Head of education, campaigns and organising for the General Federation of Trade Unions HENRY FOWLER explains why it is launching a fund to support trades councils and give them access to a new range of courses and resources
A paradise lost in Ardrossan’s empty harbour
Mismanagement, privatisation and EU rules have strangled vital ferry services, leaving Scotland’s island communities stranded and the once-bustling ports of my youth in what feels like terminal decline, laments MATT KERR

TRIPS to the Ardrossan harbour used to be frequent and a joy — there’s a sentence you won’t read every day.
I grew up just down the road in Saltcoats, near a beach that used to fill up with tourists from Glasgow, even after the advent of the Spanish package holiday.
Some days, Arran looks close enough that you could reach out and touch it from Saltcoats beach, other times, even in the best of weather, it seems to disappear altogether, the black and white striped ferry remaining reassuringly visible.
More from this author
Similar stories

Locals have been let down by procrastination over the upgrade to Ardrossan Harbour, says KATY CLARK MSP