Now at 115,000 members and in some polls level with Labour in terms of public support, CHRIS JARVIS looks at the factors behind the rapid rise of the Greens, internal and external
It's time to end the chaos in Scotland's ferry service
Publicly owned CalMac, which provides lifeline ferry services to many inhabited islands, is in crisis — we must centre island communities and unions in creating a new system, with the boats built here in Scotland, writes KATY CLARK MSP

FERRIES on routes which islanders rely on for essential travel to work, for medical appointments or to see family, are frequently cancelled at short notice causing chaos.
The problems mainly result from the failure of the Scottish government to invest in new fleet over many years. Covid-related staff shortages have compounded this.
The botched contract for two ferries being constructed at the nationalised Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow, intended for the Ardrossan to Arran route, one of the busiest in Scotland, has made the situation worse.
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Locals have been let down by procrastination over the upgrade to Ardrossan Harbour, says KATY CLARK MSP

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