And our MSP's view is?
Highland SNP MSP Rob Gibson and Dave Thompson said it will mean less money for other road and rail improvements.
Mr Gibson said: "By voting for the Earl and trams in Edinburgh they have taken the biggest projects which are going to concentrate on the capital and denude the chance of having major transport infrastructure in the north."
He said the result of the vote was particularly bad news for projects proposed by Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership in Scotland (Hitrans).
The statutory body agreed a strategy aimed at improving road, rail, air and ferry links over the next 15 years in March.
-------Yet according to (BBC political correspondent) Brian Taylor's blog yesterday (27/6):-
"Defeated by the combined might of the opposition parties, John Swinney, the finance secretary, announced in Holyrood tonight that he was conceding.
Edinburgh trams will go ahead - and he’ll look again at the project to build a rail link to the capital’s airport."
-----So we have the intriguing prospect of the SNP having to put through a policy that they have opposed, that their SNPs oppose, and that will severely adversely affect the Western Isles. Which brings me to the title of this posting......
11 comments:
ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
Edinburgh trams or a ferry fare reduction? I know which I'd prefer.
Poor anon, another purblind acolyte who won't allow anything bad about to be said about our MSP.
No you got it wrong Anon 2.
Anon 1 is our MSP just having his lunchtime snooze as he's been working so hard.....
Ha ha, 'sunny side up' you are hilarious. Labour has Talent!
So, the Nats are taking a bashing for supporting the will of the parliament.
Would you have prefered they ignored the wishes of the majority? It worked for Tory Bliar and his war in Iraq.
Party politics, eh? You guys are crazy!
Anon 5:25, ones as bad as the other!
I just want to know if Edinburgh trams means no fast ferry across the Minch. Can anyone tell me?
This is where it is all going to fall down Angus. Alex Salmond promised the earth with no consideration for being in a minority government and no idea of how it was going to be paid for. I think that we will find that a lot of promises are broken, blamed on the fact that the SNP are in a minority government.
And what is happening with the ADS scheme which is due to run out very soon?
Also, why is there never any opinion from our MSP on anything that affects the Islands? He's too busy being vice convenor for the Gaelic Committee and supporting Epileptics, both of which he has a personal interest in but which will not bring the much needed investment and youngsters back to the Islands.
He doesn't understand (or seem to care) what is important for the Islands.
So the ADS scheme is "due to run out very soon". I'm sure the Gazette say it was introduced in May 2006 and was due to run for 2 years.
And didn't the Gazette say that our MSP had written to the Transport Minister seeking assurance that the scheme will continue beyond 2008? Or was that not covered in the West Highland?
I also see that our MP is asking about the delayed launch of the Gaelic TV channel. Do you applaud him for this, or can he do no good in your eyes?
Anon 5:37
It's inevitable that the money spent on trams will result in a fall in spending elsewhere - the only other options are an increase in tax or further efficiency savings. Something will have to go.
Whether the cost of trams means fewer other transport projects (such as a faster ferry) or comes out of other budgets I don't know, but there aren't too many options.
If the extra costs mean other transport projects get binned, I'm sure the public are smart enough to realise why - and the finger will be pointed squarely at those who voted in favour of the trams.
Of course, if the trams are a roaring success, delivered on time and on budget, then those who voted them through should stand back and take the plaudits.
Though the experience of the Scottish Parliament building, the Millenium Dome, the London Olympics, new Wembley, etc doesn't exactly fill me with confidence...
There are lots of people who will defend the SNP regardless and lots who will attack them regardless. What is interesting is the questions that aren't answered.
Why hasn't had our MSP had an answer about the ADS scheme? I'm trying to book a holiday for next Easter so March 2008 is not that far.
I applaud MacNeil for asking about the digital channel - for whatever differnce that will make. However, I think Gaelic is a waste of resources, and I'd rather see that money spent on reducing ferry fares.
Who gives a monkeys about Gaelic TV when the young of this Island are leaving in their droves and not coming back, being substituted for Mainland retirees who do very little for the Island's economy and put extra pressure on our healthcare resources.
As for our MSP writing to the Transport Minister, how about talking to the guy and putting pressure on him ensuring that we all have the reassurance that the ADS scheme will not disappear. This is one of his colleagues. We can all write letters and don't get paid 4 times the average Western Isles salary for the privelege.
Get real, if this is success, I'm not looking forward to a failure.
You will continue to blame the fact that you are in a minority government for the next 4 years. It will wear very thin, very soon. Promises are promises.
We have the Parliament we have, and it is lead by a minority SNP government.
To all those living in the good old days, open your eyes, ears and mind - this is not a Parliament where one party (or two) dominates. To be effective, politicians of all parties need to work TOGETHER. This is a great opportunity for the elected members to bring a new spirit of co-operation to Hollyrood.
Even if they have different opinions to other parties, MSPs of all colours must remember that they are charged with running Scotland - they are not just there to disagree with each other for the sake of party politics.
If our MSPs can develop this new approach to politics, the hope is that this filters down to local level and we see the end of the vile diatribes which so often marr election contests.
It's not always easy to accept that your party has not won an election, but gracious losers usually do better next time round than sour losers.
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