Please, can’t someone do something to help the beleaguered people of Arran?
IT is like living under siege here, on the Isle of Arran; no one can travel at will between this island and mainland Scotland and in recent days there has been no bread and only a few vegetables in the shops.
This situation has been going on for years and many of us have needed to travel one or two days in advance of a meeting or longer journey, at a huge expense of hotels. Also, at this time, our business is awaiting re-scheduled visits from a timber rot specialist, the local environmental health inspector, a water purification specialist and an operative to change electricity meters and we will not be the only ones. Many businesses are being held up and put at risk. No deliveries and just the other day no one could find bread to buy.
We were promised new ferries, initially three small, powerful boats that could withstand the sea conditions and manoeuvre in the harbours, also being able to take one for servicing and still have two in operation. That idea was scrapped in favour of two larger ferries with novel technology that caused the shipyard to go bankrupt and which are already several times over their budgeted cost, overdue and are still months from being in service, better scrapped – and there will be further cost in altering the harbour at Ardrossan. All this is taxpayers’ money – yours and mine – and much of it is English taxpayers’ money, sent to Edinburgh by the Treasury and squandered . . . Why have English taxpayers not asked for an explanation as to what has become of their money?
I would like to ask why, unlike south of the Border, no heads have rolled, no one has been sacked, no one has resigned – and no one has pressed for change? No change, no effort.
The problem seems to be that the ferry company, CMAL, is Government-owned, so that responsibility rests with the SNP Cabinet. Although there has been publicity, why has there been no one held responsible and stood down? Resignations should come from the top, perhaps even the First Minister. I fail to understand why people on this island continue to support that party whilst they have to suffer such deprivations and see no change in prospect. And this is only one aspect of this Government’s failures.
Please help us.
John Mcnab,
Brodick.