Comment posted New local leader, Roddy McCuish, says SNP has moved from protest to progress by brian.
Neil talks of turning a ship around and the need to know where it is going.
Pity his SNP MSPs did not have the same same forethought when making decisions on the Dunoon/Gourock and Helensburgh/Gourock ferry services.
This will be remembered at local elections.
Recent comments by brian
- Argyll Ferries geared up to carry 700 pasengers an hour to Dunoon’s Cowal Games
Ferry off this afternoon, so transported by bus from Gourock Station to Western Ferries.
Good you may think, but then when giving my return ticket to WF told I had to pay again as WF did not, even in this circumstance, accept Argyll Ferries return ticket.
So have paid Argyll Ferries for journey which they were unable to provide. Can I claim for reimbusement?
No way this service and these boats can be relied upon, I fear for Cowal Games. - Time for Dunoon to take stock of its ferry services?
It would appear from the thumbs down to thumbs up ratio, the readers so far disagree with your comments, and to state “Dunoon can be as daft as it likes” and ” the door is in and out” is abusive, uncaring and certainly not constructive journalism
There again what can be expected from you - Time for Dunoon to take stock of its ferry services?
Once again, you forget that you list yourself as a news web, for instead of presenting news, you submit your self opinionated view. If doing this you should submit this as a separate headed Editorial view and not as part of the so called news article.
Right or wrong, the people of Dunoon and surrounding areas can ask for, and make representation for, any improvement in the ferry service that currently exists.
Surely the very name “For Argyll” would lead one to believe that you were supportive of the area and its community, instead of using this media for consistent negative comment.
Normally this negativity is directed at the current council administration but by your comments relating to Dunoon, its residents, and the ferry service,it would now appear that you narrow mindedness and bias is widening. - Dunoon ferry meeting revealed more than it knew
Bill jardine’s comment of 28Nov 11.17am re breakwater, is correct, in that Council desired breakwater to protect pier, and add on of linkspan came from Scottish Gov. at that time. He will recall however that the Transport Minister shortly afterwards wrote to the council stating that although he had promised a linkspan, he had never promised a boat would come to it!!
The SNP Government has faired no better, in fact worse if their pre-election promises of a vehicular/passenger service are taken into consideration
Although the “no boats, no votes” action may have had some response from the electorate of Cowal, this was outweighed by the strength of support for the SNP from other areas of Argyll and Bute.
This may not be the case however when it comes to the time of voting in next year’s local government elections, and local SNP councillors and prospective SNP councillors could suffer due to the failure of the Scottish Government in providing the ferry service that the majority of people want.
The crux of the matter seems to be the difference of opinion on the legality of a vehicle and passenger ferry service operating town centre to town centre.
Mike Russell’s first step should therefore be to obtain independent legal advice on this, with the company so charged to do this mutually agreed between the council and the Government.
Dependent then on the definitive answer received, there would then be two possible outcomes to pursue,
a) If determined that such a vehicle& passenger service is legal….Government obtains suitable vessels and makes corresponding changes in existing contract
b) If proved that such a service is not legal….Government obtain better and more fit-for- purpose vessels for existing contract
All the above should be completed within a short time scale, say end of January for legal decision determination, and improved service or boats in place by Easter.
Such changes in contract may well require other ferry operators, such as Western Ferries, to be invited to tender again, and that may resurrect the concerns of some of a monopoly situation, however that should be weighed against the unsafe, unreliable service that currently exists, and could continue into the future.
I am not an SNP supporter, however I would say this is the only way Mike Russell and the Scottish Government , can not only rescue the SNP from disaster at next year’s local elections, but can also provide this area, and the travelling public, with the type of town centre to town centre, safe, reliable service that was promised.
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Should be very interesting Roddy.
The big cheltenham meeting this week so need to concentrate on the horses but looking forward to the election debate and to seeing what everyone has to offer.Will there be local hustings or will it be down to individuals to fire ahead.Any gossip on this?A few ideas myself and will hopefully be able to invite everbody that is standing along, so that we have a good mix of views. Oban Fm Schools,Chord,Bids,Elderly care,Jobs, just to name a small number of major issues that will make for great debate.Should be brillant.
Power to the People.
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Is that Paddy Power, Neil?
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Oban fm?
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This act needs a bit more work – we can still see Mike Russell’s lips move.
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Simple Simon: That joke has been cracked many a time on here about Danny Kelly and whoever is operating him on any given day.
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Simple Simon, the aims are the same – not surprising really as they’re both in the same party and the same local team – but you clearly haven’t read much that Michael Russell wrote if you think this is his work.
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For Robert.
Nice one,anywhere for a winner.Good day yesterday.
Come on Simon your a clever bloke lets debate the issues when they come up.Plenty of time to steam in then.The SNP along with the rest of the bunch have not delivered but this is a new ball game so lets see what everyone has to say.Then if stands up after the elections and we know whose in power or even been elected we will be able to truly debate the way forward for Argyll.You can say anything you like before elections as we all know well enough,delivering is a different matter.
Power to the People.
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Gone all quiet all of a sudden.
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Neil, delivering in Argyll & Bute after years of chaos will be a challenge. Working together will be essential for success, so when the election is over the good guys need to put their flags in the cupboard, get together and move forward with a very clear, and strong, set of aims. Turning a ship round takes time, but it’s so much easier when you know where it should be going.
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Neil talks of turning a ship around and the need to know where it is going.
Pity his SNP MSPs did not have the same same forethought when making decisions on the Dunoon/Gourock and Helensburgh/Gourock ferry services.
This will be remembered at local elections.
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Brian, the ferries debate is not one I usually get into as there are people around who know a whole lot more than me, but at very least you have to acknowledge that the whole sorry saga has a long history, much of which had nothing to do with the SNP.
I recall Neil McCormick doing a lot of work on it when he was an MEP in an effort to sort out the then Labour/Lib Dem coalition who seemed determined to interpret EU law in any way that saved them paying for a subsidy. If I recall correctly he had a lot to do with the Dunoon route getting the status it has in EU law.
I appreciate that you’re feeling unhappy about it and want to vote accordingly but in that case you need to knock Labour and the Lib Dems out of the running too.
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Anne – “the ferry debate is not one I usually get into” , well no wonder. You obviously no nothing about it. Mather backed up by a second rate MEP Smyth promised the people of Dunoon two new ferries at a public meeting in the Queens Hall.
Needless to say we never got them, we now have two bath tub boats instead.
Of course we have good old Mike on to this now with the help of Alex Neil.
They will string us along until after the council elections.
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Gus, your indignation is ill-placed. There’s no point in me commenting about the current situation when there are so many who are much better versed in the detail of today. I made no comment on it therefore. I was just pointing out that it’s a much longer saga than that and has been running for the entire life of the Scottish parliament. That’s a truth whether you know about the detail or not.
And whether it’s pertinent now or not, Neil McCormick put an awful lot of work in with the EU and I clearly recall his triumph at having Cowal accepted as a “virtual island”. No doubt Neil Kay could appraise you of that and its current relevance if any.
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Sorry Brian, the jumping ship or steering ship or even RET that is something I will leave to Roddy he is the SNP,S main man.I am not one of Mr.Salmond,s followers.
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Anne, – The only sense of indignation I feel is to read and listen to NAT propaganda1!
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Gus, I loathe propaganda and challenge it where I see it, as above. You will find me ready and able to compliment politicians of other parties where they deserve credit and I have done so often on this website. In the case of the Dunoon ferry, no party has so far got it right. Hopefully that’s changing now and, if it does, I hope you’ll be the first one on here to credit the people who make it happen.
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But you do not appear to have any problem with Labour
spin doctoring. I noticed last week that Labour were creating a great fuss up here about the First Minister’s public meetings with Rupert Murdoch but conveniently overlooked the frequent back door visits that took place with Tony Blair -and with Mrs Thatcher. Similarly it is not generally known that the English version of the Sunday Sun’s launch edition carried a column from Mrs Ed Balls -Yvette Cooper, MP – while Scottish Labour sources were attacking the Scottish edition.
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Murdoch has used them all in equal measure. Time to kick this wee nyaff (Murdoch), who is only interested in knee jerk politics and the usual headline grabbing bile, back home. Basically he is not a good man or a permanent friend.
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Ken, despite anything you put on this website,your vile anti English shines through. But of course Salmonds cosy up to the equally disgusting Sun comes as no surprise as the Sun will use anyone to sell a paper! As we know the nats will exploit any opportunity to try to gain support.
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Gus – that’s nonsense – and I was born in England; just because someone is an SNP supporter doesn’t mean to say they’re ‘vile anti English’. You seem to suffer from the party political polarisation that influences some of the comment on this website, to everyone’s disadvantage.
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Gus, this is my definition of propaganda. Your target here is a gentleman of whose warmth and decency people speak highly and it’s an absolute liberty to accuse him of being anti-English.
SNP membership is bolstered by people who come from England, watch what’s happening for a while and then ask the question “Why are you putting up with this?” They are new Scots, some of them my closest friends, and have as much of a vested interest in Scotland as the rest of us.
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Ah – party politics – white as the driven snow!
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Robert,
Without the focus of “party” politics there is little prospect of the present “non-political” administration at Kilmory being replaced.
The late Oliver Brown declared that his party started to go downhill when someone joined it as he then had to copromise on his principles.
Sometimes a corrective word requires to be applied to the likes of the indignant and forgetful Gus MacKay who does not know me from Adam yet feels free to make judgements about my attitudes -quite incorrectly as it happens.
I am not bovvered, as some say!
Those who know me will know me.
At a hustings event prior to the last election it emerged that three of the four candidates for Argyll & Bute were English born.I am happy to report that one of them won by a mile!
Anyone interested in the media knows that Murdoch is only interested in selling newspapers and making money – a bit like Tony Blair. The Sunday Times and The Times are certainly not sympathetic to the present Scottish government.
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Good points, Ken, but I have to admit to a certain nostalgia for the old days of Argyll County council when everyone appeared to stand solely on their own merits and for their personal beliefs, rather than attaching themselves to a political party (or even, these days, occasionally serially re-attaching themselves to more than one party) I’m sure some of them were true-blue Conservative, but they didn’t trade on it and I can remember the surprise when a Kintyre councillor announced publicly that he was a Labour man, and I think this was the first time party politics got much attention.
I always thought – however naively – that local government was all the better for not having the party poltical baggage of central government. There was less temptation to spend time on national issues rather than concentrating on matters of real local concern.
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Was always a bit of a double edged sword in that it appeared to work, but i think there is far more responsibility placed on members today so electorate need to know in advance what they are getting. For some independents like Cllr Philand you do know you are getting a well principled councillor cutting through party political boundries. Far better this than councillors who cross party boundries and stay there!! (for there own good)
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Vote Independent and you vote for power without responsibility. Look at their track record – over schools for instance. If it hadn’t been for the SNP, the Independents would have given us a re-run of the Highland Clearances. Oh and by the way, I love Scotland – it’s why I moved here – but by birth I’m a Brummie and a democrat. To get Power for the People you need a MANIFESTO. Grrr
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Well tyger – if it’s ‘track record over schools’ that concerns you most perhaps you should read what Newsie says about the actions of the SNP Scottish mininsters including Argyll’s own SNP Mike Russell – and I quote -
“All four schools concerned were closed by a decision based on the same creative and illegal intervention in the statutory process by Scottish Ministers”.
Illegal actions by the SNP Scottish Ministers to close school?? Shurely shome mishtake….
Have a nice day
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Reading a copy of Sundays’ Herald at tea break and came across this – Education Minister Mike Russell had a very different vision when he was out of parliament. In his 2006 book, Grasping The Thistle, he called for flat taxes, privatisation of hospitals and the virtual dismantling of the welfare state. A true blue Tory.
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Simple Simon, read the book, then we can look forward to your next, properly informed comment.
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Are Simple Simon and Simon related?
They seem to have a common predilection for passing on other commentators opinions of what Michael Russell stands for.
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If everyone ignored them they might just evaporate.
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What’s YOUR manifesto Simon?
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