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Polling: 2017 General Election, Council Elections and Independence


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39 minutes ago, G51 said:

Scotland has many deep cultural, economic and social ties to Northern Ireland and the Republic. That ferry link is extremely important to retaining those, and the maintenance of those ties is far more important than giving whisky companies a cheaper freight route to the continent.

FWIW, £17m a year on that subsidy is absolutely nothing. It costs £46m a year to subsidise Serco Northlink, despite their Scrabster - Stromness ferry being completely useless.

Read my original post where I never criticised the Cairnryan to NI route and long may it continue. Like many Scots I have used it a few times, ditto with the Scrabster -Stromness, I only mentioned that the uk government had recently invested more financially in the route and asked why they don't invest in Rosyth.

Other ferry routes are subsidised, plus the subsidy for the three NI ferry routes came to £35 Million, that's in addition to the £17 Million I mentioned, but as I said why not and long may it continue.

You are right in that Scotland has many cultural ties with the Ireland and I have never heard any complaints against or demands for the ferry route to be abolished.

My point was and is that Rosyth to a European port is far more commercially viable to Scottish exporters and why don't the uk government invest in it.

What I don't understand is why you grudge whisky companies or any trading company cheaper freight routes to the continent? you defend the NI ferry routes, nothing wrong with that, but deny your own countrymen access to the largest trading bloc in the world.

As a btw do you know that, according to the BBC, since Brexit one pallet cots £50 - £350 more to transport to NI.

 

 

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36 minutes ago, Dunning1874 said:

Ferry between Scotland & Northern Ireland - 2 hour crossing, the most practical way of moving goods between Scotland, NI & ROI

Ferry between Scotland & Belgium - 20 hour crossing, slower than driving to an English port or the Channel Tunnel

Having that link would be no bad thing, especially in the event of an independent Scotland in the EU, but this is not a like for like comparison

You're right, a Rosyth - Continent ferry freight and passenger route would be an essential asset for an Independent Scotland, given the problems that has arisen with the Irish/NI border with Brexit I would expect we would have a similar impact with our border. 

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2 hours ago, GordonS said:

Do you mean Belgium? I wasn't aware of a Scotland - Netherlands service, though there was talk of one starting a couple of years ago.

Yes you are right, my wife and her mates used the Rosyth - Zeebrugge some years back, somehow I remembered it was the Hook of Holland but she corrected me when she got in.

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1 hour ago, invergowrie arab said:

Is massively quicker to drive to Folkestone than sail from Rosyth and the vast majority of Scottish exports are "just in time" products 

It'll become critical when Scotland re-enters the single market in the same way as the ferry direct from Ireland to France has become much busier since 1 January. 

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36 minutes ago, Pato said:

You can't get a boat sesh going in 2 hours tbh and on this basis Rosyth-Zeebrugge is the superior ferry.

Not with that attitude.

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23 minutes ago, SandyCromarty said:

Yes you are right, my wife and her mates used the Rosyth - Zeebrugge some years back, somehow I remembered it was the Hook of Holland but she corrected me when she got in.

We went Rosyth-Zebrugge on honeymoon 18 years ago, it was a fantastic boat. It was great arriving home fresh and relaxed too, instead of at the end of a long journey. But IIRC it wasn't making enough money on freight.

Two years ago we came back from holiday on the IJmuiden-Newcastle ferry, it was almost as good and the food was excellent.

Not sure what this has to do with polling, mind...

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10 minutes ago, GordonS said:

We went Rosyth-Zebrugge on honeymoon 18 years ago, it was a fantastic boat. It was great arriving home fresh and relaxed too, instead of at the end of a long journey. But IIRC it wasn't making enough money on freight.

Two years ago we came back from holiday on the IJmuiden-Newcastle ferry, it was almost as good and the food was excellent.

Not sure what this has to do with polling, mind...

Sounds better than the tiring uk motorway journeys, the uk being elongated we only have the M1 and M6 motorways north and south and they both obviously serve cities and large conurbations, so if you hit peak times with traffic gridlocked or there is a serious crash with fatalities it means major delays.

There is the M6 Toll which runs for 27 miles and avoids the Birmingham snarl, that's a relief but it should be longer.

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1 hour ago, GordonS said:

We went Rosyth-Zebrugge on honeymoon 18 years ago, it was a fantastic boat. It was great arriving home fresh and relaxed too, instead of at the end of a long journey. But IIRC it wasn't making enough money on freight.

Two years ago we came back from holiday on the IJmuiden-Newcastle ferry, it was almost as good and the food was excellent.

Not sure what this has to do with polling, mind...

Poor Mrs GordonS  :(

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Guest Bob Mahelp
4 hours ago, John Lambies Doos said:
6 hours ago, Pato said:
You can't get a boat sesh going in 2 hours tbh and on this basis Rosyth-Zeebrugge is the superior ferry.

You disappoint me, you could get a sesh between Largs and Millport. 2hrs is plenty

Not to be pedantic, but the Largs to Cumbrae ferry literally takes 10 minutes. 

I could only get half cut in that time. 

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There are currently in no UK passenger ferry services to Scandinavia.

There is a freight route, but it is a 26 hour route from Immingham to Sweden. 

Surely then a big gap in the market for a Rosyth-Stavanger combined passenger/ freight service.

Regardless...... if Scotgov are serious about laying down the foundations for us rejoining the EU, they have to seriously think about building up our port infrastructure and connections on the East coast.

Methil docks is the obvious example of a mothballed existing structure with container port potential. Once the rail link is back in to Levenmouth even more so. As it stands at the moment, all the below is currently just crumbling into the sea

image.png.c646ec36d342e2cf665c2a4adf1f7e7a.png

Edited by git-intae-thum
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3 minutes ago, git-intae-thum said:

Regardless...... if Scotgov are serious about laying down the foundations for us rejoining the EU, they have to seriously think about building up our port infrastructure and connections on the East coast.

Regardless they'll have to wait until we're independent to do so.

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