Shetland RET

SNP welcomes Shetland support for RET 4/9/10

Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan has welcomed the ‘sensible’ comments of Shetland Islands council Convener, Councillor Cluness’, in which he supports cheaper fares on ferries to the Western Isles as he said they blew Tavish Scott’s politically motivated complaints out of the water.

Contrasting Cllr Cluness' remarks with the "contrived and nonsensical" attack this week on the scheme by Shetland MSP Tavish Scott Alasdair Allan said: “Cllr Cluness' reasonable point blow Tavish Scott’s contrived and nonsensical attack made on the Western Isles out of the water.

"Cllr Cluness makes the very reasonable point - one apparently lost on Tavish Scott - that if the "RET" subsidy, recently extended in the Western Isles, were applied to the Shetland ferry, it would make fares more expensive.

“The Scottish Government is already providing a much more substantial form of subsidy on the Shetland route.”

He added: “The LibDems had eight years in government and Tavish Scott had two years as Transport Minister when he did nothing to assist his constituents or anyone else with fares to their islands. In fact it was the last Government that presided over the disastrous North Link Services and the long running battle over the future of Cal Mac services.

“Cllr Cluness’ remarks hopefully mean Mr Scott's posturing on this issue is over, so that all Scotland’s islands can now work together for better ferry services in future."