IT is disappointing to see David Wilson still has his glass half empty hat on.

In his recent letter he welcomes the launch of the Glen Rosa but can’t help himself from putting the boot into the government and everyone else he thinks is to blame for delays by saying it is six years late.

He then spends the rest of the letter saying we can’t give Ferguson’s large ferry orders as the Turks and Poles have cornered that market. Only because we have let them David!

Let us be positive and say we have a skilled workforce at Ferguson's who, given they have delivered these groundbreaking ferries, are capable of delivering other orders they would hope to get.

He also says Ferguson's should be offloaded to one of the larger firms building naval vessels here in Scotland. The problem with doing this is that when things get tight, big firms let their smaller yards go first. Is he willing to take that chance with Ferguson's?

I, and many thousands of others, remember when family members worked in the thriving shipbuilding yards here in Inverclyde. They were taken over by a bigger concern who decided the yards should build oil rigs instead of ships. That went well didn’t it David? 

We built one rig and then were told it is too far for these rigs to be brought round from Inverclyde to the North Sea, so we don’t want any more.

The yard then applied to be given permission to return to shipbuilding and this was refused by the Thatcher government which meant the end of shipbuilding apart from Ferguson's.

We weren’t even allowed to keep Goliath as a tourist attraction, like the cranes in Belfast, as a new Tesco was considered more important!

What is important for Ferguson's is it remains an independent shipyard, working in tandem sometimes with the bigger yards for say parts of frigates, etc., and is given support to bid for and win orders that are suitable for a shipyard of its size.

Only then will we avoid the end of shipbuilding on the Lower Clyde and preserve and increase the skilled workforce that is already in place.

So, come on David, get your glass half full hat on, accept that the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa are magnificent vessels that will enhance the ferry services to our beautiful islands and do everything you can to support Ferguson's remaining as an independent shipyard in Port-Glasgow.

Tom Tracey

Greenock