The Scottish Parliament's citizen participation and public petition committee will be discussing the Inchgreen petition on Wednesday, September 11.

The campaign has forwarded its final submission, accompanied by submissions from Professor Alf Baird, a world renowned expert on trade, harbours and shipping, as well as from the ALBA Party and Ferguson Marine trade union representatives.

Unfortunately only one Inverclyde councillor, Keith Jackson, is supporting the Inchgreen petition. The Labour, SNP, and Conservative parties and independent council groups have tucked in behind Peel Ports as usual.

This private conglomerate not only controls our waterfront but has been favourably provided with public funds while strangling our national asset.

Hopefully, Holyrood may have a more positive view on our petition regarding the strangulation of our river, Inverclyde’s national asset and waterfront. 

It’s not too late to sign the petition, which has been signed by more than 1,500 people. You can do so at petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE2029.

Robert Buirds

Secretary, Campaign to Save Inchgreen Dry Dock 

A few days ago, West Dunbartonshire Council fell apart when two Labour councillors resigned from the party over feeling they had been ‘let down’ by UK Labour. 

I myself feel somewhat hoodwinked at the minute as well, so I can empathise with the aforementioned councillors. 

I think our reasonings will be similar.  I ‘loaned’ my vote to Labour, as I normally vote for another party, but was so desperate to remove the Tories, I really saw no other option. 

Now, only a couple of months later, I find myself having my winter fuel payment removed. This choice, that Chancellor Rachel Reeves has made, will be so damaging to many pensioners in Scotland this winter, where temperatures are lower, it’s colder for longer, and fuel bills are higher. How can they do this to us?

I really can see Labour voters being regretful of the choice they made on July 4, and 'buyer's remorse' setting in across thousands of pensioners for a start.

But added to this, it seems that a growing number of Labour’s own politicians, whose parents and grandparents will be suffering from the results of this cruel choice this winter, are also turning their backs on Labour. 

I wonder if any of our local Inverclyde Labour politicians have a conscience and will follow suit?

Isobel Main

Address supplied