One of the attractive things about Islay’s newspaper, The Ileach, is its generosity of spirit. If something is due both barrels (Sorry. Can’t get away from whisky metaphors on Argyll’s whisky isle), it gets both barrels. And if something deserves celebration, it’s delivered without stint.
So the front page of the new issue of The Ileach has been redesigned for the occasion and trumpets the single word ‘Hallejujah’ below its masthead, and that is also the signing off word in the issue’s editorial.
There have often been tensions between The Ileach and west coast ferry operator, CalMac and indeed, from some of the content in a related series of articles in this issue, more of the same had been expected – possibly by both sides.
The issue was the port to be used by the new ferry to serve Islay, custom built by CMAL, the company responsible for the infrastructure – harbours, piers, terminals, ships cct – that CalMac, the ferry operator, uses to deliver its services.
The new ferry, the MV Finlaggan, is due out of the Poland’s Remontowa yard and into service in late Spring.
The problem has been the fact that a reworking of the berth at Port Ellen, traditionally Islay’s main port, somehow had not taken into account the dimensions of the new ferry which would be coming into service. So, in the best comic opera traditions, two new key facilities were incompatible.
Authoritative statements had been made by no less than First Minister, Alex Salmond, who told Ileach, Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, former Secretary General of NATO, that the MV Finlaggan would serve Port Askaig, the port at the north end of Islay, on the fast-flowing Sound of Islay and facing its sister isle of Jura.
The major harbour development at Port Askaig has had its own problems – relating to the berthing of the small ferry across the Sound to Feolin on Jura. It is a significant and useful port in its own right but it’s not quickly accessible to Port Elllen and Bowmore, the major town.
Then The Ileach and a select handful of Ileachs received a letter from CMAL informing them that the MV Finlaggan would sail between Kennacraig on West Loch Tarbert on the Kintyre mainland, to Port Askaig on Islah – and inviting them to a meeting.
As The Ileach notes, given Islay’s internal communications system, somewhere between 60 and 70 people turned up for the meeting to which many may not have been invited. The community was gearing up for war.
The meeting started and the world promptly turned upside down. ‘The enemy’ weren’t the enemy after all. They were not there to betray, to sell short and to tough out a bad decision.
The representatives present, from CMAL and from CalMac, made it clear that, while the solution had yet to be designed and specified, the MV Finlaggan was to serve Islay’s two ports, Port Ellen and Port Askaig.
There must have been a lot of blinking and cobweb-shaking but this was indeed what the companies were saying.
An extension to the existing pier is to be built – which the Ileach has christened ‘The Happy Truncheon’, presumably because of its shape. The budget is tight but achievable, with funding coming almost equally from the Scottish Government and CMAL’s reserves (the emphasis is shaded towards the Government).
The new berthing arrangements will be capable of simultaneously accommodating the ferry and another regular visitor, the grain boat.
This is all to start in the autumn this year, seeing Port Ellen ferry port closed for around nine months.
The Ileach’s editorial records the feelings at the end of this unexpected announcement – which the paper speculates might have been due to ‘pier pressure’. It’s closing sentence is: ‘If these guys can make this happen, then the MV Finlaggan is going to be coming to Port Ellen. Hallelujah!’. That word again.
All the details – and there are many of them – are in the Ileach;s extended coverage of this energetic and constructive development, Buy the paper or subscribe to its online service to get up to speed.
One of the attractive things about Islay’s newspaper, if something is due both barrels – it gets both barrels, and if something deserves celebration, it’s delivered without stint, so speaks ‘ForArgyll’.
Islay’s newspaper belongs to Islay’s (“community” as you fail to inform) – its editor Carl Reavey has ‘no right’ giving anybody “both barrels” as it is Carl Reavey who needs both barrels and his supporters ForArgyll/ForReavey!!
So, when Carl Reavey AKA “The White Settler” via Islay’s community newspaper he hijacked gave our community he migrated to “both barrels” demanding the closure of Port Ellen to ferries to aid Western Ferries behind ‘smoke and mirrors’ in breach of the Ileach’s ‘Aims and Objectives’ 7/4/2004 – ‘ForArgyll’ deamed that an attractive quality, what planet are you people from?
Ileach, community newspaper of the year 2006, vol33, no06, 21st January 2006, Carl Reavey’s editorial title: “Why do you need the two ports on Islay?” And I now summarise Reavey’s article (opening sentence) I really fail to see why Islay continues to have two ferry ports. … A quite ludicrous situation. … (we tend to stay north of the Laggan unless we are lunching at that nice cafe at Ardbeg), but I am sure that one could be persuaded to dawdle a while if they got rid of the mess the ferry creates. I understand that an enterprising young fellow is going to renovate that awful hotel. (Lets not forget Reavey moved to Islay via CalMac he now smears and renovated the Port Charlotte Hotel pictured in his first “The White Settler” article) I am sure he would be delighted if they stopped the ferry berthing there. Surely he would be far better off if there was a marina in the village instead? Many of my yachting friends would be delighted to have the opportunity to tie up on Islay. … Imagine what a marina would do for the property market! … It is pointless wasting all that time and fuel on going to Port Ellen because there are a couple of windy days each year. … I trust this missive will encourage your readership to demand an end to this inconvenient nonsense. (Reavey’s dictating article concluding sentence) Doubtless there will be a few old salts who will dissaprove, but surely it is time for you to move on?” (Signed) “The White Settler” (AKA Carl Reavey.)
Reavey’s supporters were “…to demand an end to this inconveniet nonsense.” and detractors were dictated to “move on” for NOT joining Carl Reavey AKA “The White Settler’s” demand to close Port Ellen onbehalf of a fellow hotelier, his yachting friends the property market and Lord Robertsons of Port Ellen’s Western Ferries who if won CalMac’s tender would only want to run ferries to Port Askaig.
I Colin Campbell – reiterate – it is Carl Reavey and his supporters who need (both barrels!) as Reavey is a dictator in consistante breach of the Ileach ‘Aims and Objectives’.
“Hallelujah!”, that word again ForArgyll/ForReavey, CalMac’s “MV Finlaggan” is comming to Port Ellen. With Reavey demanding the closure of Port Ellen 2006 and Reavey and ForArgyll trying to try and rig the referendum on the naming of Islay’s new ferry – Reavey and ForArgyll/ForReavey/ForDictation and the tripe you write,… if someone deserves both barrels, then all you and Reavey have to do is look in the mirror!!
26th April 2010, (Islay’s community owned newspaper) had its ‘members only’ Annual Gereral Meeting (AGM)… following edition of Islay’s community owned newspaper 8th May 2010 edited by Carl Reavey AKA “The White Settler” AND… not a single word of “news” from Islay’s community owned newspaper’s AGM… strange but true, if there’s no news from The Ileach/from Islay of its AGM then it is not-fit-for-purpose!
Though, the prominence of the centre spread of Reavey’s “propaganda newsletter” trading as The Ileach goes too… Lord Robertson of Western Ferries at a Western Ferries sponsored event on the book launch of the “Pentland Hero” book where Reavey pictures the Pentalina catamaran of Orkney (a reglure image in Reavey’s propaganda newsletter) where he gives Lord Robertson the usual platform and reproduces Lord Robertsons ‘Foreword’ in full on the book where Lord Robertson complains (in his new private funded Western Ferries opinion as a once supporter of CalMac) about CalMac’s subsidy undercutting Western Ferries when they were both on the Islay run, Lord Robertson must then support higher Western Ferries fares and not mind his subsidised seat in the house of Lords. He then goes on to say: “How Andrew Banks and his family battled these odds, and prevailed, is stuff of legend and reflects a determination and entrepreneurial spirit of which all Scotland should be proud.”
Aye, Andrew Banks battled Lord Robertson’s (Labour Party) who were in power over the ten years Mr Banks was trying to setup his ferry company that Lord Robertson regards as an “industrial bully” in turn that would mean Lord Robertson’s Labour Party he is a prominent member of and campaigner for is a “BULLY”.
Now Lord Robertson is in the pay of Western Ferries he will do anything to earn his keep, Reavey’s news has pictured Lord Robertson, Roy Pedersen author of the book ‘Pentland Hero’ standing with discribed Pentland Hero Andrew Banks all holding a copy of the book with “FOREWORD BY LORD GEORGE ROBERTSON” stamped on the front cover of the book. Seeing Lord Robertson pictured standing with Andrew Banks who had a ten year battle with Robertson’s Labour Party is the equivalent of a prominent member of the Nazi Party looking for his next pound standing to gain attention from the launch of Anne Frank’s Diary which is just sick!
So, Carl Reavey AKA “The White Settler” has no news of Islay’s community newspaper AGM but gives over The Ileach to Western Ferries and his campaign for catamaran ferries. One would think then, there would be no-way Carl Reavey would write: “Difficult though it may be for Mitchell to accept, not everyone would wish to see a 120-foot catamaran ferry sounding like “something between a truck and a jet” tundering into Port Ellen bay ten times a day at 35 knots. This cultral idyll across the North Sea all sounds a little Norwegain for comfort. By Carl Reavey” regarding his book review of Ian Mitchell’s ‘Isles of the North’ Ileach vol 31, no26, 30th October 2004.
The lunitics have taken over the asylum, though in Islay’s case the lunitics have taken-over the Ileach, Islay’s so-called community newspaper who are supported by “ForArgyll” Carl Reavey’s biggest fan!!
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