As we come up to the second anniversary of the Skye Bridge's opening, SKAT is able to count significant success and to look forward to some crucial months ahead.
In the immediate future, we are looking forward to landmark decisions at several levels within the Court system which may well give us a major break we know will come sooner or later. Very significantly, also, the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons will discuss the National Audit Office Report on the Skye Bridge Project on 17th November. Given the devastating nature of the NAO Report, what the MP's decide to do could affect the whole issue of tolls on new roads in Britain.
In terms of SKAT's own organisation, we are averaging roughly double the number of people at each weekly meeting than we had at the same time last year. Support is still strong, though we all miss those who are no longer with us: the death of Peter Findlay and Tommy Paterson robbed us of good friends; Robbie the Pict is fighting Sheriffs on many fronts, Alastair and Sheena Scott are fighting tigers in Kathmandu and Myrna is fighting Gaelic books at Edinburgh University! Though we miss them, and others, from our meetings we know that they continue to support our goals and that they will return someday. Many others, whom we saw regularly at first, come to meetings only occasionally now, while we have gained some new, active members over the past six months.
Obviously, things change, but we would like to pull the early solid and committed support for SKAT, and for our goals, together again in the run-up to the winter's events. To this end, we are planning a demonstration on the Bridge on SATURDAY 1ST NOVEMBER; this will be the first demonstration since the new policy of non-passage was introduced for non-payers and, with the Kylerhea ferry off by then, the whole question of the alternative route can be tested to the full.
We have decided to hold our AGM on Saturday 8th November at 6:00 p.m. in the Royal Hotel, Portree, when office bearers will be elected again. It is important we get a good and representative turn-out, and we would appeal to you to continue your support for the anti-toll campaign by turning up at the AGM and helping in the months ahead.
Our support at political level is still strong, the media still give us good coverage and we continue to make gains in our battles in the Courts.
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Copyright © Ray Shields, 2001.
Most recent revision, 03 December 2001