Superfast No More.

So, sad news about the ending of the Superfast Ferry service, but was it Carnegie or was there always a fundamental contradiction between the name of the company and the fact that it took 18 hours to get to the Continent?

"SCOTLAND’S SEA link with the continent was in doubt last night as ferry giant Superfast announced it is to pull the plug on the flagship service between Fife and Zeebrugge. Launched after years of campaigning, careful negotiation and a £10 million public subsidy the maiden voyage in May 2002 was hailed as a “dream come true.” But last night that dream lay in tatters as efforts got under way to try to find another operator to take over the route. A statement from the Attica Group, the parent company for Superfast Ferries which operates the service, confirmed that the last sailing from Rosyth will be on September 13."

Whatever the reasons for the ferry service's withdrawal we should be careful about pouring even more public cash into a business which fundamentally couldn't make a big enough profit, or indeed even a profit, to keep it going. One mistake we can learn from. Repeating the same one all over again would be foolish and costly.