£3.73 wrote:I would love to be proved wrong on the ferry issue.
However, I've personally always felt that Kintyre's greatest asset, and greatest loss is it's people, especially the young. Too many are forced to leave to seek education/jobs etc and never come back.
It seems to me that if you are going to subsidise anything, subsidise those people, who may hold the key to future economic success for the area.
There is nothing wrong chasing inward investment. It is however shameful that there's precious little being done to stem this exodus of our own people.
(and yes, I remain sceptical at best that the White Elephant Line is the best solution to the areas economic woes).
Would agree with much of what you say here.
Campbeltown/Kintyre is not unique in losing so much of its youth through lack of local opportunity and prospects.
Depopulation has been a problem in outlying areas for decades, particularly some of the islands, and in some areas it is coupled with an influx of well-heeled retirees who are seeking the elusive “rural idyll”. This changes the demographic mix of the area and pushes up both the average age of the population and the property prices, so that in many places, the property market is outwith the reach of young locals. There is not enough social housing to fill the gap and they have to leave the area.
So far as the “White Elephant Line” is concerned, I don’t think anyone would be naïve enough to think that all of Kintyre’s economic problems would be solved at a stroke merely by virtue of he fact that a ferry is running back and forth to Ireland (with or without Ayrshire). If the ferry did come to fruition, any benefits that Campbeltown and Kintyre in general could glean from it would need to be worked for in conjunction with the relevant agencies, and would only be as a result of joined up thinking and action on economic development and strategy.
It is a chicken and egg situation. Unless a ferry service is established and confidently expected to be there for the foreseeable future, it is a risk for businesses to invest in catering for the new markets that it would open up, but conversely, unless the ferry is being supported, then it may itself be at risk.
Also, let’s not look at the ferry in an insular way. If and when it is up and running, the service, if successful, would be a national asset, and would give access to Ireland for a large portion of Scotland without having to go down through the Central Belt. (and vice versa) The ferry is not just for Campbeltown, although the town could potentially benefit greatly from it.
All of this will depend on whether the fare structure is realistic. It would be unfortunate if the service priced itself out of the market before it started.
