Professor John Robertson OBA, BA Journalism Research Methods Module Co-ordinator (really I was)
One of these moments, eh? The Herald‘s main ferry correspondent, daily rubbishing the SNP Government for their oversight of the CalMac ferry service (best in the world, really), writes today:
So much to say. So much to snigger at. Is that headline suggesting the PM not the FM is to blame for not getting new contracts and letting them go to Poland?
The headline is a bit different at the full page:
More confusion – Is Starmer now to blame for those ‘pot shots’, aimed at the SNP really, but damaging the reputation of Ferguson Marine and the GMB union in the process. Has he? Until the last few days and for months on end, Martin Williams has been doing the pot shotting on a daily basis:
There’s someone being sheltered here, behind the FM – It’s Anas!
Two years ago in the Daily Record:
Political attacks on Ferguson Marine are putting the future of the shipyard in doubt, a trade union has warned. The GMB hit out at Labour for using its members at the Port Glasgow business as a “political football”.
The union said it was right the Scottish Government was held to account over the massive delays in completing two new ferries for Caledonian MacBrayne – but warned the fall-out could permanently damage Ferguson’s reputation.
The shipyard was nationalised in 2019 after huge cost overruns on the ferry project pushed its former owner into administration. The Scottish Government has faced huge political pressure to reveal why ministers decided to award the yard the contract for two ferries in 2015 despite civil service warnings.
But Nicola Sturgeon has insisted the decision to nationalise Fergusons was the right one. GMB official Gary Cook wrote to Anas Sarwar to describe Labour’s approach to Fergusons as “disappointing”.
In a letter to the Scottish Labour leader, he said: “While the Scottish Government must be held to account for their poor governance, this should not come at the expense of the reputation of the workers at the yard or at the expense of the long-term future of the yard itself.
“Our members are being used as a political football”.
Cook pointed to a photocall held outside the shipyard last month in which Labour’s deputy leader, Jackie Baillie, was pictured in front of its entrance – but did not speak to GMB union conveners.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/ferguson-marine-shipyard-workers-not-26849042
As for ‘the Scottish Government must be held to account for their poor governance‘, above, that’s a bit two-faced when you remember what Gary Cook was saying in 2019:
“Nationalisation secures the immediate future of the yard and that is a very welcome development, particularly after all the recent uncertainty. Our members were caught in the middle of a situation that had nothing to do with them and their relief will be palpable. It is five years since the yard went bust and the Scottish Government has prevented that from happening again. We can now look to the future and everyone should do so with a sense of purpose. With vision and competency we can get on with building the ships Scotland needs and together we can grow jobs and prosperity on the lower Clyde.”
https://www.thenational.scot/news/17842122.snp-government-nationalise-ferguson-shipyard-save-jobs/
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Yep Gary Cook , and others like him, needs to get their stories straight and adopt a consistent narrative.
So with a workers Union and a media supporting a Political party (Labour) targeting , as in making political attacks, upon this company, as in their shipyard, that then prompts a lack of confidence in the company’s shipyard, but then their , Labour’s, real target (the SNP) must somehow be in the thick of this story , as they were the ones who nationalised it so this must end up, like all things Scottish, being a #SNPBAD tale.
There can then be no winners, as Labour , the Union who supports them and their media have all damaged the reputation of this company’s shipyard, the consequences are that all of these ‘Pot shots’ as a constant in the headlines ‘where we are and elsewhere in the UK too’ , with negative quotes sourced from both Labour and also Union reps, have now destabilised what should have been something that so called ‘Scottish’ Labour, so called “Scottish’ Union Reps and so called ‘Scottish’ media were all promoting and supporting to sustain this industry in Scotland.
Their combined hatred of the SNP has seen them take their eye of the ball or rather it seems their eyes are always only focused on all things UK related and upon those things that benefits the UK only,
So the consequential that is linked to their combined constant #BAD news upon Scotland is then filed under collateral damage , as in needs must , especially when their combined goal is to try to destroy the SNP and also keep Scotland within their UK.
Words have consequences and they are all too blind with their rage against the SNP and also their hatred of the SNP and too their staunch opposition to Scottish independence to then either care or notice the resulting damage that they have inflicted upon our Scottish industries and Scottish economy.
Most (not all) of the UK Workers Unions, the majority of the UK media and all of the UK establishment (Political, Royalty, Religious leaders etc) are all onside with pro UK political parties .
So why then would they try to protect our Scottish industries when they need to protect their UK from splitting up……
Currently Labour are assumed as the best political option in Scotland to ‘Save their UK’ and so all of the UK establishment will reiterate and support what they say no matter who is then a victim of their slander and defamation.
(Of course Labour are now no longer their, teh UK establishment’s, actual best bet in Scotland politically, as most people here now hate them more than they hate the Tories , as they, Labour, have now categorically proven to be far far far far far far far worse as a UK government than even the Tories were(which BTW most of us knew already how bad Labour were politically) , so their Labour branch office are very much now on a political shoogly peg in 2026 , as are their recently elected in Scotland, 37 labour MP’s too).
Vote SNP in 2026 to show them that Scotland’s democracy can no longer, from 2026, be bought in any elections, where major political donors to pro UK parties think that , as donors, that they get to decide who wins in all elections. Let’s show those political donors, that in Scotland, our votes cannot be bought or sold and so their money does not talk here in Scotland (via their very large political donations to pro UK parties like Labour)
Liz S
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It’s a bit of bizarre story (well its Martin William’s I suppose), but coming from someone who has written many ferry stories trying to gain support to break up Cal Mac, CMAL, get Fergusons closed, buy Catamarans etc.
Has someone decided that this crap has to stop as its now damaging Labour?
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“Has someone decided that this crap has to stop as its now damaging Labour”?
I think you have hit the proverbial nail on the head there.
They , as a supposed media , are nothing if not too predictable and very much wearisome too, actually they are bloody exhausting Ha Ha
Liz S
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Offs, ‘ ‘”The Prime Minister has been warned by a major Labour Party financial contributor to stop using the state-owned shipyard firm at the centre of Scotland’s ferry fiasco as a “political punchbag” and instead pull strings to secure its precarious future’.
This thoroughly discredited ‘journalist’ Martin Williams makes an excruciating attempt to appear relevant in an age when the media in Scotland have lost all credibility in pursuing ‘ferry stories’ – The classic ‘oh look, a squirrel’ tactic so beloved of James Cook et al, believing they control the vertical and horizontal of what the public think with some deft editing and framing doesn’t work any more https://archive.ph/hvd4q
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Anas Sarwar tweeted this today on 3 April 2025:
“Here’s why I’m in the US this week”
He then linked a video of him explaining why.
“Yes I’m going to take part on the Tartan parade on Saturday. But actually it’s more than that. At times of politically volatility I believe our personal business and cultural ties become even more important. And I want us to tap into the soft power of Scotland to maximise investments into Scotland, exports out of Scotland and more tourism to Scotland that can deliver economic growth and jobs. The world wants what Scotland’s got to offer let’s go out and sell it”
Where to start.
Well firstly as he was speaking he ran a succession of pictures and videos that included Whisky on a production line, a Harris Tweed jacket (the Brian Wilson factor), the Labour SOS against Scotland Ian Murray, Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner, Douglas Alexander and finally ending the video with Sarwars new Labour slogan (as in “Changed”) slogan which is ‘New Direction” for the Scottish elections in 2026.
Obviously it must now be a “New Direction for Scotland ” as the “Old Direction” for Scotland with Labour was supposed to be us seeing “Change” but that fell through as it never happened as Labour promised it would ….as in with Labour HQ as the new UK government.
So let’s dissect his wee speech which was also seemingly a party political broadcast on behalf of the Labour party in Scotland.
“Tartan Parade attendance” for the country, Scotland, that he normally thinks is so weak , poor and inept that it is unable to survive as an independent country, so then what is he actually celebrating about our country ?
Him being a hypocrite ?
Then he mentions “political volatility” and so who is making life for us, the public within his UK, more “politically volatile” with the birth of a Toryfied Labour party, making such poor choices and decisions as the new UK government that harms a lot of vulnerable people within the UK , as well as harming the Scottish economy and then also with Labour continuing with a damaging Brexit that Scotland rejected in 2016.
As to “investments in Scotland and exports out of Scotland” well Brexit has hindered much of that with our nearest neighbour, where we had one of the best trade deals with the EU and their SM and CU.
As to “More Tourism” well Sarwar has obviously been more focused upon his own and also his client media’s propaganda to perhaps not have noticed that it was reported in 2024 that “Scotland is the only part of the UK that had seen an increase in tourism in 2023″ and where “Tourism bosses have described this as a turning point for Scotland ,where in 2023, a record number of International visitors came to Scotland”.
Visit Scotland stated that “In the first half of 2024, international visitors made 2.0 million trips to Scotland” also “The North American market showed the largest increase in spending over the January – June period (2023). Spending was 84% greater versus 2019 (in nominal terms) and 31% greater vs 2023 (in nominal terms)”.
The Scottish government stated in January 2024 that “Figures published today by the Office for National Statistics show that Scotland has staged a stronger post-pandemic recovery than the UK as a whole in 2023”.
So what was Anas Sarwar’s pointless point in his self promoting video in reference to “More Tourism” as if somehow it was in decline in Scotland???
Sarwar ended with:
“The world wants what Scotland’s got to offer so let’s go out and sell it”
Yes they do and so does his party , and other UK parties, as UK governments want what Scotland has to offer, but they will not buy it instead they will steal it and benefit financially for their UK and then tell us, Scotland, that we are subsidised by the UK (of which we are a part of).
Also if we , Scotland, have so much to offer the world then why can’t we be independent ?
Also in Sarwar making this Twitter speech and posting it one day after Trump has imposed a 10% Tariff on his UK then that is , to say the least, a most inopportune moment aka bad timing by him. (when in America).
Then of course do we need to remind Anas Sarwar that currently not only is he NOT the current FM of Scotland , but also his party at Holyrood are NOT currently even the official opposition party in our Scottish parliament, he is obviously suffering from delusions of grandeur or is he channelling that inner (and outer) Labour arrogance that assumes that he deserves to be our next FM and so we in Scotland will , he assumes, do just that in 2026.
His dream is our nightmare.
Vote SNP in 2026 to put an end to Sarwar’s career ambitions that eventually, he hopes , will lead him onto a seat in the HOL in his natural political home which is at WM not Holyrood.
Liz S
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