RECENT Herald articles “One of CalMac's oldest ferries to be scrapped in November” (August 2) and “Island relying on ferry 'that should be scrapped' in new CalMac crisis” (August 3) indicate a provision of service to the islands that goes beyond the worst predictions.

Those to blame for where we are, are Transport Scotland (TS) and Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL), financially controlled under the "leadership" of a succession of incompetent transport ministers. Under the SNP the vessel procurement levels and launchings have been 50% below that of other administrations in the previous 17 years.

CalMac has partially been the victim of the above, under very weak leadership with a general "no-can-do approach"; with its level of incompetence and lack of customer care it should certainly not be exclusively awarded an extension of the Clyde & Hebrides Ferry Services Contract (CHFS). It is too simplistic for TS to do that, it ignores the needs of island communities, their residents, their visitors, and their failing economies.

There are several aspects of this that are broken beyond repair.

1, The current tripartite arrangement (TS, CMAL & CalMac).

2, Quick turnover of transport ministers, with an average time in post of approximately one year.

3, Too many people, at all levels in the system, who haven't got a clue about what ferry services are about.

3, The nationalisation of Fergusons and a suggestion that the yard should be awarded future contracts despite its record.

4, The CHFS contract model and refusal by ministers to review it, alter it or at least debundle it.

5, Those making disastrous decisions in recent years should not escape sacking because of their failure. To date no one has lost their job over the shambles.

6, As an example, I give you Exhibit "A": the recent decision to procure the new CalMac £18.5 million ticketing and booking system, with six years to implement it, without being "road-tested" prior to going live. It is patently not fit for purpose, never was, and never will be.

7, CMAL’s CEO Kevin Hobbs (a mining engineer) boasts that there will be six new vessels in service by 2026. This demonstrates a complete disconnect with what island communities are currently experiencing after years of incompetence.

8, The ultimate insult must be the recent revelation that some CalMac directors have not set foot on an island or even a ferry.

As if the above were not sufficiently concerning, we have the recent announcement that after significant multi-million-pound repair costs and a full 12 months out of service (2023), the Hebridean Isles is to be scrapped later this year. At the same time Fergusons announced that there would be further delays to the delivery from the yard of the MV Glen Sannox, which almost certainly makes it most unlikely that she can be in service before 2025.

Bourach does not begin to cover it.

Neil Arthur, Kilpatrick, Isle of Arran.

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Words matter in this debate

KEVIN McKenna and Professor June Andrews do us a valuable service when they point out that Liam McArthur’s Assisted Dying Bill is not actually about assisted dying but about legalised euthanasia ("We quibble over words; assisted dying is really legalised euthanasia", The Herald, August 5, 2024.) It’s not just a "quibble" about words. It’s more serious. The title of the bill involves a deliberate manipulation of language to obscure from the reader the real intention of the author. As Professor Andrews points out, the expression "assisted dying" sounds like "help when I’m dying". Nobody in their right minds would disagree with "help when I’m dying".

Mr McArthur reveals his true intentions on Page 3 of the foreword to the bill. He writes: "Assisted Dying means the practice whereby a person diagnosed with a terminal illness is given the choice to end their own life, by means of medication provided by a doctor for that purpose." So his definition of "assisted dying" is actually a description of assisted suicide. Suicide is not dying: it’s a form of killing.

There have been more honest representations of what is at stake, and Mr McArthur is aware of them. Again in his foreword he writes: "We feel that it is appropriate to use assisted dying as the umbrella term here but note that previous attempts (Assisted Suicide (Scot) Bill) referenced assisted suicide." He’s aware that the term "assisted suicide" is too near the truth and previous attempts to introduce it have failed. So he calls it a more palatable - but misleading - term, "assisted dying".

Words matter. Thanks to Kevin McKenna and Professor Andrews for alerting us.

David Kennedy, Glasgow.

Crack down on football's actors

IN Saturday’s Herald (August 2) Matthew Lindsay lists "five things I’d love to see in Scottish football (but know won’t happen)". Surely he’s missed out the most important game spoiler that every genuine football supporter would love to see called out? I am of course referring to the Oscar performances we see almost every time a player is touched by a member of the opposing team.

We would see an end to this cheating if the football authorities had the guts to introduce sanctions for unjustified diving. I am sure that a few yellow cards or 20 minutes in the sin bin would quickly stamp out this invidious practice.

Alan McGibbon, Paisley.

Liam McArthurLiam McArthur (Image: PA)

Cycle of despair

CONCERNING cycle lanes; I had an experience just yesterday that might interest Steve Barnet (Letters, August 7). Wearing not a trace of Lycra I was cycling toward traffic lights, intending to turn right, on a fairly narrow road and with oncoming traffic. I was, as I should have been, hugging my side of the centreline, hopefully allowing cars going straight ahead to pass to the left of me. However, this manoeuvre didn't please the driver behind, who, as he passed shouted "get on the ******* pavement". I wish drivers would make up their ****** minds.

John Jamieson, Ayr.

Dining problems stacking up

IT seems to be obligatory nowadays for restaurants to serve food stacked up into a tower in the middle of the plate and the heap has to be dismembered before the food can be eaten. This form of "presentation" seems to be designed for its appearance on television cookery programmes.

The limitation imposed by the traditional convention of meat and two vegetables has long been superseded but there was some merit in its unstated acknowledgement of practicality.

Chefs should be reminded that their function is to provide attractive and accessible food, not to decorate plates.

Peter Dryburgh, Edinburgh.