So far today, the Scottish Government is accused of spending too much on social security staffing and too little on jotters in schools. What’s next? Ferries!!! Yay, haven’t had a ferry fiasco story since…yesterday.
I wonder where that ‘Anger’ is coming from? Just Martin Williams? Anas Sinking Sarwar?
Anyhow, never mind, is that CalMac guy better remunerated than say at some other UK ferry service? There isn’t a comparable company operating in the UK domestic market. Wightlink is the next biggest, but with only 6 ferries/2 ports to CalMac’s 36 ferries/50 ports, it will just have to do.
Given that CalMac is about 6 times bigger, you might expect the CE to get more.
The CalMac guy got £238 000 in 2023/24.1
The Wightlink guy (of course) got £398 000.2
Any other cost comparisons we could do? We’ll, Calmac made £18m profit in 2023/2024 ploughed back into the service because, state-owned, they have no shareholders expecting dividends.3
Wightlink has paid out £50m in the last 5 years.4
Sources:
- https://assets.calmac.co.uk/media/sqhpbrke/calmac-ferries-ltd-annual-acco.pdf
- https://www.islandecho.co.uk/wightlink-made-16million-profit-in-last-financial-year-after-10-revenue-growth/
- https://welovestornoway.com/index.php/articles/33120-calmac-profits-hit-gbp18-6-million
- https://www.stug.org.uk/wightlink-the-money-the-group-and-the-people/
Footnote – CalMac is also more reliable and cheaper – search TuS.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Tut, tut. Comparisons?
Next up you will be insisting on context and perspectives. THAT, would never do!!!!!
gavinochiltree
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When public services are privatised the raison d’etre of the organisation delivering the service changes. When it is a publicly run organisation, the focus is on the common good. Although, such organisations can still suffer from goal displacement as people in senior positions and trade unions distort things to serve their needs a bit more. However, there is still a measure of accountability via elected members and there is transparency. The key factor is that it is not-for-profit.
When a business is privatised, its prime directive is to maximize shareholder returns, not the quality of the service being provided. To maximise shareholder returns, as our media always tell us approvingly, companies ‘drive down costs’. This rather brutal, but euphemistic phrase means that staffing levels are cut, wages and employment are made less secure, conditions of service are reduced. Often, maintenance of premises is reduced, and cheaper materials are used. Such, ‘cost cutting’, according to the theory should mean services are cheaper, but, as we know, they are usually either the same, but with poorer quality delivery or cost more. This is to maximise shareholder returns- i.e. divert money from service provision to shareholders. Even, if the total pot of money remains the same, it is distributed differently – more goes to the small number of people running it.
CalMac provides a vital public service and despite the much publicised gripes of some islanders, provides a reliable service despite being in an area of heavy seas and high winds. Its senior staff are accountable to public bodies. Its staff are paid at least the living wage, with most being paid more and they have good conditions of employment. Although its senior staff are paid considerably above average wage, it is less than the remuneration of senior staff in private companies.
Because of the road equivalent tariff and other lower costs relating to port charges, people living in the islands face lower costs than islanders in England and many other countries. Per capita, residents on islands have more public money spent on them than residents of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and the whole central belt
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Our ferries are reliable with well trained staff. Not sure what more anyone would ever need.
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Ferries obsessed upon constantly in Scotland by the BBC , yet Lord Peter ‘disgraced‘ Mandelson given a public platform by the BBC to try and excuse his past behaviour (only his past behaviour ?)and so try to play ignorant when he said to Laura Kuenssberg today that “he never saw girls at Jeffrey Epstein’s properties“.
As this morning we had Peter Mandelson (still a Lord) giving his own version of an Andrew Mountabatton interview (when Andrew still held the title of Prince), coincidentally with the same broadcaster, the BBC, and also upon the same subject , Epstein.
An attempt by and for Mandelson to try to be cleansed ?
Alas that would take far more than one BBC interview.
As you really cannot easily excuse the inexcusable nor indeed forgive the unforgivable , as of course there is also the question of how many resurrections can the same dubious character have, all to try to revive his career in front line politics……before someone eventually concludes that this guy is not an asset but clearly a burden. Toxic even.
Though toxic would be a polite description of him within politics….
I could be far ruder.
Typical Blairite , a growing list of poundshop Tories #BlueLabour, that includes some others who are now also ex Labour MP’s but who were also parachuted into the HOL (some of them awarded their peerages by Tory PM’s).
Indeed I could think of many other less flattering terms to describe Mandelson who clearly was cast in the same mould as Michael Gove…..both being very slippy , slithery type characters , who both never really got the true punishment that they both deserve , yet they both feel entitled to hold court to spout their ill informed and biased opinions upon #SNPBAD .
Both are now in the HOL’s , which then speaks volumes of how corrupt an institution that truly is. (as is Lady Mone still a Peer).
How many disgraced peers can the HOl’s retain without it being challenged as a supposed credible and honest English institution yet clearly some within have been anything but honest, credible nor indeed noble.
Sick of this S*** and I know I am not alone in feeling that………
Mandelson is just one among many that I dislike intensely as he assumes that he is morally superior to others , when clearly he is beneath those that he often critiques, like Corbyn for example, as he hates Corbyn, give me Corbyn over Mandelson any day.
Another political mistake by Starmer was when he appointed him as the UK Ambassador to the US……Starmer then had to make yet another infamous U Turn on yet another wrong decision made by him as the new Labour UK PM……….when he had to sack Mandelson.
As shocking emails were reported as once being sent by Mandelson to Epstein after Epstein’s conviction , that clearly were a case of Mandelson showing support to Epstein, where Mandelson told Epstein to “fight for early release” and, then the day before he began his prison sentence he wrote to Epstein: “I think the world of you.”.
Yet Starmer, the PM with very bad judgement, also thinks that he has justification in dissing and passing judgement upon the SNP as a party and as the Scottish government .
Honestly the sheer audacity and arrogance is mind blowing yet so very typical within English politics.
Hence why I and many others never vote for all of their English controlled Political parties, as to do so would be an act of self harm……….that’s why I vote SNP because I know that those other parties cannot hold moral superiority over the SNP nor do any of them have a better track record as governments.
Liz S
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*Andrew Mountabatton
Ha Ha …….Mount a batton ……..a silly faux pas or a subconscious attempt at bawdy humour Ha Ha
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
(Though both could work)……Ha Ha again
Liz S
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