By Carole Dennett
Everyone else seems to think New Year is the perfect time for change, but personally, I dislike January 1 almost as much as my birthday. Why celebrate the passing of another year, when – as sure as night follows day – good and bad things can happen at any time? Fate doesn’t recognise dates; only humans do!
January sees the highest number of divorce proceedings begin. Having been thrown together on Christmas Eve, couples are sick of the sight of each other by the time it’s all over.
As 2023 gets underway, political optimism is in particularly short supply, but that’s nothing new. In 2010, “Vote for change” was David Cameron’s slogan. Thirteen years later, Kier Starmer will use it again, particularly if the NHS ‘crisis’ brings Rishi’s lot down. If you really want a laugh, 26 years ago, Tony Blair claimed we only had “24 hours to save the NHS” – if we voted for him of course. In every year since, the NHS has had real terms increases in spending, but it hasn’t really worked, has it? Our NHS is no longer the envy of anyone at all, let alone the world. It badly needs root and branch reform
Locally, I want to redouble my effort to bring about change to the way the ferries serve us. Unfathomably, some Islanders seem happy to take what they’re given and pay the price demanded. It’s a terrible way to carry on; nowhere else in Britain has vital public transport links run in such a ridiculous way. Nowhere else are people so badly served when they simply need to reach neighbouring towns and cities. Last year saw RNLI lifeboats called on to transfer the sick from our failing hospital to the mainland, as if we were some offshore ship in distress, not an Island within spitting distance!
The Island’s ferries are expensive, often cancelled without notice, and lack peak-time capacity. We suffer ongoing crew shortages, mechanical issues, compass failures, fog, wind and excess salt in the water! We’re all bored to tears by their endless excuses and dodgy statistics. Laughingly, both operators claim that 99 per cent of sailings go on time and as scheduled, despite our experience being somewhat different. The Island’s woolly-headed MP and councils of all colours are no help; they consistently failed to bring about any meaningful change.
Almost uniquely, I opted out, choosing instead to cross back and forth in a small boat. Without embarrassment, not one but two Wightlink captains have since told me, “You keep going when we’re tied up.” My little vessel is just 21 feet long, and the weather can be challenging, but those seamen needn’t be embarrassed. For the avoidance of doubt, I don’t blame them or their management either, despite Wightlink’s most senior executive trousering a cool £2 million in salary and bonus in two years. That tasty take-away couldn’t have been for providing us with great ferry services, could it? A chief executive’s job is to serve his business owners and shareholders, to maximise their return or profit. Ferry investors are under no obligation at all to provide any ferry services. If you or I were Elon Musk for a day, we could buy the ferries and tie them up indefinitely.
This sorry state of affairs must change, either with a public service obligation, a ferry regulator, subsidy or a fixed link, or perhaps all four. Our ongoing connectivity issues are a complete failure of the original privatisation, and our challenge for 2023 is to persuade our dozy elected representatives to put that right.
The Island’s economy, healthcare and way of life are in perpetual crisis and only our elected representatives have the ability to change that. To save the Island, act they must!
