Statement by Alasdair Morrison, Labour Candidate
Labour candidate Alasdair Morrison is today highlighting the ‘cynical manipulation’ of the ferry retendering process by the SNP Government.
Alasdair Morrison said: “The Scottish Government underestimate the people of the Western Isles if they think we cannot see their cynical manipulation of the tender process. This process should be about protecting island ferry services, jobs and our communities. If this process is to have a modicum of integrity it must be truncated and the decision taken months before the Scottish Parliament elections.
“I am astounded that the Transport and Islands Minister, Derek Mackay, is postponing the decision until three weeks after the next Scottish Parliament elections. Our lifeline ferry services are too important to be manipulated for political gain and this must be about services and communities.”
All I have to say about this is I am delighted the goose management scheme is underway. What’s this nonsense about ferries, jobs and real people. We should be focussing on Lewis goose burger industry rather burgering about our islands and the economy…..
How about restarting Manford, who fulminated for years on radio about the bad Lib/Lab ministers when they were forced to do the first tendering exercise? He has been uncharacteristically quiet of late, maybe because you Stornoway boys have thwarted his political ambitions!
We can look forward to the final SNP betrayal when our dilapidated, non sailing ferries are no longer crewed by islanders, and operated by Serco or some such, as the SNP have done to the poor Shetlanders.
“The Scottish Government underestimate the people of the Western Isles if they think we cannot see their cynical manipulation of the tender process”
Aye, just what I was thinking when I was eating my Frosties this morning.
It’s like he can read our minds.
As employees of Calmac we are deeply worried that the SNP are going to do to us what they did in Shetland and hand it over to Serco or some other company who will skim off all the profit they can at the expense of islanders and employees.
Mr. Campbell you may try to trivialise the prospect, but believe me this is a real threat which the MP and MSP have chosen to ignore. I wonder what their reaction would be if it was some other party in power in Edinburgh. If they had any integrity this would be sorted out well before the Scottish election.
Manford did a song and dance the last time, and I hope he will do so again, even if it is against his own party.
I can inform you ,
Since Donald manford’s stroke last year he is quitting politics and will no longer be standing in the next set of council elections in 2017.
That would explain Manford’s very low profile of late, but as far as I am aware there has been no announcement locally about his retirement, in Guth Bharraidh for instance.
2017 is looming fast, and we will need to organise a local candidate who will put people, not party first. Any volunteers?