The Oban to Craignure ferry service on Sunday 18 June operated all 8 sailings on time – 100%. CalMac’s 383 sailings that day, across Scotland’s isles, operated at 98.7% reliability. The previous day, Saturday 17 June, 12 of 21 sailings were cancelled due to engine problems. The day before, reliability was at 90%, with 2 of 21 sailings cancelled. The Herald suggests today, Fresh ferry chaos with two ageing CalMac vessels side-lined. They do admit below, but without first having told us the cancellations were only the previous evening or that only 12 of the 21 that day had been … Continue reading Oban to Mull ferry back at 100% reliability after only hours out of service

On another busy Saturday, CalMac’s 287 Clyde sailings were hit by what local Conservative Councillor, Billy Jack, said was ‘a devastating failure by the SNP‘ as 1 of the 16 Arran crossings was cancelled, meaning a ‘shameful‘ only 87.5% on time. And, and, all of the 1 planned Campbelltown sailings was cancelled meaning a zero service! Local businesses have now been forced to use the road round by Inverary. Conservative councillor, Bobby Jack, said ‘We are not on an isthmus! Who told ye that?’ Overall, Clyde sailings thus failed to meet the 100% target, registering only 99.3% on time. Not … Continue reading Fake ferry fury as CalMac’s Clyde services are only 99.3% on time

After the Scotland victory in Norway against a team with players apparently worth individually more than all of them put together, commentators, including Norwegian ones, were most impressed by the solidarity of the Scotland team. I was too, and have been for some time now. Football is a team game so its not really surprising when combinations of star individuals, like say Paris St Germain, can’t beat more modest but more cohesive opposition. Croatia recently is another case in point. Greece and Denmark have won competitions in the past based on a similar principle. For some reason ‘smells like team … Continue reading Smells like team spirit as Scotland aim for European Championship Nirvana

The Sunday Times today is gleefully reporting: Labour will defeat SNP at the next election for the first time since 2010 to become Scotland’s largest party at Westminster, according to a landmark new poll. In a seismic reversal of fortunes, the Labour party would end a decade of electoral mediocrity north of the border to win a majority of seats by returning 26 MPs — an astonishing surge from their current bedrock of one. Such a scenario will dramatically boost Sir Keir Starmer’s chances of entering Downing Street next year. The SNP would likely be cast into turmoil with Labour … Continue reading Latest poll finds no change in SNP support after Sturgeon arrest

On a daily basis, feeding the highly selective, ‘ferry fiasco‘ narrative, BBC Scotland has: Islanders are facing yet more disruption after ferry operator CalMac announced a further delay in repairs to one of its vessels. The MV Hebridean Isles was initially expected to return to the Islay route in early June but engineers were unable to complete repairs by that time. The delay will have a knock-on effect on CalMac’s network. In a statement, CalMac said the MV Isle of Arran would remain on the Islay route, while Ardrossan-Brodick would continue to be served by MV Caledonian Isles and MV … Continue reading FACTCHECK: Ferries to Islay and Arran not ‘disrupted’ and operating at 100% on time

Passed to us by reader AR: Government quietly awards travel firm £1.6bn contract for asylum barges and accommodation without competition An Australian travel firm previously slammed for its handling of Covid quarantine hotels has been quietly handed a £1.6bn contract covering the UK’s new asylum accommodation ships, The Independent can reveal. Corporate Travel Management (CTM) was put in charge of the lucrative two-year arrangement in February, weeks before the government revealed it would use a barge as its first offshore accommodation for asylum seekers. The contract was awarded directly to CTM without a competition, and a lawyer with knowledge of the system said … Continue reading BBC Scotland don’t do illegal barge contracts it seems

In the Scotsman today, former Blair Government minister and sacked editor of the West Highland Free Press, Brian Wilson, is trying to sell bad vibrations on the pandemic experience in Scotland and rUK. In particular, he offers this barefaced lie and this deliberate confusion of the meaning of data Throughout the country, there were 220,000 Covid-related deaths with Scotland’s losses roughly proportionate. Almost half the Scottish deaths took place in care homes and answers will continue to be required here, just as in the rest of the UK. So, on the first claim, it’s once again like shooting fish in … Continue reading Scotsman’s Brian Wilson allowed to lie outright about Scotland’s far better pandemic management

The often otherwise excellent, Open Democracy, has this today: UK knew it prioritised NHS ‘to detriment of care homes’ It’s another Anglocentric report apparently ignorant of the very different actions by the SNP Government in Scotland. In May 2021, we had: The above graph revealing starkly the cost in lives of the failure in England to fully implement the JCVI guidance and vaccinate care home residents before all other groups was compiled by Na Sirf Musiqi https://twitter.com/nasirfmusiqi from official sources. It’s a story never told on MSM. It’s a far greater sin than wasting money on wallpaper. This shows the impact of … Continue reading Correction: Westminster knew it prioritised NHS ‘to detriment of care homes’ in England

Readers will be well aware of the endless reporting of individual instances of CalMac ferry problems. Evidence is emerging that their message is getting across and putting tourists off planning travel to the Scottish Islands. See this today: What are the facts? On Sunday 11 June 98.9% of 379 CalMac sailings were on time and the seasonal average is 95.4%: https://www.calmac.co.uk/calmac-performance-data-browser?date=11%2F06%2F2023 Brittany ferries with only 9 or 10 sailings per day on massively profitable routes, rarely reaches 90%: https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/information/sailing-updates/sailings?ports=GBPME&ports=GBPOO&ports=GBPLY Balanced reporting? Scotland’s MSM is long capsized! Continue reading Ferry bad reporting of opposition comments is damaging tourism in the Scottish islands

Shameless I know, after they give me an award, but this 97 year-old, not for profit, throbbing organ, is only £40 for a year, posted directly to your door and full of interesting comment by SNP, Alba and other independent commentators. I’ll be doing a column in July on media coverage. I like it a lot. You can even send them a cheque, by ‘snailmail‘, in an envelope, with a stamp on, and walk to a letter box before putting it in. Details at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/product/annual-12-month-subscription/ Continue reading Non-aligned, pro-Indy comment on paper by post at reasonable cost!