ALISON IRVINE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, TRANSPORT SCOTLAND

Alison Irvine is a Civil Servant and Chief Executive of Transport Scotland.   Alison has been much in the news lately and entirely because of her two left feet colliding with a brain she clearly does not possess.  But,  back to the beginning.

Transport Scotland is,  at the time of writing,  what is known as an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government.  It is staffed by Civil Servants and reports directly to the Scottish Government.  There are no placemen,  or placewomen,  about the place but,  no doubt,  should the Nationalists continue in office,  sooner or later they will find ways to circumvent that.  The Agency states that 'we are the national transport agency for Scotland delivering the Scottish Government's vision for transport'.  That,  of course,  is no vision at all but let's move on and back to Alison.

Alison is top dog of the organisation of which there are nine of those things they call 'Directorates'. Nothing as simple as 'Departments' of course,  only 'Directorates'.  Our interest at present is in  the Ports and Ferries Directorate.  Currently,  the Scottish Transport Secretary is skinhead Stephen 'Tesco Boy' Flynn who is Alison's immediate political boss and a wrong un on whom we should keep a very close eye.

Sadly,  CMAL (Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd),  the firm that,  ultimately,  controls CalMac,  comes under the jurisdiction of this Ports and Ferries Directorate of the Scottish Government and that may explain an awful lot of the problems CMAL have experienced over the years - not that CMAL itself has ever had a very clean pair of hands in its own right. Be that as it may,  Alison recently insulted Scottish Islanders to a previously unparalled extent and with an unheard-of degree of stupidity all while giving evidence before a Scottish Parliamentary Committee.

While giving her evidence on the subject of appointments to Quangos,  Alison told the Committee that appointments to those Quangos were 'so complex that islanders would need mentoring and training to make them board-ready'.  The Committee,  along with everyone listening,  was aghast to hear such evidence coming from a senior Civil Servant.  Alison was stating directly that Scottish Islanders were  stupid, very, very thick and,  basically,  couldn't read a brief prepared by Alison and her people.

You've done us a great favour,  Alison,  now that we know.  If you had any decency you would tender your resignation in disgrace.  

Now.