From: John MacInnes [mailto:john.macinnes@snp.org] Sent: 14 December 2005 13:45 Subject: MacNEIL RAISES R.E.T. AT WESTMINSTER For immediate release: Wednesday, December 14th ATTN: NEWSDESKS MacNEIL RAISES RET AT WESTMINSTER Angus MacNeil, SNP MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, yesterday (Tuesday)brought the issue of Road Equivalent Tariffs for ferries to the House of Commons in an adjournment debate on Rural and Island Transport. Speaking after the debate, Mr MacNeil said: "This short debate was raised by the Member for the Isle of Wight, and I felt it was important to raise the issue of Road Equivalent Tariffs which are of major importance to my constituency. "It is one of the most crucial points for islanders, be they on the Isle of Wight or the Scottish islands of Na h-Eileanan an Iar that a mile travelled at sea should be equivalent to a mile travelled on land. "It is important that there should be some equality in fares to overcome the disadvantage of island living. "This issue will not go away. It is vital that the Government understands how important this issue is to island communities." ENDS. Contact - Angus MacNeil: 07733 077799If only he actually believed what he once mouthed he would be trying to get us the real deal from his colleagues in Holyrood instead of telling us to be happy with what they have deigned to give us.
The blog formerly known as "Angus Nicolson - an incredulous eye on the isles" this was the blog of an ordinary, boring, former Councillor in the Western Isles of Scotland.
Angus is taking a sabbatical to be with his young family
Debate strengthens democracy, except inside the SNP, as he has discovered.
If you want balance then get some scales. This is opinion - our opinion.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
RET the saga never ends
One upon time, Angus MacNeil believed in and campaigned for *real* RET and not the poor relative we have been given....
You really have a bee in your bonnet Angus. He delivered where labour poorly promised and never delivered. We have all seen the benefits,... we now even have camper vans and sunday ferrys because of it!! Live with it and move on. PS this is not from an SNP member or whatever they call themselves these days
ReplyDeleteWhat a moron you are lazychicken...
ReplyDeleteNew Labour numpties were promising less.
New Labour NEVER delivered on anything to help level the playing field between us and the mainland whilst Almo and macdonalnd were "in power".
I indeed remember Almo telling islanders to be "grateful for what we had".
Was that the opinion of all the New Labour activists up in our islands?
In its present form, RET for the Western Isles is the worst form of pork barrel politics. It makes no pretence at fairness or equality. It is designed primarily to benefit an incumbent MP and MSP, overlooking the needs of other island communities.
ReplyDeleteIt also alienates others. Shetland and Orkney, for instance, are not purely reservations for the prosperous, as some of the uninformed comedians living in the Western Isles appear to think. They, too, have their poor and huddled masses. This present scheme is clearly unfair and disciminates against them...
In short, it creates the kind of division wide enough to drive a camper van through. If that happens, sooner or later, there will be consequences.
Surely even Messrs Allan and MacNeil can look beyond their own narrow, selfish interests to foresee this. It is - after all- similar to the very kind of corruption which Angus B MacNeil campaign so industriously against in the House of Commons.
Cash for patronage!
I WRITE THIS IN BLOCK CAPITALS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE NULABOUR NUMPTIES WHO CANNOT OR WILL NOT UNDERSTAND. IT IS A FCUKING PILOT SCHEME FOR A RELATIVELY SHORT TIME AND ONCE COMPLETE THE SCHEME MAY BE EXTENDED TO ALL - UNLESS OF COURSE THAT FINANCIAL GENIUS BROWN AND HIS TWO TONE LACKEY HAVE ALREADY TOTALLY FCKUED UP THE COUNTRY'S FINANCES
ReplyDeleteOh dear, LazyChicken. Blogging is not really your strong point, is it?
ReplyDeleteThe SNP mafia are alive and well!! Long live El Presidente.
ReplyDeleteOh I just love it when you wind them up.
I WRITE THIS IN BLOCK CAPITALS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE NULABOUR NUMPTIES WHO CANNOT OR WILL NOT UNDERSTAND. IT IS A FCUKING PILOT SCHEME FOR A RELATIVELY SHORT TIME AND ONCE COMPLETE THE SCHEME MAY BE EXTENDED TO ALL
Note the insertion of the word "MAY" be extended to all.
I think someone needs to run a training course within SNP HQ on how to press the Caps Lock key.
"If only he actually believed what he once mouthed he would be trying to get us the real deal from his colleagues in Holyrood instead of telling us to be happy with what they have deigned to give us."
ReplyDeleteNot particularly taking sides in this wonderfully profound debate, but could you point exactly where it's documented that our MP / the SNP have told us "to be happy with what they have deigned to give us." ??
If you can't do that, you really shouldn't be blogging at all. Try macrame.
Being A PILOT SCHEME FOR A RELATIVELY SHORT TIME doesn't exactly change the basic principle, does it?
ReplyDeleteNo doubt the man of both limited intelligence and language skills will go onto tell us it's all a PURE B****Y COINCIDENCE that it's being introduced to an area where it might benefit the political prospects of the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder.
We wait, watch and wonder when it will be introduced elsewhere. I suspect the answer is that is (and was always going to be) ...
NEVER!
11.30
ReplyDeleteThe Shetlanders were up in arms about it untill someone did the maths and realised that because their ferrys were so heavily subsidised anyway - their fares would go UP with RET.
They shut up after that....
Re - 2.20 pm
ReplyDeleteI think - among other stories - proves that you are guilty of a little terminological inexactitude.
Or in other words, a downright lie.
http://www.shetland-news.co.uk/2009/August/news/Scott%20-%20Time%20to%20share%20out%20ferry%20subsidy.htm
I visited Tiree a couple of weeks ago. There the feeling is that they want RET only to be applicable to local businesses and residents.
ReplyDeleteThey are so busy with tourists they want to start turning them away!
Should we not be offerring to take up the slack?
The SNP rent-a-mob would be more believable if only MacNeil and the shirt-lifter hadn't sent out a glossy leaflet (paid for by us taxpayers on top of their fat salaries) proclaiming how wonderful RET was and how MacNeil had managed get it all for us.
ReplyDeleteMakes you want to puke.
2:56, is that you a Challum Iain?
ReplyDeleteOh well. At least it wasn't a glossy leaflet sent out by NuLabour (paid for by us taxpayers on top of their fat salaries) proclaiming how wonderful RET was and how they had managed to get it all for us.
Cos that would just be a complete lie, wouldn't it? :-)