Cromarty Rising

We were please to see an article in the Forres Gazette today regarding the recent Forres Community Council unanimous vote to oppose STS. See: http://www.forres-gazette.co.uk/News/Community-Council-opposes-oil-transfers-in-Firth-06022017.htm. Great, delighted to have Forres and every other community council on board. However, what really grabbed our attention is what the port said:

A CFPA spokesperson claimed the company had asked all 18,000 people living in communities that border the Cromarty Firth for feedback over the past 10 months. She added that, of the nine community councils asked, three confirmed they are against the application.

She said: “Our largest communities have no issues with the ship-to-ship oil transfer application and are content with the process we must undertake to ensure we have the necessary measures in place to protect the environment.

This is a new one – all 18,000 people living in communities bordering the Cromarty Firth were asked for feedback?  – we’re not even going to call it an “alternative fact” , a “post truth” or “misinformation” if this is true it is a blatant lie – plain and simple. How can these people be trusted? As a resident of the one of those communities, here’s some categoric facts:

• we have never been directly asked for feedback (unless you count an obscure advert in the classified section of the local newspaper the week before Xmas.)
• the CFPA has not  sent letters, emails or any other forms of communication to the 18,000 residents
• they have not held a public meeting to discuss this anywhere
• they have not knocked on doors
• they didn’t even make local community councils aware they had applied for this licence.
• they have never publicly polled residents or held any vote, referendum or otherwise.

This is one lie too far – of course they can get away with it because there is no-one to complain to – all we as stakeholders can do is take legal action if we have a problem with the way they operate. As lying is not a crime then there is absolutely nothing we can do except set the record straight and expose these people for what they are. Really, the clue should be in the name, Trust Port. There is no trust.

Cromarty District Community Council have undertaken a poll of other community council and now 26 oppose the application with 1 in favour. How can they say “our largest communities have no issues” when they have never been asked? If it is Invergordon they are referring to, then the we’ve already reported on how the decision by Invergordon CC was made without gauging local opinion and while actually denying that that they were even discussing STS to a member of the public. We have met many people in Invergordon who are opposed to this application – a straw poll was suggest as many as 9 out of 10 that we have spoken to.

So here’s a challenge to the CFPA – run a referendum covering coastal communities that could be in anyway affected by this proposal. See how many people actually want this – then feel free to make whatever claim they want based on the facts. Or they could just drop this once and for all.