Councillor D J Macrae challenges SNP group

Posted on November 6, 2012 | 5 Comments

Councillor DJ MacRae has made a strong attack on the recent behaviour of the SNP group on Western Isles Council and what he claims is a gutless refusal to take part in the budget cuts.

He says “Becoming a councillor has been an eye opener for me. I know that at the moment the Council is forced into making cuts in the way it spends money across the islands.

And who is forcing the Council to cut back services? None other than the SNP government in Edinburgh, who are doing the dirty work for the Tories at Westminster.

The SNP Government is busy trying to blame everyone else for the cuts, but at the same time they are not giving councils any other way out of the mess they themselves created, but to make savage cuts. And the cuts on the islands are harder and deeper than in other parts of Scotland.
Why is this and why are they expecting the Western Isles to suffer more than any other area?

Whatever the council do, and however hard we try to protect the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable, we will still be forced by the SNP to make these cuts.

Last summer the Council started asking the public on the way that services could be changed to make savings in the least painful way. All councillors have been given the chance to choose what savings to make, before the Council goes out again to consult on savings. This is a huge issue – the biggest thing the council has had to do in living memory.

And what have the Six SNP councillors done? Absolutely nothing.

A year ago they tried to put up enough candidates for the council to take over the place. They lost out there big time.
They now have refused to take part in deciding where to make any savings. They are paid to carry out this work for the people who live in their ward and for the greater good. And yet they have decided not to carry out this hugely important task.
A bunch of cowards is the way I would describe them. I can think of other ways to describe them, as people who know me will know.

I am just a new councillor, but some of the SNP group have been in the council for years and years. They know their duties and for them now to sit on their hands and blame others is absolutely disgraceful. A case of refusing to take on responsibility and being quick to pass the buck.”

He challenged all six of them now to stand up and accept responsibility, do the decent thing, and not keep running away like cowards.

DJ MacRae

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Posted in council, SNP, Western Isles

BREAKING NEWS – Manor Filling Station slashes fuel prices again

Posted on November 6, 2012 | 13 Comments

Spar filling station has become the cheapest in Stornoway by chopping another 4p off a litre. They now sell it at 135.9p for unleaded and 145.9p for diesel.

Prices tonight    Unleaded         Diesel
Campbell’s                  139.9               148.9
Engebret                     138.9               148.9
Manor                         135.9               145.9
Gordon Diesel             133.9               143.9

However, discount king Gordon Diesel, who stood up to Scottish Fuels and broke their deathly grip on the local market, is still the cheapest at 133.9p for unleaded and 143.9p for diesel.

It is unlikely any of these price cuts would be happening now without his bravery and determination to do the right thing.

Meanwhile, Scottish Fuels, which has claimed it has completely freed local retailers from their restrictive and anti-competitive contracts but still warns them to take legal advice, is still trying to convince us all that retailers are responsible for their own prices and high prices have nothing to do with them. The events of the last few days tell a different story.

It is very interesting how certain retailers are very slow to cut their prices but, when there’s any excuse to raise them, do so instantly. Thank you to everyone who is monitoring and keeping me informed.

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Posted in fuel rip-off, Western Isles

Scottish Fuels crooks cave in to boycott by island motorists and “adverse publicity” as OFT prepares to investigate their many years of dodgy dealings

Posted on November 5, 2012 | 22 Comments

A revolt by panicking filling station operators – in which some of them threatened to break their contracts with distributor Scottish Fuels – has resulted in an extraordinary  cave-in by the distribution giant.

Rapidly spreading boycotts by many islanders of filling stations supplied by Scottish Fuels has now led to a major victory for those motorists who shunned filling stations in Stornoway contracted to Scottish Fuels and which were still charging exorbitantly high prices.

With fuel sales plummeting in the last few week, Scottish Fuels bosses have now written to all its contracted outlets releasing them from contractual obligations to buy solely from them at whatever prices they dictated.

Callum Ian Macmillan of campaigners Fair Fuel Solutions recently demanded the dodgy contracts be ripped up. Now Scottish Fuels has done just that all by themselves. Nice of them to do what FFS asked.

Incredibly, just days ago, the same two-faced company bosses denounced price cutting by a non-Scottish Fuels retailer as “a publicity stunt”.

Filling stations in the Western Isles are now effectively free to buy from whoever they choose and at the national spot price.

The cave-in won’t put the Irish owners of the company out of business. It has admitted that the Western Isles is now the only part of Britain where they are unable to shackle retailers with their notoriously-dodgy exclusive contracts which result in high pump prices throughout the UK and gigantic profits for them.

The Hebridean onslaught against Scottish Fuels, a distributor owned by GB Oils, Ltd, an oil company owned by DCC Energy, an energy company owned by DCC Group, which is an Irish-owned outfit employing people with a history of over-charging and price-fixing, was led by Back-based entrepreneur Gordon Maclennan and the campaign group Fair Fuel Solutions.

Mr Maclennan, operator of the Back Filling Station six miles from the town, slashed his prices by 8p per litre when he quit the Scottish Fuels fold following a dispute over cash owed to him under a dodgy rebate scheme operated by the fuel giant, which then claimed it was owed money from him.

Many islanders then realised there was crookery at work by the distributor which had previously claimed it made only 2.6p a litre.  Hundreds of island motorists chose instead to fill up at Maclennan’s station rather than pay the still-hefty prices charged by Scottish Fuels-contracted outlets. Just six weeks ago, before the boycott gained traction, the prices in Stornoway were 14p a litre higher than Skye and Inverness.

Council leader Angus Campbell, who runs several filling stations which were under contract, came under mounting pressure after it was revealed that his was the most expensive fuel in the Stornoway area. At the weekend, he suddenly slashed his prices by 3p a litre, ahead of confirmation that he too had been released from his contract.

Gordon Maclennan today told his online followers: “Hard to believe but we have been successful in our campaign. Scottish Fuels have written to all the retailers on the island on contract and told them they are now free of contract and can buy at spot prices.
“B***** marvelous news. I want every one of you who have supported us on this to give yourself a big pat on the back. This should mean cheaper fuel prices are here to stay.”

Government prices regulator The Office of Fair Trading has received hundreds of complaints about island fuel prices being hiked far more than the mainland for reasons which have never been explained as Scottish Fuels claims to take only 2.6p a litre for itself.  It is considering investigating the activities of Scottish Fuels after gathering evidence recently.

Scottish Fuels has issued another statement to try to divert blame from itself saying: “Scottish Fuels has always stated that the pump prices on the forecourts are solely the responsibility of retailer, and it does not influence this in any way.
“Contracts with retailers are very common throughout Britain and Europe, and are used by all Fuel Suppliers; however, due to the adverse publicity these contracts have attracted on the Western Isles, Scottish Fuels felt it appropriate to give the retailers on the Western Isles the option to re-assess their requirements.”

Parent company GB Oils is, of course, making out that its about-face is nothing to do with the expected Office of Fair Trading probe into overcharging in the islands. However, it admitted it still intends to shackle mainland outlets with its dodgy contracts, adding: “This action does not change the company’s policy with contracts throughout Britain, and it is not a reaction to any possible further OFT investigation into fuel prices. Scottish Fuels welcomes any future investigation as the company has acted in a fair and reasonable manner over the years, as confirmed by the last two OFT Reports.”

Yeah, right.

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Posted in fuel rip-off, Western Isles

Sales of laxatives plummet as our esteemed council leader finally slashes his fuel prices

Posted on November 4, 2012 | 7 Comments

Statement of lies and falsehoods by the crooks who run Scottish Fuels issued on 31 October 2012 in reaction to price-cutting by Gordon Diesel. Always remember this statement below and tell it to your children and your grandchildren. They too will then realise how these Irish crooks, and their underlings, think people in these islands are idiots. Scottish Fuels own contracted filling stations have since cut their own prices by 10p in the last six weeks.

“This is a PR stunt that reveals what we have said all along: retailers set prices. Our income does not change with market fluctuations and is just a few pennies a litre. To suggest we make an extra 8p/litre is pure delusion.” – Scottish Fuels

My reaction: To suggest that Scottish Fuels and their present and former managers are honest and tell the truth is pure delusion.

Stung by constant criticism of his high fuel prices, his alleged close financial links with the crooks who run Scottish Fuels, his dwindling number of customers, and discovering that his own friends were now getting their fuel from trailblazing discount king Gordon ‘Diesel’ Maclennan of Back, it has been a grim time for comhairle leader Angus Campbell, a Scottish Fuels partner.

The gulf between island fuel prices and those on the mainland is finally narrowing – despite, not because of, those we thought we could trust

He was said to have “sneered” at suggestions he should cut his pump prices and compete. Yet all the other filling stations were moving down. However, the vicious kingpin of Scottish Fuels had gone on the record to say price-cutting was all a short-lived “publicity stunt”. It would not last, he said. That was because that evil empire has our council, our harbour authority and most of our retailers by the short and curlies.  The swines.

The reasoning at Warrington HQ went like this: all their loyal outlets like Campbell’s Filling Station and Engys had to do was sit tight and the problem would go away. Gordon could not afford to keep prices down, they said. But they were very, very wrong. Gordon may start importing from the mainland at spot price soon.

Employees at Campbell’s Filling Station described their boss a few days ago as “even grumpier than usual”. Gosh.

At the end of the week, his takings at Cannery Road were dire. Where were all his regular customers? Answer – filling their tanks over in Back. Dragged screaming and kicking into the real world of true market forces, our council leader had a rare involuntary bowel movement and suddenly realised he could no longer afford to dance to the tune of Sam Chambers and his nasty bunch of thugs like Donald Macfadyen – a mean brute who was previously sacked by another oil distributor for … wait for it … price fixing in the Western Isles.

So why did the scammer -in-chief, conscience-free Tony Stewart of Scottish Fuels, hire a furtive fellow with that shameful track record? Motormouth Sam Chambers will have to explain that one. If Macfadyen is not good enough for sham-competitor George Shand of Highland Fuels, how is he the right man to threaten, I mean deal with, obstinate retailers for Scottish Fuels?

I am thinking of doing a TV programme about his price-fixing antics. What’ll we call it? Don’ll Fix It?

Disgusted fuel industry sources tell me arrogant Shand and the obnoxious Stewart are actually great buddies. There have been seen laughing and giggling at all the best dos. You can imagine their conversations over the pink gin.  ”Let’s screw the Hebrides even more next week, George.” “Yay. Go for it, Tony. I’ll shadow your  price, as usual. Bottoms up.”

We have all seen Macfadyen’s ugly mush on the video of the public meeting claiming the price at island pumps was nothing to do with Scottish Fuels. Liar. Now sue me. The price fixer has not learned his lesson, obviously.

Angus Campbell has now done what he should have done weeks ago. Our esteemed council leader has just slashed his prices to 139.9p for unleaded. This is a start. He is now 10p a litre less for unleaded than he was six weeks ago. That is still far too high.

Another town retailer expects to make another price cut soon. We’re getting there. It will take a while. Things only change when you, the motoring public, demonstrate that you will boycott any station with an unrealistic differential – no matter who runs it. Now you know the truth, keep it up.

To all those who switched to Gordon Diesel and made laxatives unnecessary in certain parts of this town, give yourselves a pat on the back. Future generations may yet thank you.

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Posted in fuel rip-off, Stornoway, Western Isles

Why are the comhairle’s vehicles still forced to use expensive Scottish Fuels pumps and squandering cash which could be used for specialist teachers and far more home helps? Why are councillors so silent?

Posted on November 4, 2012 | 13 Comments

Sickened motorists, business people and all kinds of road users ask me why the comhairle is not using the cheapest fuel retailer. I did ask. I have just been waiting for a comprehensive answer.

The comhairle has a publicly-stated commitment to cut costs everywhere it can do so without hacking away at frontline services. It is being suggested that simply switching fuel retailer could save it up to £100,000 a year with no effect on service delivery. So I asked how accurate is that figure being in mind that the true figure may be a lot higher, of course.

Other local organisations have switched to using the cheapest retailers – it’s just common sense. However, not the comhairle itself which has carefully ensured there is just enough red tape to complicate the issue. It’s about contracts, it says.

It says the cheapest retailer, Gordon Diesel Services Ltd, did not even tender for the fuels contract which was awarded in August. It added: “Vans and buses, subject to operational reasons, should top up at the supplier which was first ranked (which was dependent on discounts, etc., and gave the cheapest figure). For information, this was not Campbell’s.”

“Listen to me. I have nothing to say about fuel prices. Did you hear me? Nothing.”

That’s alright then, is it? Still, the comhairle vehicles are at Campbell’s every day. The disgusted drivers say they are ordered to go there. Let’s be honest – everyone sees it as relevant that the filling stations the council vans and buses are seen filling up at are often run by our own dear council leader. There are always clauses to get any public authority out of contracts which are no longer best value – if they wanted to. Someone in power does not want that.

There are now suggestions – in comments on this blog and elsewhere -that Scottish Fuels has a big financial stake in our council leader’s businesses. I don’t know if that is true as he has stopped responding to my questions. However, these questions and more will soon be asked by people he cannot ignore.

So how much is the comhairle paying needlessly through the costly and unenforceable contract which benefits only the ghastly, ugly Irish criminals who run Scottish Fuels – and their local puppets – but not the ordinary ratepayers of these islands? For that, we need the comhairle’s monthly fuel expenditure figures. I asked for them weeks ago but they are in no hurry to hand them over. They are hoping I’ve forgotten. The Information Commissioner will get involved unless they get their finger out very soon.

How many home carers and specialist teachers could this squandered money have paid for in a year? Does anyone care? Why are that bunch of ridiculous, incompetent, overpaid councillors so quiet on this important subject? Whose pocket are they in?

That is a silly generalisation. Sorry. Some of the honourable exceptions are trying to help. They have told us quite a bit already about what is going on behind the scenes. But many other councillors act as they couldn’t give a toss – as if it is nothing to do with them. Some have said as much. That is not good enough. That attitude is part of the problem. It’s about time we all let them know.

Make no mistake, Sandwick Road and Warrington. There are momentuous events about to happen which will blow the entire scam apart. Doing nothing is not an option any more. Our elected representatives had better make it clear whose side they are on or live with the stain on their reputations forever.

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Posted in council, fuel rip-off, Western Isles

The famous Scottish Fuels retailers’ contract

Posted on November 3, 2012 | 4 Comments

Scottish Fuels hands over its contract for retailers. But …

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Posted in fuel rip-off

You can listen to Prof Richard Dawkins’s address as it happens

Posted on November 2, 2012 | 5 Comments

Many people – whether they agree with his views or not – wanted to hear what Prof Dawkins had to say at the Faclann book festival in An Lanntair gallery in Stornoway this evening (Fri). But it sold out in half an hour.

Prof Dawkins arrives in Stornoway

Now everyone can listen, no matter where they are in the world unless they live in those countries which block non-local internet content.

The address, and the one before it, will be broadcast live on the local community station Isles FM. It will be streamed on www.isles.fm. Note: the streaming may not work with all browsers.

At about 7pm, historian and science writer Francis Spufford will deliver a  sharp-tongued personal defence of Christian belief, a remarkable account of what believing in God is actually like and a defence of Christian emotions – of their intelligibility, of their grown-up dignity.

If it all goes to schedule, Prof Dawkins, author of the ground-breaking The God Delusion who has acquired the title The World’s Best Known Athiest, should be on after 8pm.

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Posted in Radio, religion, Stornoway, Western Isles