Dangerous waters

August 29th, 2011

The Song of a Clyde is a tribute to a river so important to the wellbeing and prosperity of the people and communities who live on either side of her.

While the glory days may have gone, it is important to remember that our river is still one of the busiest in Britain.

To those of us in Inverclyde, we have all watched the ferries crossing, the cruise ships arriving, the submarines exercising and goods being transported in to the terminal.

And of course, we have the magnificent spectacle of the Tall Ships sailing up the river just a few weeks ago.

The safe passage of all of this activity is ensured and managed by the coastguard services at the Navy Buildings in Eldon Street.

What we witness though is only a small part of the job they do, working along the longest coastline of any coastguard centre, stretching from Fort William to Stranraer and all the islands in between.

Against that backdrop, the government’s decision to cut this service bears no logic – it’s simply daft and dangerous.

We have until October 6th to do all we can to reverse this decision.

To ensure a successful campaign to stop the cuts and save this important service, we have to work across community boundaries, political parties and parliaments.

I would urge anyone who values the local knowledge and skills of our local coastguard team to play their part, either by signing the petition, visiting the campaign website, taking part in the government consultation or even just mentioning to a family member or friend.

The campaign website is www.nosh-it.net/keepclydecoastguard/ and the petition can be signed at www.ipetitions.com/petition/saveclydecoastguard/.

Together, we can make this government think again about these reckless cost-cutting measures that threaten the safety of our community.

www.duncanmcneil.com