It would make a strong
man weep in his porridge. The shock news this morning is that the MSA finds
itself unable to issue a Permit for this year's Closed Public Road Mull Rally.
This is due entirely for insurance reasons which no doubt are being further
influenced by the ramifications around the FAI which is due to start next month.
Plans were already well underway and a route formulated for this October's event, with the organising team and the Muileachs unaware that doubts were already being raised in corridors and meeting rooms far to the south. So the news has hit them like a bolt from the blue.
But rally folks are a resilient bunch, by gawd they have to be these days, and thoughts are already turning to a different 'event' on rally weekend this October, so please keep the date free in the meantime.
On a political front, little can be done at present due to the General Election, and no doubt our dearly beloved MPs will have other things on their mind when Parliament resumes afterwards, but it would appear that this is entirely a Scottish legal matter so perhaps there is a glimmer of hope that something can be done up here.
If the Scottish Government wants to demonstrate its 'independence' here's a chance, get the Scottish legislation sorted and approved without waiting for the Westminster lot to get back to work, and get it done now! Rally folks are tax payers and government funders too you know.
Michael Russell (SNP) is the Constituency MSP for Argyll and Bute. Email: Michael.Russell.msp@parliament.scot. Or write to him at The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP - and ask him what he proposes to do about this and how quickly?
This is not just a minor sporting matter, this event has a huge economic and social impact on an island community. That should concern him rather more than a mere 'sporting matter'.
No doubt I shall return to this topic in due course !!
Full text of the Beatson's Mull Rally statement here:
Plans were already well underway and a route formulated for this October's event, with the organising team and the Muileachs unaware that doubts were already being raised in corridors and meeting rooms far to the south. So the news has hit them like a bolt from the blue.
But rally folks are a resilient bunch, by gawd they have to be these days, and thoughts are already turning to a different 'event' on rally weekend this October, so please keep the date free in the meantime.
On a political front, little can be done at present due to the General Election, and no doubt our dearly beloved MPs will have other things on their mind when Parliament resumes afterwards, but it would appear that this is entirely a Scottish legal matter so perhaps there is a glimmer of hope that something can be done up here.
If the Scottish Government wants to demonstrate its 'independence' here's a chance, get the Scottish legislation sorted and approved without waiting for the Westminster lot to get back to work, and get it done now! Rally folks are tax payers and government funders too you know.
Michael Russell (SNP) is the Constituency MSP for Argyll and Bute. Email: Michael.Russell.msp@parliament.scot. Or write to him at The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP - and ask him what he proposes to do about this and how quickly?
This is not just a minor sporting matter, this event has a huge economic and social impact on an island community. That should concern him rather more than a mere 'sporting matter'.
No doubt I shall return to this topic in due course !!
Full text of the Beatson's Mull Rally statement here:
It is so sad that the Tour of Mull has been cancelled. I have been banging on about this for the last few years; we need to make the changes within the sport to give the insurance companies the confidence that they can insure an event with less risk. Insurance, after all, is just gambling. Once you start a losing streak you should pull out and that is what they are doing. My suggestions would be to slow the cars down, remove 4 wheel drive, give event organisers the power to police the spectators properly with draconian punishments for anyone walking along the track when the event goes live (the MSA should get a Police Liaison Officer that can go to events; we have this in the bus industry in this area) and competition licence endorsements for accident damage with bans for the larger collisions. We should see much more emphasis on historics and modern cars with lower power outputs - why on earth are we allowing WRC cars and that ilk to be used on club events?? There will be many that argue that an accident in an Escort is just as dangerous as one in a 4WD car but we HAVE to be seen to be doing something meaningful. If we don't introduce these and similar measures we can kiss rallying goodbye on anything other than race circuits and town centre events where the local councils underwrite the risk.
ReplyDelete