ForArgyll and the Beautiful Irony
There is a beautiful irony in ForArgyll's breathless
and eulogistic coverage of Western Ferries plans to build two
new bigger boats and effectively make redundant two of its present
fleet - a pop fans teen magazine could hardly better the headline
"Western Ferries delivers Dunoon dream: two new vehicle
and passenger ferries" and its description of the "Board
enthusiastically deciding to start building and it is this that
leads Gordon Ross, Western's Managing Director, to describe himself,
with barely concealed excitement, as 'having a new job'
It goes on to talk of a "hugely morale boosting announcement",
the "energetic commitment to Dunoon, is reassuring and
exciting" and a "positive development" without
any real acknowledgment - or indeed apparent knowledge or interest
- of the real traumas which Michael ("use it or lose it")
Russell and his Government have inflicted on us in the case of ferries
here - see elsewhere on this website.
It also says "Welcoming this announcement from Western
Ferries, Argyll and Bute's MSP, Michael Russell, himself a resident
of Cowal, says: 'This is an excellent vote of confidence in Cowal
and in the long term viability of the crossing".
So where are the two boats made surplus to requirements on Westerns
existing route going to go? On this, ForArgyll is confused. It says:
"No decision is yet in the offing but, before any rush
to speculate, these boats are not the right craft for a run to
Arran. So, where previously Gordon Ross has set up a drive past
of tanks on the CalMac lawns - and whatever he might dream up
in the future, a Western Ferries adventure to Arran will not be
led by these boats".
No, I will tell you where they are planned to go - and ForArgyll
would also know if they knew anything about the area and its history,
just inquired locally, or even read newspapers and what Western
had already said they planned instead of spouting misinformed stuff
like this
They are suitable for the Ardyne Point (Cowal) to Port Bannatyne
(Bute) links that Western
have long said they want to run. Now they will have the boats
what about the infrastructure? Well, of course they want the council
to build that, and an FoI document I have just been given by Ronnie
Smith has Western telling the SNP government ""Mr Ross
(MD Western Ferries) has made clear that his preference would be
to remove the current linkspan at Dunoon and move it to the south
of Cowal allowing Western Ferries to provide a Cowal-Bute ferry
service"
This would enable Western to run a shuttle service from Port Bannatyne
to Ardyne Point up to 3 times an hour. With these two vessels remaindered
from Dunoon, with the Cowal land bridge it could link with its Dunoon
operation (with through-ticketing of course) and be a frequent to
late night alternative for many Wemyss Bay Rothesay users, especially
those going Glasgow direction (which is most) - this would then
enable Western to start complaining about subsidy to CalMac on Wemyss
Bay Rothesay (just like in the Dunoon case) and Wemyss Bay Rothesay
will be lucky to finish up with the passenger-only service that
"ForArgyll" tells those of us in the Dunoon area to make
the most of and Michael Russell tells us to "use it or lose
it" (by which he means the town centre service now reduced
to passenger-only, thanks to his government).
Western Ferries is already one of
the most expensive ferry services of its type and there was
a cast iron economic case for maintaining
and developing the town centres Gourock-Dunoon vehicular service
It was the existence of the town centres vehicular ferry service
that had had been a barrier standing in the way of this next stage
in Western's plans, and it was the case for such a town centres
service that ForArgyl worked hard to undermine.
So where is the irony in all this? It is that apart from the eventual
impact on Wemyss Bay Rothesay, the Port Bannatyne to Ardyne Point
service would immediately knock out the CalMac Colintraive-Rhobodach
service for which it would be a clear substitute (I suggest that
ForArgyll looks at a map if they do not believe this). And the link
is that this will affect many businesses in the Colintraive area,
which is where Michael Russell MSP is resident (and who the site
has uncritically promoted) and where ForArgyll staff also have business
and residential interests.
Yes, all in all, For Argyll and Michael Russells' promotion of
the "Dunoon dream" may finish up with them all having
to answer awkward questions down the Colintraive Hotel. And frankly
they will not get much sympathy in Dunoon given the contempt and
ignorance with which they have treated us
Neil Kay 12th September 2011
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