Hi Robert – automatic reply received from MSP’s …

Comment posted Kilcreggan ferry still off for 3rd May by Hamish Beaton.

hi Robert – automatic reply received from MSP’s office. Holding my breath

Hamish Beaton also commented

• and exhale
• Keith.Brown.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
  For the attention of Mr Keith Brown.
  Re: Kilcreggan ferry.
  Dear Sir
  Please note that the Kilcreggan to Gourock is off again – should you wish to use it today.
  This has now become a regular occurrence. No doubt the Strathclyde’s STP are keeping you up todate on the current situation on the new contact’s provision when they appointed a new provider on 1 April 2012.
  But please do check out http://twitter.com/#!/kilcregganferry/ for the continuing tale of woe
  Best wishes
  Hamish Beaton
  PS here’s a recap:
  Tweets 
  16hKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Thur 3 May sailings postponed. Coaches departing Kil at 0745, 0830, 1115, 1430 and 1615. Departing Gourock at 0645, 0930, 1300, 1730 & 1830.
  1 MayKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Wed 2 May sailings postponed. Coaches departing Kil at 0745, 0830, 1115, 1430 and 1615. Departing Gourock at 0645, 0930, 1300, 1730 & 1830.

  1 MayKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Coach transfers operating for the remainder of the day. Departing Kil at 1615 and 1705. Departing Gourock at 1500, 1730 and 1835.

  30 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Tue 1 May. Sailings cancelled. Courtesy coaches departing front door Gourock Station 0645, 0915, 0945, 1215.

  30 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Tue 1 May. Sailings cancelled. Courtesy coaches departing Kilcreggan Pier at 0745, 0815, 1045 and 1115. Appx 90 mins to Gourock.

  30 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Thanks to Garelochead Coaches and Hardies Coaches for their assistance in providing alternative transport for Tue 1 May.

  30 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  @TerraceCoffee We are still awaiting confirmation of coach availability. We will update as soon as we know.
   
  30 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Further update to follow at 0930 tomorrow morning.

   
  30 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Ferry picked up a creel line close to Kilcreggan today and has sustained damage to an engine. There will be no service Tue morning.

  30 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  The Kilcreggan coach is Garelochead Coaches, departing Kilcreggan Pier at 1730.

  30 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  The Gourock coach is Hardies Coached, departing front door of Gourock train station at 1730

  30 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Please note there will be one coach leaving Gourock and one coach leaving Kilcreggan at 1730 today.

  30 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  There will be a coach departure from Kilcreggan for Gourock at 1730 today.

  30 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  There will be a coach departure from Gourock for Kilcreggan, at 1730 today.

  30 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Sailings between Gourock and Kilcreggan have been terminated for the remainder of the day. We are currently arranging alternative transport.

  30 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  1614 Departure from Gourock cancelled due to technical issue. Apologies for inconvenience.

  26 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Timetable suggestions. Is the timetable working for you? If you have any suggestions please let us know by Thursday 3rd May. Thank you.

  26 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  The technical issue earlier today was caused by a plastic bag blocking a seawater engine cooling inlet. Apologies for any delay.

  26 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Due to a technical issue the 1542 service from Gourock is cancelled. All other departures will operate as normal.

  25 AprClyde Link ‏ @clydelink
  1637 Due to worsening weather. There will be 1 coach departing Kil’gan at 1730 for Gou’k, then departing Gou’k at 1830 for Kil’gan.
  Retweeted by Kilcreggan Ferry

  25 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  1637 Due to worsening weather. There will be 1 coach departing Kil’gan at 1730 for Gou’k, then departing Gou’k at 1830 for Kil’gan.

  25 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  For the 1750 departure from Gourock please muster at the normal ferry departure point at Gourock. A crew member will escort you to the coach

  25 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  There will be 1 departure from Gourock for the remainder of today at 1750 by coach to Greenock, then ferry travel to Kilcreggan.

  25 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Due to wind there will be 1 sailing from Kilcreggan today at 1704, if the service has to terminate in Greenock a coach will run to Gourock.

  25 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Due to strong winds 1704 departure from Kilcreggan will be docking at James Watt Dock rather than Gourock Pier.

  25 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Due to strong winds at Gourock Pier service is suspended until the 1704 departure from Kilcreggan.

  23 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Due to an issue with the linkspan at Gourock we will be sharing Kilcreggan Steps with Argyll Ferries. We will work to minimise any delay.

  13 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Service has resumed, next departure Kilcreggan 1704 then Gourock 1723.

  13 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  The following departures will be replaced with coach transfer: Kilcreggan 1158 and 1330. Gourock 1313 and 1418. Apologies for inconvenience.

  13 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Due to a technical issue services are currently suspended. Next Kilcreggan dept 1526, next Gourock dept 1542

  8 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Happy Easter to all of our passengers.

  5 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  We are operating to our regular schedule over the Easter holiday weekend.

  4 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Normal service resumes this morning, 1st departure Gourock 0700.

  3 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Due to continued swell & high winds at Gourock sailings for the remainder of the day are cancelled. We apologise for any inconvenience.

  3 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Service update. Next planned sailing from Gourock at 1614 and from Kilcreggan at 1630 today.

  3 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Sailings between Gourock and Kilcreggan are suspended due to high winds at Gourock Pier. Situation will be reviewed at 14:15.

  3 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Sailings between Gourock and Kilcreggan are suspended due to high winds. Further update at 12:00
  3 AprKilcreggan Ferry ‏ @kilcregganferry
  Sailings between Gourock and Kilcreggan are suspended due to high winds at Gourock Pier. Reviewed at 08:00.

Recent comments by Hamish Beaton

• Easdale Island emergency evacuation exercise identifies fixed link issue
  The Island and policies are simply a slate bing, a slate grey tip, from our bygone industrial heritage. The original community slaved to fill in all the nooks and crannies with grey slate rubble – eventually being robbed of their livelihoods. Even Easdale Sound was narrowed and made shallow with the waste. It would be a trivial matter to drop a load of ballast into the shoal Sound from the old pier to the Island making a causeway and bingo a new peninsular created. Indeed create a new marina at the same time, off setting the original cost of the job and creating some-more permanent full time work. But I guess the locals would hate it, despising the committee members that proposed it. Aye this would really divide them more than the Sound does today and send them scuttling back to the indomitable bickering committees right enough?
• Easdale Island emergency evacuation exercise identifies fixed link issue
  There is a lovely flat bottomed bow loading self propelled barge that takes the large wheelie bins away. Problem solved: Either only have a fire or evacuation on bin day or make the barge’s home port the Island. Or look to Sark or St Michael’s Mount both with similar problems, I’m sure we could find a few council volunteers for a summer fact finding mission to see how self help works? I just love these insights into what goes on in Argyll in our name – and no doubt these persons were paid handsomely for recommending further committee work – it’s self perpetuation and committee work at its very finest – they are all to be congratulated.
• McGrigor hits out at SNP government over RET removal
  Keith – I do believe what you propose is called ethnic cleansing. It has been tried before in this region, and if I recall my history, from time to time met with considerable local resistance, civil disobedience, and armed insurrection – could be that your ideas and policy are a tad flawed and not fully developed – some unkind persons may even suggest cranky, or not there in the head, but who am I to judge. Suggest reading good history book for starters may be enlightening and keeping your vision for us all under wraps for the time being.
• Oban lifeboat in rescue of canoeist from Loch Leven – in silence from MCA on two major incidents
  As a news service and blog should ForArgyll have again contacted the MCA and asked more searching questions of how MCA release news given that some of the searches were over the weekend. To my mind, most Corporate Communications departments would be running on a skeletal staff, and may have considered the mobilization of resources more important.
  All of us should also recognize that we are dealing with probably a sad fatality. Therefore, it behoofs us all to take a step back, consider our comments in that light, and look at the resources which the MCA called in. In both incidents it would appear that considerable resources and efforts were involved, and perhaps to cast aspersions at the Coastguards activities and their lack of hot juicy tidbits for ForArgyll’s blogs on the day is wrong?
• Has Nauti-lass been swept away from Strachur?
  Environmental concerns among citizens around the world have been falling since 2009 and have now reached twenty-year lows, according to a multi-country GlobeScan poll [see today's Google Doodle http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2013/apr/22/earth-day-43rd-birthday-google-doodle ].
  The findings are drawn from the GlobeScan Radar annual tracking poll of citizens across 22 countries. A total of 22,812 people were interviewed face-to-face or by telephone during the second half of 2012. Twelve of these countries have been regularly polled on environmental issues since 1992.
  Asked how serious they consider each of six environmental problems to be—air pollution, water pollution, species loss, automobile emissions, fresh water shortages, and climate change—fewer people now consider them “very serious” than at any time since tracking began twenty years ago.
  Climate change is the only exception, where concern was lower from 1998 to 2003 than it is now. Concern about air and water pollution, as well as biodiversity, is significantly below where it was even in the 1990s. Many of the sharpest falls have taken place in the past two years.
  The perceived seriousness of climate change has fallen particularly sharply since the unsuccessful UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen in December 2009. Climate concern dropped first in industrialized countries, but this year’s figures show that concern has now fallen in major developing economies such as Brazil and China as well.
  6,774 citizens across these 12 countries were interviewed face-to-face or by telephone on this question between July 3, 2012 and September 3, 2012. Polling was conducted by the international research consultancy GlobeScan and its partners in each country. In 4 of the 12 countries, the sample was limited to major urban areas. The margin of error per country ranges from +/- 4.3 to 4.8 percent, 19 times out of 20.
  Despite the steep fall in environmental concern over the past three years, majorities still consider most of these environmental problems to be “very serious,” Water pollution is viewed as the most serious environmental problem among those tested, rated by 58 percent as very serious. Climate change is rated second least serious out of the six, with one in two (49%) viewing it as “very serious.”
  GlobeScan Chairman Doug Miller comments: “Scientists report that evidence of environmental damage is stronger than ever—but our data shows that economic crisis and a lack of political leadership mean that the public are starting to tune out.
  Those who care about mobilizing public opinion on the environment need to find new messages in order to reinvigorate a stalled debate.”

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