Launching a paper today (Wednesday) at Rocksalt Café, 46 Constitution Street, Leith showing how the principal ports on the Forth and Clyde are owned by interests outwith Scotland and where the operators busiest harbours are on the Thames and Mersey, Kenny MacAskill MP and ALBA Party Depute Leader highlighted that the ownerhip and operation of Scottish harbours and ports is the real issue not a politcal spat between the SNP and Greens over freeports. In a statement Mr MacAskill said:
“ Most folk living near the Forth or Clyde will be astounded to know who owns Scotlands principal ports. Most have probably assumed that it was a public operation or local businessmen. It was of course the former prior to the Tories privatisation of the Ports in 1992.
“ Now though Forth are owned by from across the Atlantic through the Canadian Public Sector Investment Board and Clyde by Peel Ports PLC, based south of the border. How can the interests of Scotlands economy or the coastal communities on the Forth be best looked after by the trustees of a Canadian pension fund or the Clyde by a company with its major interest and assets sited elsewhere?”
Commenting on the fact that the largest port operated by Forth Ports PLC is Tilbury in the Port of London and for Peel Ports PLC it is the Port of Liverpool he added:
“It’s not just ownership that’s an issue but what other ports they operate. How can it be in the best interests of the Forth or Clyde to be run by companies whose biggest ports are on the Thames and Mersey? The strategic interests of the Scottish economy and Scottish communities are losing out to those in competitor estuaries. The challenges are also not restricted to the establishment of direct ferry services to Europe or an increase in cruise liner traffic but include shipyards and renewable energy construction sites where work is badly needed and jobs are at risk.”
Finally, he addressed comments towards the Scottish Government and action that they should take.
“Rather than having an unseemly spat between SNP and Greens on Freeports the Scottish Government should be addressing the ownership and operation of our principal ports. Ports and harbours are vital parts of our national infrastructure. The Scottish Government must reject the free market ethos they have copied from south of the border and take steps to protect Scotland’s national interest through the establishment of a government department and Public Ports Authorities for our key estuaries.”
With the shambolic policies that have resulted in ScotWind, Freeports and Council Tax unfreezing it looks like “Tartan Tories” is an SNP moniker whose time has come.
Yet again, the SG getting caught up and locked in with UK policy, while ignoring experts…. https://yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com/2022/02/14/alf-bairds-view-on-freeports/. They do not seem to have a clue or any vision, and just keep walking straight into all the traps. As for the greens, we did not vote for them, the flea on the tail wagging the dog.
We need Kenny and his like in Government. So, we have to continue to work hard to install ALBA and all the real .Independence Parties in Holyrood. Nicola and her Green “friends” OUT!. .
The questions that need addressed are: Why are all of Scotland’s assets especially its land, waters and resources in the hands of foreigners? What is a country without its most basic assets? And, how do Scots claim back that which has been essentially stolen from the nation without further profiting those who have benefited through the theft of Scotland’s nation assets? A nation should not have to “buy” back its stolen assets. It should take back that which was wrongly given, taken or sold without the consent of the people of Scotland. In order to do so, the Scots must demand it and assert their sovereign authority instead of seeing it as a cute wee word to use every now and again while refusing to do anything with it or worse yet falsely believing the sovereignty of a foreign country supercedes their own. And that goes for Alba MPs and all Scottish representatives who adhere to English parliamentary conventions and sovereignty when the English parliament was officially abolished in 1707. It is high time Scotland retook its place. Even within the nullified treaty Scotland need only apply its authority regardless of what the English government and its establishment want. If Scotland does not stand up for itself, why should anyone respect the Scots and their territory?
It is good to see Alba MPs raise these issues but they must go further. They must ASSERT Scotland’s sovereign AUTHORITY at all times. If Scotland wants to be taken seriously it must act accordingly. No ifs, buts or maybes.
Many here loathe the Israeli government and rightly so but you cannot fault them for asserting their sovereignty even in the face of (global) opposition. It is because they are asserting their sovereign authority that many countries recognise, support and work with them. The main objection most have against Israel is the way they treat Palestine and its people.
In Scotland’s case, should Scotland assert its sovereign authority for the first time in over 300 years (and no the ref in 2014 doesn’t count as it was run by and officially opposed by the English government and its establishment) Scotland would be in an even stronger position. There is no animosity between Scotland and the people of England. Scotland does not seek to obtain the lands of England. It merely wants what is rightfully Scotland’s and was against the terms of the treaty to be given, sold or otherwise removed from the original territory of Scotland and its people.
So what say you? Will you assert Scotland’s authority? Or will you continue to assert English sovereignty in and over Scotland?
The current Scottish administration is asset stripping Scotland just as effectively as any Westminster administration of the past 40 years. What the hell is going on in Holyrood?
Exactly. I keep being brought back to an article I read in the eighties, early nineties about a particular project, and seeing what is actively going on in Scotland I cannot help but think it is playing out before our eyes.
Kenny is right, we desperately need back control of our ports. Shipping all exports through English ports makes us uncompetitive, we need to break the cartel that adds cost to Scottish exports. Its makes commercial sense to ship direct from Scotland to Europe, have no doubt this is done by design. I would also like to say that the Unionists use our produce and products to inflate the level of trade with the rest of the UK, when in fact a large proportion is for export abroad. This will be highlighted as soon as we create a direct ferry service.
Sadly Holyrood is being shaped now as a mini Westminster with Sturgeon taking the role of a Tory mini me. A RightWing TransCult is the future for Scotland under the New SNP.
When we become independent ALL of Scotland’s resources presently owned by foreigners should be taken back immediately with absolutely no compensation paid out. Then ALL the other carpet baggers in Scotland will soon get the message, the Scots mean business!!!.
Strange that Scot Gov can own a port in Hampshire under the name of ” Scottish Ministers” yet cannot get to grips with trying to own a port or ports in Scotland. The free port in Hampshire is doing quite well seemingly yet with all the blunders the SNP are making in Scotland they tend to keep this quiet.
Yes it’s quite something that Calmac/CMAL, who are increasingly making a mess of their core activity of serving Scotland’s island communities, are allowed to build little Empires at our expense with the seeming collusion or indifference of the Ministers and Government they are supposed to be responsible to!
Do you have any links for that story, Sandy?
Got it:
https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/11860927.management-of-marchwood-military-port-is-set-to-be-handed-to-a-company-part-owned-by-scottish-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon/
Aye, the Buccleuch connections go deep…no wonder they don’t crow about it:
https://www.david-macbrayne.co.uk/the-board/
Funny how she keeps that quiet Gordon. lol. Well done. Usually I get abuse and told I am talking merde. They ask me for the link and I tell them to find out themselves. Our at the time SNP council gave the Buccleuch Estates £5m to do his estate up and he now charges the people of Midlothian money to get in.
Reading about “the internal affairs of a sovereign state”, most of us should find that statement being honourable and almost beyond dispute; however, politics and politicians vary enormously, and it isn’t easy to describe them in words! However, London’s politicians are mostly English and the majority of them believe that Scotland’s the last of London’s colonies. The Scottish population can decide for themselves: meekly behave as their colony or be Sovereign Scottish People!
I just read an article that Babcock have stated that they will relocate to England if Scotland becomes independent. Ha,ha,ha project fear part 2 .Rosyth is a 10 billion pound facility with 3 dry docks. 2 of 3 in the country that can facilitate the refit aircraft carriers the other facility is in Greenock. They all happen to be in Scotland na luck Boris. But I would say if Babcock do move take the 7 rotten nuclear hulks with you and stick them up the Thames.
We can then use Rosyth for ship building, creating a new container port with direct ferries to Europe.