The MP for the Western Isles has savaged councillors who axed the Barra air link as “vandals” claimed some of them haven’t bothered to visit the southern isles to see the mess their mistakes have created.
Macneil – welcoming u-turn
Angry Angus Macneil says he is heartened to hear of the island council’s anticipated u-turn on what he called their “ill-advised, ill-thought out and un-mandated policy” of cutting the Benbecula to Stornoway air-service by 40 per cent and the Barra to Benbecula service entirely.
He said he was not surprised passenger numbers fall in Barra and Benbecula, with Stornoway having seen less growth than the rest of the HIAL network. He said the councillors’ decision had caused economic and social damage, and was “the biggest vandalism to island transportation in 40 years”.
After a summer of trying to make it work, he said he had been approached by cancer patients who tell him their journeys while sometimes difficult before, were now “a nightmare”.
He raged: “People are reaching the limit of their patience with the council, and with winter approaching, lack of patience will lead to frayed tempers.
“If this is not resolved to the wishes of the communities and if the council keep ignoring their needs, I will be appealing along with the communities, for the Scottish Government to directly fund the inter-island Public Service Obligation (PSO) air routes as they do for the island to mainland PSO routes.”
Mr Macneil conceded that everyone makes mistakes but added: “I hope the Council realise their mistake especially as some of the councillors who voted for this have not even been to all the islands in question since their election.
“The Hebrides should be properly linked north and south. These cuts have made going to Glasgow or Edinburgh a far shorter journey than travelling from one end of the Island Local Authority to another.”
And has the bold MacNeil been in contact with the Council at any point to try and discuss this – or is it negotiation by shouty press release?
It would have helped had himself and the equally noticeably absent MSP done any lobbying on behalf of the Western Isles for a better financial settlement from the SNP Government. We got the biggest budget cut for three years in a row iirc, and they both stayed quiet.
And the promised visit by Cllrs MacKenzie and Murray to the people of the southern isles? Non event like the MP and the council offices.
Too late in trying to win back the voters. Everybody Else’s fault as usual. He should have led from the start but as per the norm, he comes in late, kicks up a stink and shoots himself in the foot.
Without wishing to comment on the content of Mr Iain M Macdonald’s letter published Sept 5th (Taxi to the White House), I don’t really see why he in particular should be given the privilege of having comments closed except to those who supply a ‘verifiable name and address’.
Why should he have this done for him when other letter writers apparently neither need nor request it? The ps at the end of his letter is really not good enough an explanation, and in fact this luxury granted him gives him something of an advantage over other contributors.
If he must opine (and boy, does he opine), why shouldn’t he obey the same blog rules, and take the same hits as anyone else?
Ann seems too sensible and reasonable a person to need to hide behind anonimity. Though regretably I’m unable to give her a more detailed explanation of the reasoning behind my request to Iain because she didn’t reveal her full name and address
We all have to stand by our principles even at the risk of being thought awkward sods.
Well I never dreamt for one moment that my letter about Angus Macneil would go unchallenged by someone willing to back their defence of the MP with their name and address.So what can we infer from this situation ?
Was this a case of the futility of trying to defend the indefensible,or an unwillingness to lower themselves to address legitimate criticism of the Nationalist MP.? I guess we’ll never know.