Press statement from Lewis LDOS
Supporters of the traditional Lewis Sunday have hailed the news that Cllr Donald John MacSween, Labour candidate for the Western Isles at the next Westminster election, is now demanding that the Scottish Government make public Caledonian MacBrayne's 'Opinion from senior counsel' on Sunday sailings.
The state-owned ferry company, of which First Minister Alex Salmond is sole share-holder, dramatically announced last month that after correspondence forwarded from the Equality and Human Rights Commission – and on the advice of senior counsel – it had to introduce Sunday sailings between Stornoway and Ullapool after due consultation.
'Our hands appear to be tied legally,' said CalMac boss Peter Timms. 'We don't want to be operating any longer illegally than we have to.'
However, Caledonian MacBrayne have consistently refused to make their legal advice public – even after the local Lord's Day Observance Society published opinion by to QC Gordon Jackson, a former Scottish Labour MP, that there was 'no legal obligation on Caledonian MacBrayne to provide a given service. Nor does it matter what the reason for not providing the service is.'
Now Cllr MacSween has tabled a formal Freedom of Information request asking the Scottish Government for copies of all communications between Nicola Sturgeon (Deputy First Minister), Stewart Stevenson (Transport Minister) and Stewart Maxwell (former Communities and Sports Minister) with Caledonian MacBrayne and Western Isles Parliamentary representatives, Alasdair Allan MSP and Angus MacNeil MP.
Cllr D J MacSween has also placed a similar demand with Caledonian MacBrayne – and has expressly asked Stewart Stevenson 'to be open and honest and to publish the Opinion obtained by CalMac on the legality of refusing to operate seven-day sailings to the Western Isles.
'I've been waiting for CalMac bosses to call us with grateful thanks after the Lewis LDOS won Gordon Jackson's assurance that they won't be carted off in irons,' says their local campaign manager Angus MacKay.
'They haven't got round to phoning yet.
'Of course we utterly disagree with Cllr MacSween's personal position on Sunday ferries, which he has demanded for most of his political career.
'But we have always known where we stood with him and he has shown today both integrity and guts.
The state-owned ferry company, of which First Minister Alex Salmond is sole share-holder, dramatically announced last month that after correspondence forwarded from the Equality and Human Rights Commission – and on the advice of senior counsel – it had to introduce Sunday sailings between Stornoway and Ullapool after due consultation.
'Our hands appear to be tied legally,' said CalMac boss Peter Timms. 'We don't want to be operating any longer illegally than we have to.'
However, Caledonian MacBrayne have consistently refused to make their legal advice public – even after the local Lord's Day Observance Society published opinion by to QC Gordon Jackson, a former Scottish Labour MP, that there was 'no legal obligation on Caledonian MacBrayne to provide a given service. Nor does it matter what the reason for not providing the service is.'
Now Cllr MacSween has tabled a formal Freedom of Information request asking the Scottish Government for copies of all communications between Nicola Sturgeon (Deputy First Minister), Stewart Stevenson (Transport Minister) and Stewart Maxwell (former Communities and Sports Minister) with Caledonian MacBrayne and Western Isles Parliamentary representatives, Alasdair Allan MSP and Angus MacNeil MP.
Cllr D J MacSween has also placed a similar demand with Caledonian MacBrayne – and has expressly asked Stewart Stevenson 'to be open and honest and to publish the Opinion obtained by CalMac on the legality of refusing to operate seven-day sailings to the Western Isles.
'I've been waiting for CalMac bosses to call us with grateful thanks after the Lewis LDOS won Gordon Jackson's assurance that they won't be carted off in irons,' says their local campaign manager Angus MacKay.
'They haven't got round to phoning yet.
'Of course we utterly disagree with Cllr MacSween's personal position on Sunday ferries, which he has demanded for most of his political career.
'But we have always known where we stood with him and he has shown today both integrity and guts.
26 comments:
THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN.
You have been told and told but seem to be incapable of understanding, once again.
THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN.
"supporters of LDOS have hailed" Macsween's move. This one has not!
"integrity and guts" ? So has a suicide bomber. You wanna hail them ? As the Labour party have not distanced themselves from Macsween's stance I take it that Sunday sailings is Labour party policy
8.37 what will not happen? The Sunday ferries? The only danger is that by the time it DOES happen, the island will be on an irreversible path of economic decline and out-migration, and while it may become an Amish-like haven for fundamentalist and dreamy-eyed retirees, the living and genuine culture of the place will be lost. And then the place will be so hollow and artificial that the ferries will come, and it will be a travesty of island life.
However, I have faith that even our nitwits in power won't let it get to quite such a pass, and sense will prevail while there's still time to resurrect a vibrant island life that can cope with the 21st century while taking a robust and cheerful approach to preserving its culture and traditions.
Maybe I'm too optimistic, but so are you.
8:37
Your comments now regular are hardly constructive arguement for or against the case.
Or are you a higher being speaking to Earth?
Either case give it a rest
MacSween is just making political mischief out of this - just stick to your opinion of 7 day sailings.
If you want facts support MacLean in his push for a referendum on the subject and whilst your at it include wind farms, interconnectors etc which the majority want an end to as much as the majority want reasonable services on a Sunday.
This matter and others will only be settled fairly if we Joe Public are allowed our say for or akin.
Anon 8:55 AM
The Labour Party has no policy on Sunday sailings, and as far as I know do any of the other political parties.
The LDOS were not asking for the SNP stance on Sunday sailings. When they asked the MP and MSP their views on this issue it was their personal views which they were asking for. Unfortunately the barbed wire was so far up their arses they couldn't get off the fence.
Angus
Perhaps you could dig up the evidence of pre 1930s Sunday sailings that you mentioned in a previous blog. I believe that you said a timetable was on display in Glasgow museum. I can't find anything on the web. If it is the case that that Sunday sailings did take place after the Napoleonic wars and the reformation and for some reason stopped mid 20th century, perhaps CNES/LDOS can explain why.
Is 8.37am getting your blog mixed up with that of Mystic Meg's daily seance?
Next time I am in the Transport Museum I will take a photo of the timetable as evidence.
In the 80's I remember reading a book in the National Library of Scotland about the 1930's London-Stornoway steamer, which stopped at Yarmouth, Grimsby, Berwick, Leith, Aberdeen and Wick. It was clearly there to service the herring trade, and I am sure that the timetable included arriving in Stornoway on a Sunday and departing the same day.
9.50AM, of what relevance is the MP or MSP's PERSONAL stance on Sunday sailings to anybody? Surely the point of them is to represent the views of the people of the Western Isles, not their own personal views.
I think we should be far more interested in what CnES is up to on this issue. Decisions will be made and defended there, not in either parliament, after all.
8:37, there's no need to SHOUT: lower case will do just as well and is in fact easier to read. Nobody takes you seriously anyway with such a daft comment. And yes, it will happen, sooner or later.
Not that I'm wildly for it or against, just being a realist. There will come a time very soon when the island will simply not be able to survive economically without the same transport arrangements as the rest of the country.
Additionally, the stooshy over the Sunday ferries issue shouldn't be allowed to take attention away from what's happening on the windfarms front either. This could be awfully convenient for the council, eh? Keep your eyes peeled.
9:01 wrote "out-migration" That would be emmigration would it?
I can assure the person who keeps saying that THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN that I will personally see that this ends up in the European Court of Human rights if needed, have no doubt about this.
I'll have a pint of whatever 8.37 is on, please.
Think he's drinking pints of water from De Nile
10.52 the word you're looking for is emigration and there's a difference between that (generally, moving to another country) and out-migration (generally, moving out of the area, not necessarily abroad). Also out-migration is the more usual term in economic contexts these days as the emphasis is on taking your value away from the place, as opposed to taking another nationality or settling in a foreign culture.
ID say to the LDOS ETC.
What does a place truely need to maintain its traditional culture?
answer: People.
Id also add young people into that mix, and although there are young people on both sides of the argument, for as long as they continue to leave in droves, no traditional culture will remain, and therefore this whole debate is worthless....
Think about the broader picture perhaps....
I think 8.37 you will find that it will and that it's a matter of weeks and not months. Can we assume that all the people who signed the petition against Sunday ferries will not use this service? No, I dont think so.
8:40 Apollogies for the typo. However, look at the definitionin a dictionary and you will find emigration also applies to another region in the same country. Out-migration and in-migration are jargon words made up, you won't find them in a dictionary (not a real one anyway).
8.37 Are you aware that writing in block capitals is like SHOUTING!
8:37 I'm sure is well aware that by using capital letters he is shouting.
Why? well this is the way the bigots and hypoctites work, they think if they shout their message loud enough and long enough, even if it is not true, it will become true.
11.47 What are hypoctites ?
Some people are getting very upset with John Macleod on the Heb news site. He seems to advocate the isolation of Scalpay in order to further it's economic and social development developemnt. Discuss.
Good question what are hypoctites?
If you Google it it's all over the web but no definition. So I'll give it one. Definition of hypoctites:- it means that there is a pratt typing with big fingers who hits the T instead of the R and doesn't notice.
So, oops sorry I meant hypocrites, but then I suppose you all knew that!!
Hypoctite. n. A Presbyterian in a pub.
11.23 you are right of course thye will want to sail though I beleive Calmac should take note of the names all the Sunday sailing objectors and then never ever let them sail on a Sunday because of their religious beleifs.
I am all for sunday sailings the LDOS Or what ever they call themselves are out of touch with reality. I would like the supermarkets open as well
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