AS the interminable ferry saga rumbles on it is perhaps worth noting that none of the opposition parties seems willing to answer the question as to what they would have done had they been in power.

To recap, seven bids were received from six bidders. Of these, four bids were discounted as posing unacceptable risks. The remaining three were scored, with FMEL coming out on top. Despite having the highest cost it also had the highest quality, with the head of CMAL saying he’d never seen such a detailed tender specification in all his years in shipbuilding. For CMAL more detail should have meant less risk of "surprises" further down the line.

The main concern of CMAL’s board however was the lack of a refund guarantee despite FMEL having agreed to this in its bid. However dropping it and selecting another bidder was also deemed not to be without risk. This was highlighted in an email from Transport Scotland in October 2015 which quotes CMAL senior executives as saying “CMAL would be facing similar problems no matter who the preferred tenderer was”.

It goes on to state – somewhat prophetically – that these same senior executives “also made the point that despite receiving stronger financial assurances in previous shipbuilding contracts they still subsequently faced problems, and in one instance significant challenges, during the construction phase”.

The CMAL board was therefore simply highlighting the risk to it of FMEL going into liquidation. There would be a consequent financial impact on CMAL’s ability to continue operating if it was unable to repay the loans forwarded to it by the Scottish Government due to the lack of a refund guarantee. Going to another bidder who could provide a refund guarantee still didn’t eliminate the possibility of the project going pear-shaped, especially with a less detailed specification.

CMAL was nevertheless confident that if the Scottish Government underwrote the outstanding part of the guarantee then the award could proceed as it had taken legal advice that any court challenge from the other bidders could be successfully defended. (Personally I would dispute that).

The Scottish ministers for their part had received advice from their own legal and finance departments who were "content" with the option of using a loan facility to overcome the problem. This is also noted in the email. In other words, the residual risk now lay with FMEL’s ability to build the two ferries on time and to budget. But that risk would apply to any other bidder.

Given that CMAL’s board wanted to start again whilst its senior executives were warning that this would not necessarily remove the risk of failure with a new preferred bidder, what precisely were the Scottish ministers supposed to do?

Robert Menzies, Falkirk.

WE THE VOTERS ARE TO BLAME

THE media has been full of establishing who is responsible for the Calmac fiasco. On being questioned about it the First Minister stated the buck stopped with her under the premise of collective as opposed to personal responsibility.

This comes after the Rangers and Salmond disasters, which like the Calmac one are going to cost the taxpayer many millions of pounds. Usually the person responsible either resigns or is sacked or demoted. This never seems to happen when the Scottish Government is involved. Those in power hope that by the time the usual review taking place is published, everyone will have forgotten or those responsible have been promoted or moved on and no action is able to be taken against them.

On reflection the First Minister's statement that there is collective responsibility is very true but the responsibility does not stop with her Cabinet. It extends to every Scottish citizen who has to take responsibility, because by a number voting in the Scottish National Party and the Greens we all have to pick up the bill (collectively) for their incompetence.

Richard Wiggins, Prestwick.

GET BACK TO SCHOOLS' FORMER GLORIES

I NOTE with interest Caroline Wilson's article on schools in city centres ("Building schools ‘will be key to saving city centres’", The Herald, April 2). There were several schools in central Glasgow 70-plus years ago: Glasgow High School, Allan Glen’s School, Park School, Glasgow Academy and more. They were within easy access by bus, train and subway. Allan Glen’s was the first outstanding engineering school in Europe.

A few months ago there was the obituary of a lad from Monkston who attended Allan Glen’s School. He had gone on to earn a worldwide reputation for expertise in gas turbines.

The main feature of these schools were that they were academically selective and socially comprehensive. Nowadays our schools are socially selective and academically comprehensive. The "lad of pairts" has poorer prospects of succeeding.

Yes, build schools within the city centre and regain our reputation of producing people of outstanding talent.

Iain MacInnes, Glasgow.

SHOULD BRAVEHEART BE CANCELLED?

I’VE just watched the start of the multi-Oscar-winning 1995 epic film Braveheart. It comes with warnings of “strong language”, “graphic violent scenes” and “sexual violence”.

Although I’ve seen the film a few times, it still grates with me. I have to point out that the BBC did not prepare me for the scenes of historical inaccuracy, Glescae dialect, stereotypical dress sense and more.

Although it could be argued that we need to become more woke, perhaps there is also an argument that some of us, who are a wee bit more aware of historical context, have not been asleep? Should this film be cancelled? Will the statue of Mel Gibson at the foot of the Wallace Monument be dumped in the Forth? Hmm...

David Corstorphine, Cellardyke.

WHERE COUNCIL SHOULD SAY SORRY

I’M sure many welcomed Glasgow City Council's apology for the city’s links to the slave trade.

How about an apology for the filthy state of Glasgow’s litter-strewn pavements and, even better, something being done about it?

George Moore, Glasgow.

THEREBY HANGS A TALE

VISITORS to Ayr for the races last weekend will have been amused to spot a rash of fly posters on lampposts in the much- decimated town centre declaring "Multi Story Car Park Kyle Centre Open Now". Quite appropriate, one observes, as this year is designated Scotland's Year of Stories.

Norman McLean, Ayr.