not calling for her to be sacked because you are a hypocrite I say.
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Have just seen this.
Police launch investigation into Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner
Are we going to see loads of police cars and a big tent set up oh no that only applies to the SNP.
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yup…
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Slightly OT John, but went to check HMS James Cookoo and noticed this https://archive.ph/yC9ux , but haven’t bothered searching for the Martin Williams version for comparison… Postscript, the Herod has a Jody Harrison version but can’t be arsed reading it..
Truly desperate stuff, I mean consider ” The 47-year-old MV Isle of Cumbrae, the oldest ferry in the CalMac fleet, has been temporarily redeployed to maintain services ” hinting at ‘why don’t you have a new one ready as backup’….
And the signoff ? “Loch Shira entered service in 2007 after being built at Ferguson shipyard. It can carry up to 32 cars and 250 passengers. ” 🤣 Anybody else smell a giant rat, perchance bald ?
Effectively it’s that SNP’s fault, Ayrshire Council’s fault, but not the as yet unidentified eejit with an overloaded truck… Any bets that there is a connection between the overweight truck and Tory, Labour and Liberal electoral promises ?
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I’m sure the BritNats will be calling for MP’s to resign about this very soon, not.
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