Today my guests are Douglas Chapman MP of the SNP, Professor Alf Baird who discuss with me the lack of port facilities in Scotland and the missed opportunities to grow our economy abd support our exporters.
Later I am joined by Iain Lawson and Phil Boswell of the SNP to discuss the weeks current events appertaining to Scotland.Get yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy, comment and share!
Fascinating and enlightening discussion from all contributors as usual. Knocks Sunday Politics Scotland over the cliff.
Brilliant discussion. It’s not just the EU, but Nordic countries, including Iceland and Greenland, and a potential regular freight and passenger service on the west coast to Canada and the US. We have a massive opportunity to use our independence as the vehicle to once again take our place as one of the world’s great seafaring nations. We are a nautical nation who’s history is replete with trade across the seas, long before the english ever got involved. Add up the EU, Nordic nations and North American continent, we’d be a very busy and profitable nation in a fairly short time with a lot of jobs for our citizens.
It would be a very Scottish thing to do.
I’m going to be brutally honest listen to the first half of your show today was like taking a dose of penicillin, the content was extremely interesting but the life and sole of the conversation was you and Professor Alf Baird and Douglas Chapman MP had no interest in the conversation or the subject this is exactly what we took from the show today. I can now see why the SNP has motivation on Independence it isn’t just the leader is the whole party and their MSP MP.
I think you do Douglas a massive disservice. You mistake his calm demeanour for disinterest.
As someone who had a house in the Charente, SW France for 11 years I priced up the ferry from Rosyth to Ze Brugge and it was far too expensive. A lot cheaper taking the pain of driving to the south coast. That was from the start. They eventually in its last couple of years stopped public travel. Only trucks. It has been tried. If it could be successful just do it. What is holding Scot Gov back. ?..Maybe because they are not very good. Not got a good track record.
The English weanted Berwick for our ports.
Nothing has changed over the centuries.
This was an excellent show, Roddy. The guests Prof Alf and MP Douglas were very informative, as to what is happening re Ports & even more importantly, what ISN’T happening. I felt Douglas was a bit non-committal, as in having to be careful not to criticise SNP/Scotgov but it seems to me they have a lot to answer for. Alf, quite rightly, made it clear that the difficulties getting a port system could really only be made profitable with INDEPENDENCE. That IS the answer. And I wish Douglas had been more forthcoming about that. While I understand absolutely he is working hard to get a Ferry operating, I fear he is avoiding the whole elephant in the room – a reluctant SNP telling WM ‘THIS is what we are doing re Ports & you have to suck that up’.
As said by Phil in the 2nd half of the program – Scotgov HAS TO start talking & working as though we are already an independent nation. Scotgov is not doing that. Au contraire, they seem to be even more inclined to kow tow to bozo & his mates than previously. That is NOT ‘working for Scotland’. No matter how she dresses it up, Sturgeon is not doing her best for Scotland or Scots. And she’s not able or willing to do anything to change that, while she has her minions pointing their barbs in Jo Cherry’s back.
I thought Phil would have a heart attack, he was so angry about the way those immature, nasty, spoilt brats in the NEC positions have bullied her. They are bad! But even worse are the supposed ‘adults’, the elected members that put their signatures to that letter. I hope each & every one of them lose their positions at the next election. It’s only what they deserve. NOT because I disagree with them. But because of their vicious, nasty lies they’re willing to spout, to get what they want – rid of the most intelligent, caring & hard working MP among them. (Course that bothers them muchly, that she IS so much more intelligent, caring & hard working than them!)
An interesting point – why is no one bringing up the point that the GRA/HC Bill should not be in front of Parl if it has not been passed by Conference? Surely SOMEONE in SNP has the guts to stand up & ask. How can every single MP/MSP continue to go to work every day, knowing they are taking part in such a charade of ‘democracy’ and allowing Scotland/Scots/their constituents, the people who voted for them, to be treated in such an irresponsible & contemptible manner?? It’s beyond belief.
Thank you again for such a good prog, BB and all who took part! I totally enjoyed today’s program.
Part One with Alf and Douglas, excellent, BB. No country, surrounded by sea, can afford not to have well-maintained, strategic ports to link it with the world. The complete lack of HQs up here is also a huge issue because, sooner or later, our businesses are moved south and we have to start importing even common, everyday articles because we have little manufacturing capacity left. There are so many people with so many excellent and workable ideas out there that I feel like screaming sometimes when they are totally disregarded.
Part Two with Iain and Phil, also excellent. Phil made a very crucial point: most of these trans warrior MSPs and MPs are gay and have no children. The ones who are gay must know perfectly well that: a) being gay is very different from being trans, although it is very probable, especially amongst girls, that gay people are being transitioned (now that’s conversion therapy!); b) that not having children, they seem hell-bent on this nonsense about “I was born in the wrong body” because it justifies the transitioning of children and young people. It is an utter disgrace that elected representatives of the people push this s***e. Iain is right: fascist government is coming to a Scotland and UK near you. This faction needs to be brought crashing down if we are to have any hope of independence. If this stuff is brought in either before the end of the year or in the early New Year, we should out the MSPs who vote for it and mark them. Get a campaign started: If you wouldn’t agree that the Moon is made of Gruyere, why are you in agreement with this c**p? Give them a wee taste of what they have been dishing out to decent people who have been trying to fight this anti science and anti biology.
As 100% YES says at 7.01pm , I also have to be brutally honest ( I have watched all your prisms and have loved most of them , I also love your honesty and the mowhawks honesty I encourage everyone to watch them and be entertained and educated ) BUT I have to agree with 100% YES , Douglas Chapman was LESS than inspiring , he uttered agreement at all the things Alf Baird was proposing and even said that his , Chapman’s proposal for Rosyth was coming along but couldn’t give a timeline , FFS Chapman has been a MP since 2015 within the SNP and this is supposed to inspire people and encourage them to vote for independence
In 2015 the SNP continued to be the Scottish government , WE elected them to GOVERN Scotland , Chapman is part of that government where has he been and what has he been doing for nearly 7 years , Alf Baird has done more for Scotland’s shipping than the WHOLE of the SNP government
I know you and the mowhawk like and respect Douglas Chapman but I despise him and his fellow craven traitorous cowards for FAILING TOTALLY to protect Scotland from that poisonous psychopathic narcissist who is more interested in her perversions than the people of Scotland , WHY won’t these supposed decent ???? people EXPOSE and oppose this deviant and protect their fellow citizens by being honest , party loyalty should NEVER come before country
Another great hour of discussion. Huge lost opportunities.
There are still things we can do under devolution to temper the behaviour of companies like forth ports. Levy a tax on them if they don’t play ball and act in a manner that will benefit Scotland. I suspect however that the Scottish govt is completely swamped with lobbyists with brown envelopes.
it needs shipping companies to call at these ports and routes to have traffic. The newcastle bergen route and ejsberg route has closed. Shipping is done by private companies and they go where the demand is
Good point Bruce, which is why Alba and other pro Indy parties need to be speaking to EFTA right now and putting the single market membership in their manifesto with a time frame.
All this talk about ports, Cockenzie etc, just shows the dearth of any effort, will or vision by sturgeon and the SNP to do anything to promote a vision of how successful and wealthy Scotland will be. What is actually wrong with these people, apart from them being total cuckoos in the nest. How much proof do we need.?
Meanwhile the tories gerrymandering and corrupting their way through our sovereignty and our welfare. Let’s get this declared and have at them. Now! Stand out of the way sturgeon, and shove your S30 guess where.
As for JC, we are up against BIG Trans and the money behind this.
re trans situation, follow the money
https://caltonjock.com/2021/11/21/its-a-stonewall-certainty-that-sturgeon-will-force-her-transgender-agenda-on-scotland-rich-men-are-calling-the-tune/
Just a thought here, as I don’t know the answer. Are the waters deep enough next to Inverness to build a cruise ship port, along with the landbased infrastructure to handle a boat load of tourists at once? Has any company tried this already?
Invergordon is a deep water port near Inverness Alex, cruise ships use it all the time, including the big yins, then you have the likes of Kishorn on the West Coast where the largest floating concrete structure was built in the 70s, it even had its own spur line of the Kyle Inverness rail line to transport materials for the Ninian Alpha, I hear Phil speaking about ports down the Clyde being suitable for west coast oil and gas, , again Kishorn, Ullapool, Kinlochbervie and Clash all more suitable as closer to the proposed areas where oil would be found,
I think most of us are totally against the chixwithdix and mannieswithfannies brigade that have dug in at nuSNP HQ, but you have to follow the money, its where big pharma see their next big pay day, on a similar note, someone mentioned that the signatories of the “letter” being gay or lesbian, I would say that most of the elected members of the party are gay or lesbian, and this is just another chance to take parents freedoms away, just like the named person scheme a few years back making it that professionals know more about our own kids than we do, time for the SNP, or is it the NSP or is it the NSDAP to gettifuk