Yesterday, a further two-month delay for the MV Glen Sannox was a matter for comment by the Conservative opposition on BBC Scotland’s website.
We got all of this:
Scottish Conservative transport spokesman Graham Simpson MSP said the latest delay was “yet another huge blow to Scotland’s betrayed island communities”.
He added: “It means that – after testing – another whole summer season will have gone by without desperately-needed new CalMac vessels being in operation, thanks to the SNP’s monumental incompetence.
“That’s another peak holiday season for hotels, restaurants and businesses completely at the mercy of a decrepit fleet that simply can’t be relied upon”.
Today, in sharp contrast, BBC Cornwall report a delay of more than a month in the arrival of a new ferry for the Penzance to the Isles of Scilly route. No politician is platformed to comment.
Why the difference? Around 50% of Scots want independence.
Cornwall? All six seats were Conservative in 2015, 2017 and in 2019!
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
In a BBC News article dated 8 January 2024 entitled ‘Grant Shapps wades into Isles of Scilly ferry row’, in the context of the lengthy ongoing saga regarding the replacement of the ageing ferry to the Isles of Scilly, we learn this from islands’ Councillor Steve Sims: “People are quite worried, because you know, it’s quite a visceral thing this.
“People would like to know what’s happening and when it’s going to happen, so they can put their minds at rest really.” He said this was a “huge, huge issue” for the Isles of Scilly.’
The incumbent service provider, the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group (ISSG) has now opted to find private rather than public finance to replace its ageing ferry, The Scillonian III – which has been operating between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly since 1977. Yes it’s been operating for c. 47 years! But then ferries can last longer if they only operate in English waters and without undue concern from opposition politicians and the MSM – it seems!
The ISSG is reported by The BBC stating this about the UK government: “Following the government’s funding route would have delayed delivery of the vessels by two years to 2028; potentially opened up the whole process to legal challenge and further delay; limited our ability to cross-subsidise Skybus (a supplementary air service it runs to the islands), leading to a potential 25% increase in air fares and would mean the route being tendered every five years, making long-term planning difficult and not providing security to our 200-plus employees.”
This is Westminster’s concern for England’s island communities.
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The Simpsons is the longest running animated sitcom/satire show in the US.
Graham Simpson is the longest running agitated hyperbole show in Scottish media, from News Corporation to his current series with Conservative List MSPs.
Graham patently believes he can capitalise on the mandatory testing and commissioning of all aspects of the Glen Sannox, to score cheap political points among the hard of thinking, reprising his role at the Sun…
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