A veteran Western Isles councillor has warned “remote” mainland officials fail to grasp the full scale of Scotland’s ferries crisis.
Uisdean Robertson, who represents North Uist, claimed only those affected by cancelled sailings understand how bad the situation is.
The independent councillor also told MPs in Westminster he constantly sees ignorant comments moaning about how much coverage the crisis is given.
Speaking at the Scottish Affairs Committee, Mr Robertson took aim at government agency Transport Scotland and the ferry operators.
“I don’t think officials in Transport Scotland or CalMac or CMAL or any of these organisations understand the impact it has,” he said.
“I think you have to live it to really understand the problems it has caused our community.
“The decisions are taken by people who are remote from the disturbance it causes.”
In June, hundreds of South Uist residents turned out for a major protest over services from Lochboisdale to the mainland constantly being axed.
Locals said they feel “forgotten, abandoned and ignored” and fear there will be an exodus from the islands as a result of transport woes.
In February, Mr Robertson warned residents had endured a “perfect storm” due to airport strikes alongside ferry disruption.
Two new CalMac ferries, being built by Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow, were first meant to start sailing in 2018.
But construction of the vessels has been bogged down by delays and five years later neither boat is serving passengers.
Vital services for remote communities have regularly been redirected to serve other routes due to a shortage of available ferries.
Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross – who is on the Scottish Affairs Committee – has regularly highlighted the crisis during First Minister’s Questions.
During the hearing, he brought up an old message posted on social media by committee chairman Pete Wishart – an SNP MP – criticising the attention he had given to the scandal.
In May 2022, Mr Wishart wrote: “Ferries, ferries, ferries, ferries, ferries and then some more ferries. And did I mention the ferries. Every week.”
Speaking at the committee, the Perthshire nationalist defended himself and said many of his constituents were frustrated other problems were not getting the same airtime.
But Mr Robertson said: “We’re aware of that tweet.
“We discussed it before we came into the meeting and we thought, well, the chair certainly hasn’t invited us to talk about ferries.
“That’s the kind of reaction you do get from people who don’t really understand the problems it’s causing.
“I’m quite clear that anybody who doesn’t live on an island doesn’t understand the impact it has.”
