A patient with cancer on Barra may not get blood for her transfusions at the right temperature because of the decision to axe the inter-island flights, it has been claimed.
Angus MacNeil MP has now written to council leader Angus Campbell asking him to look urgently into reversing, due to new emerging health issues, the damaging decisions taken to axe inter island flights.
Meanwhile, claims have emerged that the service subsidy was axed because – under the council scoring system – the refusal by SNP councillors to take part in the process meant there were too few points to keep it.
The MP is urging him to restore the service from Stornoway to Benbecula to five days a week, with two services each day and then to ensure that the smaller communities and more distant from the main services are also treated fairly by restoring the Barra to Benbecula link.
The council is the only body in the islands that receives public money from the Government for Air Transport services, says Mr Macneil.
He said that with the council damaging its own reputation, surely in quieter moments they are regretting savagely axing the inter-island flights which, he said, was the biggest blow to island transportation in 40 years.
“The idea that a flight three days a week between Benbecula and Stornoway is adequate would not even be considered by the most aloof civil servant in Edinburgh which make the Comhairle’s position all the more ridiculous. Therefore, I would urge the Comhairle to get the Stornoway Benbecula service up to five days as soon as possible and follow suit with the Benbecula to Barra service. Everybody deserves a right to fairness regardless of where they live in the islands.
“I have been spoken to by a cancer patient in Barra, Margaret Currie, who tells me that blood she might need for transfusions might not arrive on Barra within its ambient temperature, due to the time taken to transport it, which means that in a weakened state, Mrs Currie, due to decisions by the Comhairle, would have to travel for blood.
Now I know that the Comhairle didn’t mean this to happen and probably didn’t consider it would happen, which is exactly the point. This was a hasty and ill-judged decision by the Comhairle based on one voting round with only a few weeks’ notice. At the moment, blood which requires complex screening processes can only come three days a week.
It is now being claimed that the axe fell because the SNP councillors failed to indicate the level of savings they wanted. A source said: “If the SNP group had indicated the savings they wanted, there would have been enough points to secure the air service.
“This needs to be explained to the public. If they want to know who is responsible, I suggest they ask the SNP group of members why they refused to take part and use their power to keep the service.
“The public hand-wringing and the blame shifting by the SNP now shows they are deceiving the public. They must admit it is only their fault.”
Meanwhile, the MP is writing to health secreary Alex Neil to perhaps build a link for blood with Glasgow because he says there are real difficulties for patients and medical staff now that the inter-island transport links have been broken by the Comhairle.
Cllr Donald Manford of Barra added: “In light of this, the Comhairle who received money for transportation and have walked from the responsibility, have to think again. Health and social issues seemed to have been of little concern in the bean counting exercise.”
‘blood she might need for transfusions might not arrive on Barra within its ambient temperature, due to the time taken to transport it’
Could we have a statement from someone who knows as to the validity of this statement. We do after all have portable fridges in the 21st century.
Meanwhile do the SNP not know that as members of the same Party representing their constituents they should talk to each other and attempt to come to a common position?
When was this issue raised and who spoke to who and when. Of course I’m not anticipating an answer!
Leaving aside the arguments of the case, I fear that any statement made by Mr MacNeil alone and without factual backup or provenance is pretty well disregarded by me these days.
Thanks for that last staement Mr Manford.
“The public hand-wringing and the blame shifting by the SNP now shows they are deceiving the public. They must admit it is only their fault.”
About time someone actually wrote the truth. This lot are the real reason we are suffering.
When they started calling themselves “the opposition against the council” alarm bells rang out.
The white house need to work as a team or we are going to end up in a terrible state.
@donald To some extent, it’s the Gazette that’s allowed him off again and again with this. Over recent weeks they have printed front page stories where either Dr A or AB quote either named or unnamed people without that paper ever checking out the stories or sources for themselves. Some day they are going to land in it up to their necks for this. Even if the MP were a reliable source, this is silly stupid amateur journalism which they would stop if they had a bit of sense.
This is why I resigned from the SNP. The dynamics of relationships and decision-making between Holyrood, MP/MSP and SNP C’llors makes one question if they belong to the same party. At the time of the May 2012 election SNP candidates (and I was one), were swimming against the tide, trying to justify decisions which were detrimental to the islands, and quite frankly indefensible. Worse still, any questioning of these decisions was not allowed (eg 150% increase in RET Commercial vehicles). This is why we now only have 6 out of 31 SNP C’llors on the Comhairle (7 after the election), and a party in disarray. There seems to be no political will to support vital “on the edge” life-line services, at any level within the party, and our MP/MSP seem to be impotent to do anything to bring about much needed change. The Comhairle is not to blame – the financial settlement from Holyrood failed to recognise the vulnerability of our island community. Are the strong not supposed to help the weak, or is it a free-for-all? I wrote about unintended consequences re cutting, inter-island life-line services months ago, with copies to relevant Cabinet secretaries, with only an acknowledgement to date received. Buck-passing has stop. Someone needs to stand up and accept responsibility, and take action. It is a relatively small amount of money involved … is there a political will to act before it’s too late?
if the SNP could have made a difference then they should hang their heads in shame….I aint seen any SNP councillor do anything yet….other than oppose the council……they are a bunch of idiots ,
I agree with Andrew, ….the SNP will blatanly lie to cover their tracks…….During the last election our dufus of a MSP was going round telling people that the reason RET was being cut was that Hauhliers were not passing it on! C’mon Alasdair f’ing Allan….Haughliers hadn’t put their prices up considering the price of petrol, insurance and everything else cost wise had gone up….so they were giving their customers the benefit they were receiving….
The SNP will lose the Referendum, and any other election in the near future…
Billy Bafta, I would make the point, again, that voting YES in the referendum and voting for a new Scottish government after independence are mutually exclusive. Trying to tie voting for the SNP to regaining our independence is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
I’m not convinced by Guga’s claim. The two seem to me to be tied closely together. If the Yes campaign wins, the SNP will design the electoral system that will be in place after independence. This will be done to their advantage. It certainly won’t be the present one, as the SNP had nothing to do with its creation. In fact, they campaigned against it – yet more proof that as a party, they are unable to work with anyone else. (Their performance on the Comhairle underlines this.)
Watch them as they change into a right-wing neo-Conservative party. After all, they will require to do that if they want to hold power in Moray and Nairn, Perthshire and have a chance of winning elsewhere.
SNP are playing it risky.
Their creditability has plummeted more so in the islands.
What ever happens after YES OR NO they’re are not preparing themselves for it.
Both MP and MSP have been very disappointing are losing support and credibility on a daily basis.
Gazza, your comment is either based on political bias, or paranoia. Do you really think that the people of Scotland are too wee, too poor and too stupid to the extent that they would allow any political party to stitch up the electoral system, and let them getaway with it?
As to the SNP being, or becoming a right wing neo-Conservative party. the SNP, especially their Idiot Wing, are already Stalinists. The Pink Tories, i.e. the London Labour Party (Scottish Branch) are equally Stalinist in their tendencies. The actual Tories are beyond redemption, and the Whigs are a waste of space and oxygen thiefs. It seems that our only hope is to vote for genuine independents; with emphasis on the word “genuine”.
I would hope the Barra cancer patient is not unduly inconvenienced and makes a full recovery, but you pays your money and you makes your choice.
This all comes down to priorities and the allocation of finite monetary resources. The SNP-led Scottish Government could have stepped in and offered to compensate the council for retaining the axed air services, but they would rather give taxpayers money to the well-heeled investors behind the proposed Harris gin/whisky distillery, or to those tasked with devising a plan for yet another Gaelic plan. (Chaneil sput aca!)
Similarly, our Comhairle would rather spend money restoring a drug baron’s dilapidated baronial castle than restoring vulnerable island residents through offering them a healthy home-cooked meal. (Chaneil sput acasan nas motha!)
@Guga Think the Scots are like any other race. This has happened in virtually every other country in the world in the first years of it being an independent state. Why do you think we’re so special and different? Remember too that the bulk of SNP MPs are to be found in former Tory constituencies. Do you think the people there have changed their nature? Stalin during his years in power hardly a left wing figure,