The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson
In response to the constant politicised complaints about the new Glen Sannox ferry size, the Ardrossan harbour neglect and pressure from some ‘islanders’, Scottish Labour and the media, reader JB offers this fascinating information about the economy of Arran:
JB – The Road Equivalent Tariff
Let’s nor forget the Road Equivalent Tariff….a report from 2020 by Stantec for Transport Scotland:
“The visitor spend data collected through the onboard survey suggest that visitors are spending fairly substantial sums of money on the islands, ranging from £114 for the average daytripper party to £387 of non-accommodation spend for parties staying more than one night.
The benefits ‘2015 RET’ residents have derived from making additional trips are closely related to their journey purpose (predominantly visiting friends & relatives more often, shopping and leisure opportunities). Around a quarter of respondents make the same number of trips as prior to RET but now take a car, which has allowed them to access different destinations and widen the range of activities in which they engage whilst on the mainland.
RET has also facilitated improved access to employment, training and business opportunities for a small number of island residents, generating economic benefits for the communities concerned, which are in addition to the social benefits outlined above. The policy has also facilitated health-related travel, a key benefit of RET.
It is common in many smaller islands for residents to maintain an old on-island car (or no island car) and keep their primary car on the mainland. This reduces the need to pay a ferry car fare when making a journey. The number of island cars parked on the mainland should have reduced, but no significant impact on car ownership levels was identified, which suggests that residents of the smaller island communities are taking advantage of lower fares to take their car back to the island more often.
Due to the switch from foot passenger to car travel, a significant proportion of residents surveyed now spend more on fares than they did prior to the introduction of RET. This suggests that the perceived benefits of taking a car onboard the ferry outweigh the marginal fares costs, and that the pre-RET fares were frustrating journeys which people were wanting to make.
RET has facilitated growth in the crucial ‘visiting friends & relatives’ market, whilst also making it easier for island residents to access mainland goods and services.
Where residents have saved money as a result of RET (i.e. they are not paying additional fares through now taking a car onboard), the evidence from the resident survey suggests that the money saved on ferry fares has been recycled back into both the island and mainland economies (and is in effect a transfer from government). Some 37% noted that spending has increased in general, albeit a larger proportion of this has been spent on the mainland than on the island. From the perspective of resident spending, RET has generated a net additional economic benefit for the islands concerned.”
JB
Source:
Support Scots Independent, Scotland’s oldest pro-independence newspaper and host of the OBA (Oliver Brown Award) at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/shop/
The Oliver Brown Award for advancing the cause of Scotland’s self respect, previously awarded to Dr Philippa Whitford, Alex Salmond and Sean Connery: https://scotsindependent.scot/?page_id=116
About Oliver Brown, the first Scottish National Party candidate to save his deposit in a Parliamentary election: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Brow
Talking-up Scotland 
Entitlement isn’t a natural default for the people of Scotland given we have had to take what was given to us by those “who know what’s best for us”.
Just saying .
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“How the SNP Government’s Road Equivalent Tariff has enriched Arran and every other Scottish island served by CalMac”
Alas in Scotland, it appears that facts , when positive, are no match for grievances .
However that is only when these grievances are promoted by the media.
The same media that also chooses to suppress, as in ignore, the facts that exist that convey more positive aspects to a story connected to Scotland and also to the Scottish government.
Which is something the media prefers not to disclose as that would then contradict their negative SNP bad stories that they always seek to promote, which they only promote for the benefit of their UK and also for the benefit of those political parties who support it.
Meanwhile the actual failures and also the consecutive scandals in other nations outwith Scotland via public services, well these are filed under ‘Blame others’.
NHS deaths in England , let’s blame only the NHS Trust never blame the UK government or the respective UK Health Secretary etc etc etc
The useless pro UK media , both in and outside Scotland, have also, since 2016, failed to highlight the many ongoing negative impacts upon Scotland’s economy that has happened as a result of Brexit, mainly because pro UK parties like Labour (and the Tories) endorse it and neither of them would or will now reverse it.
So…..
The public within Scotland looked from pro UK media in Scotland to pro UK politicians
Then from pro UK politicians to pro UK media in Scotland.
And then from pro UK media in Scotland to pro UK politicians again
But already it was impossible to say which was which.
Welcome to Scotland…..while only in Scotland that is.
Liz S
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I think you should rename your publication to ‘talking down islands’, as it seems it is the only thing you enjoy doing.
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Anonymous of Arran ? or Mull ? or Labour HQ ? or Tory HQ ?
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Are there special offers open for ‘these islands’ editors or contributors ?
I’ve a hunch Martin Williams will be relieved to learn he is finally under serious challenge for the Herald’s annual ‘RETard of the year ‘award – May the best “RETard” win, best of luck with your entry.
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I’m talking island life up surely?
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I think that the RET on transport has indeed enriched the lives of many folk. I have come across quite a few older folk on my own travels, who now also enjoy travelling further afield.
It has often been related to me when I ask in conversation. “Where are you off to?” It seems that is often to visit places they had been with their own parents as a child and still holds a dear memory for them.
As far as I am concerned, keeping people active and their brain churning over is a very positive thing and I am sure that the all visitors to all the islands are made most welcome, regardless of the opinions of a few who remain anonymous.
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O/T
Mike Small of Bella Caledonia has written an excellent piece called:
“The Hauntology of Scottish Labour’ .
It is very much well worth a read and it is extremely well written.
This is the kind of passionate and honest writing which is sadly lacking from those others who call themselves ‘Journalists’ and who work for the very much politically compromised pro UK MSM.
Liz S
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Yes indeed, he didn’t miss…
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Yes, a great, quality site.
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“great, quality site”.
As is your site also.
You deserve credit too , in taking all of the time and energy to fill in all of the blanks , aka information, that the MSM refuses to touch, for obvious reasons.
Is it also not par for the course that sites such as this always seem to attract the occasional odd visit from critics , odd being the operative word.
Whatever rocks their boat I guess .
However it is a bit rich that this person who criticised you, is suggesting that all you enjoy doing is “talking down Islands” , when they themselves are literally via their negative comment , obviously , one assumes, enjoying “talking down” to you and your site with their misinformed comment.
As when have you ever posted a succession of articles that were “talking down Islands”, I must have missed those posts, mind you some people only read what they want to read and not what is actually written, which I suspect is the case with this particular ‘critic’.
They seem to be a ‘Do as I say not as I do’ kind of person.
So they think they are allowed to criticise people like you whenever they want.
However they themselves will not tolerate you ever writing anything that they mistakenly translate and so wrongly communicate as being criticism of anyone or anything that they seek to defend.
Obviously with them comprehension is open to interpretation.
I suspect they are “doing it deliberately too”, to quote Labour Lord Foulkes.
Nowt stranger than people , so true.
Liz S
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I just wish the Scottish Government would stop making Scotland so bloody attractive and the best part of the UK to live in. For a start it is embarrassing, putting up house prices, reducing supply and is just encouraging more colonisation. I blame Countryfile, Location x3 and Escape to the country. If that sounds racist please delete.
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Need to look at who can vote in Scotland re Scottish elections and any referendums etc…folks should have to live in Scotalnd F/T for three years min, no English students who are not F/T resident in Scotland, no non doms etc…that’s the problem, at least in part, too many new to Scotland have NO idea about Scotland’s history, politics or government.
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Most countries have a system to limit the financial penalty of living on an island. In Norway the short crossings are absolutely free, and the longer ones have government support. IN EVERY OTHER FERRY NETWORK IN EUROPE there are residents’ discounts, except for the Calmac network. Hence it was decided to reduce prices for ALL users, not just residents, and that is where RET came from.
Perhaps residents discounts would have been less “controversial?”
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