By Liz S

“More misery for car ferry customers as cancellations continue’ in English ‘scandal’ ferry system”

Wow that sounds like a bit of a, checks bloody notes, “Catastrophe” and a Fiasco” and to be honest it’s also a bloody “Scandal” too…..and dare I say it’s also a touché moment for our Scottish government , and for us too who support the Scottish government.

I wonder , this #Bad Isle of Wight Ferry story , is it only in the ‘local news’ for ‘local people’ and so it has not quite made it into the ‘National’ news yet ,as in National news that covers the UK state on TV , Radio & the Newspapers ?

Is it covered on the BBC website under ‘News where they (Isle of Wight) are ?

Oh I just checked the BBC website main England page.

Nowt.

So I then went onto their England local news page that covers the Isle of Wight news

Also nowt….

As in , as far as the BBC is concerned today, it’s……..

‘All Quiet On The #Bad Isle Of Wight Ferry Front’.

Compare and contrast the Ferries in Scotland and the BBC …..where it’s a case of ‘Hold the top article slot on the main Scotland page as we have got (yet) another Scottish #Bad Ferry story’…..rinse and repeat.

However I did read on a online Conservative website , under the dedicated page for the new Tory MP for the Isle of Wight, Joe Robertson, that in respect to the Isle of Ferries they stated this on their site :

“Unlike other public transport systems, Isle of Wight ferries operate without regulation or subsidy, leaving residents and businesses at the mercy of foreign-owned, debt laden, private operators”.

Funnily enough though , Joe Robertson was once a member of the Isle of Wight Council from 2021 to 2023 prior to becoming a Tory MP in 2024 for the Isle of Wight East .

(There’s also currently an MP for the West of the Isle of Wight , who’s a Labour MP and he too was a Councillor on the Isle of Wight Council , so two MP’s for one island and it looks as if , as an island , it’s divided politically).

Bob Seely was the previous Tory MP for the Isle of Wight prior to the 2024 boundary changes there.

So , currently and previously the Isle of Wight has had two Tory MP’s and also various Tory UK governments (from 2010 up to July 2024) but only now does the current new Tory MP for the IOW East, Joe Robertson, ask the , checks bloody notes, new Labour UK government to rectify, as in to intervene, to protect Isle of Wight passengers from excessive ferry prices and bad services, unreliable services for a vital transport link from unregulated Ferry companies !

Why did the previous Tory UK governments not act on this ?

However apparently PM Sir Keir Starmer knew all about the #Bad IOW Ferry services as he concurred with the points that were made by Joe Robertson at a PMQ’s in January this year , as in when Joe asked whether the government would “intervene” to address these problems with the Isle of Wight Ferry service.

Joe’s said that his constituents on the Isle of Wight are entirely reliant on foreign-owned, debt-laden, unregulated ferry companies for essential travel.

(Also TUS had noted this exchange in a previous TUS article).

So perhaps now is the time where some need to consider stopping their constant snide comments that #OnlyScottishFerriesAreBad as in those who are:

All of the UK and Scottish media (both mainstream & rogue media in the various media formats within the UK)

All of the opposition parties

All of those obvious partisan individuals trying to score a cheap point against the SNP on so called political Debate programmes (as panel and audience members)

As all of them constantly declare that only in Scotland are Ferry services and Ferries #BAD which then morphs into #SNPBAD.

But we do now have evidence that, both within and outwith the UK, that proves that this is most certainly not the case……

(Joe Robertson, Tory MP for the Isle of Wight, did note that the Scottish Ferries were both subsidised and regulated , but he did not say by whom, clue….it’s not by the UK government…..as if).

Liz S