Cheaper ferry fares??

What modest ambitions our MSP has.

RET is the only option to really regenerate the islands. In Norway it is part of the basic infrastructure for remote communities to ensure that the inhabitants are not disadvantaged.

However, Alasdair’s limited ambitions are further constrained by the Executive. With the Calmac routes out to tender, a fundamental change in pricing (and consequently volumes, as Alasdair hopes) would undermine the tendering process. The Executive need to get Calmac privatised before the elections next year and anything that affects this won’t happen.

One of my Comhairle colleagues recalls discussing RET with a then senior member of the Calmac Board. Calmac were opposed to RET because it would mean that “too many people would travel on the vessels”. The implications for tourism, the economy and the size and speed of the boats are obvious to all. It is just that Calmac wanted to see the smooth planning for the operation of the fleet unchanged by things like an economic boom.

With a mindset like that, is it any wonder the HQ is in Greenock and passengers are treated as an impediment to the movement of the ships.