Free market is delivering substandard services when it comes to ferries
At last, some self awareness and honesty from our MP Bob Seely.
His letter regarding the Isle of Wight ferry services is a long winded way of him saying, that since 2018, he has overseen the reduction in ferry services to their current level, whilst at the same time telling us what great work he has done.
Creating his very own Schroedinger’s ferries.
He is now, at last, admitting that there is little or nothing that he can do whilst they remain privately owned.
His government is psychopathically wedded to the free market, yet schreech from the sidelines when that market delivers sub standard services.
On his point about the council 'asking for more power'.
If it is that simple, why has it taken him five years to suggest it as a possibility (3.5 of those years with a Conservative council at the helm).
Bob knows his government will never deliver on the needs of Island residents, he’s still nowhere near delivering the promised Island Deal and is busy readying his support for Boris Johnson, in the hope it lets him off the hook for his lockdown BBQ breach.
Private companies will always put profit and dividends ahead of Islanders.
The sensible solution would be to extend the return of rail franchises to government ownership to the ferry companies.
That way we can insist on obligatory service levels, not just the minimum.