Mobile phone signal petition - final result

[NickB]

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Online petition: 169 signatures
Balvicar Shop: 203 signatures
Highland Arts: 99 signatures
Oyster Bar: 49 signatures
Seafari shop: 12 signatures
Easdale Ferryshed: 9 signatures

TOTAL: 541 signatures

Not all of these are from Seil residents. The petition has also been signed by visitors, people with relatives on the island, tradesmen, bus drivers etc. Nonetheless, for a community this size this represents a very good effort.

I have put everything including the comments from the online petition together in a single PDF file. YOU can download or view a copy HERE. (It may take a while to download - it is a 20MB document).

My intention is to put together a covering letter and send it together with a printed copy of the PDF file to various bodies including those already suggested, viz:

Mike Russell
Alan Reid
Mike Mackenzie
Community Council
Oban Times
ForArgyll
ARQUIVA

I will put the covering letter up here as well when I have composed it.

[NickB]

Please feel free to suggest any corrections or additions.

Dear _____________ ,


Please find enclosed over 500 signatures petitioning to get someone to ensure that there is a mobile phone signal on the Isle of Seil.

At the moment there is virtually no coverage – any there is is of the ‘stand on top of that rock, face east and you can sometimes send a text’ quality.

Seil Island is home to around 540 souls – curiously enough, about the same as the number signing the petition, though not all the signatures are islanders. The petition has also been signed by frustrated bus drivers, delivery drivers, holidaymakers and visiting water sports enthusiasts.

The island is very dependent on tourism, but year on year tourists are increasingly dismayed to find themselves ‘cut off’ from their primary channel of communication while they are here.

Business owners find the lack of a mobile signal annoying – and often incomprehensible to people they have business dealings with off the island.

For those working in hazardous environments such as farmers and fishermen the lack of a mobile signal is a mater of safety, as indeed it is for the ever-increasing number of kayakers and other watersports enthusiasts who come to enjoy the superb waters round Seil.

All the emphasis seems to be on superfast broadband. Surely a basic 2G mobile signal for every community should be an over-riding priority. ARQUIVA, the body entrusted with £150 million of the taxpayers’ money to upgrade rural communications networks, don’t seem to think so.

Please do anything you can to help remedy this situation and make sure that the residents of Seil and Luing have a basic 2G mobile phone signal available soon.

Yours faithfully,

[Beetlejuice]

Fantastic response to the petitions, and an incisive letter, Nick.
The suggestion I have would be to include a reminder/wake-up-call to the mobile signal providers that there are 500+ people out there who've signed the petition and could have been making calls to put money into their pockets. Multiply that each year by the number of tourists who come on the buses to the Highland Arts Centre, or visit other parts of Seil or Easdale (or, indeed, all the way from Seil to Oban) and you can see a big hole in their pockets where money ought to be!
Money talks.

[NickB]

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I presume the Community Council letter and copy of the petition should be sent to the Chairman?

[NickB]

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There is now an article on ForArgyll

LINK

It gives people an ideal opportunity to comment in a forum that reaches a wider audience than this one.

[NickB]

I spoke to Ron Simon, constituency manager for and media adviser to Mike Russell, this morning.

He said that Mr. Russell was very keen to progress this and proposed organising a public meeting on Seil to which the phone companies would be invited.

I have posted a paper copy of the petition to Ron and also given him a link to the file so he can download the PDF himself.

Watch this space.

[Gavin Rae]

Nick

Well done you !!

If we get a 'positive' from this then it certainly demonstrates
that the forum has played a significant part in improving our quality of life on the island

I have to say that having read all the threads again however 'it might have not happened' !

Too many forum users in my opinion continue to 'highjack' threads and the original topic becomes lost in personalised trivia !!

And before you all reply and give me abuse - read this thread again !!

Maybe there is a lesson for all of us !!

Make your point but if it is not relevant start a new thread - if people are interested they will respond !!

Snoman

[spiderman]

Great that the politicians will maybe take this up usefully and achieve something but why a public meeting? Surely the petition is the required evidence of public support? Or do we have to play this political public game for the politicians' benefit? There's a big risk, namely that many folk can't be bothered going out to any kind of public meeting and, if that happens on this topic, the game will be lost.
If good does come out of this thread and this forum, it will be a major achievement for it.

[Beetlejuice]

I agree with the Spider. While it's gratifying to know that Mike Russell is willing to show his support, even if every single person on Seil and Easdale attended a public meeting (likelihood of this - zero) it would in no way reflect the impressive number of signatures on the petition. And what would the 'phone company reps have to say to us? Either "Yes we'll do it, no probs" or, more likely, lots of weasel words and spurious reasons why they can't do it. Suggesting a public meeting is a means of (i) giving people a false sense of "engagement" and (ii) delaying any proper action. Action is what we need!
The Oban Times reports that as part of the £Xmillion spend the mobile signal is to be improved along the A82. If that can be done, Seil should be a doddle!

[NickB]

I agree with the Spider. While it's gratifying to know that Mike Russell is willing to show his support, even if every single person on Seil and Easdale attended a public meeting (likelihood of this - zero) it would in no way reflect the impressive number of signatures on the petition. And what would the 'phone company reps have to say to us? Either "Yes we'll do it, no probs" or, more likely, lots of weasel words and spurious reasons why they can't do it. Suggesting a public meeting is a means of (i) giving people a false sense of "engagement" and (ii) delaying any proper action. Action is what we need!
The Oban Times reports that as part of the £Xmillion spend the mobile signal is to be improved along the A82. If that can be done, Seil should be a doddle!

Well, so far I have heard nothing back from Mike Russell's office.

[NickB]

Well, so far I have heard nothing back from Mike Russell's office.

I'll give the SPAD or whatever he is a call on Monday if I have time.

[Gavin Rae]

Hi Nick

Yes a good idea if you can ! - my fear !! - all the good work done to date gets lost unless we keep on 'their case'

I am very keen to support you and this initiative (as in my previous threads hopefully suggests)

Some ideas to take this forward ?

On line committee ?

Share ideas outside forum ?

Share the workload ?

Perhaps there are others on the forum who have similar thoughts ?

If so then please reply ?

Ps Nick please contact me by e mail and we can take forward !

Snoman

[Gavin Rae]

Let's hope the headline feature on this weeks front page of the OT has a bearing on our petition !

Let's keep applying the pressure !!!

Snoman

[Kevin Devlin]

Is there any update on this yet?

[NickB]

Is there any update on this yet?

No, nothing. Or at least, nothing that I have heard.

I am chairing the YES public meeting in the hall on Monday.

If I remember I might try to ask Mike Russell about it after the meeting.

[Gavin Rae]

Kevin

'If I remember' speaks volumes to me ........... !!!

Lol - Clearly not on the agenda at this meeting

Snoman

[NickB]

Kevin

'If I remember' speaks volumes to me ........... !!!

Lol - Clearly not on the agenda at this meeting

Snoman

Well, of course it isn't . . .

There is nothing to stop you, or anyone else, contacting Mike Russell or Alan Reid.

If everyone who signed the petition now emailed the pair of them to ask why there has been no action that might be effective.

Alan Reid's email is reida@parliament.uk

To email Mike Russell : Michael.Russell.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

[jimcee]

While I have no wish to attend this propaganda exercise on Monday, I would assume that as part of the agenda is a call for questions.
So under this heading surely it would be perfectly in order for a member of the audience to enquire of the panel "What difference would an Independent Scotland have on procuring a mobile signal for Seil?"
This seems to be a fairly legitimate question to put to those who are touting for your vote.
But I would suggest that any replies be treated with dubiety, as it is unlikely that the platform party have any further information on a subject that it currently outside their control.

[NickB]

While I have no wish to attend this propaganda exercise on Monday . . . .

Well, you were invited to come and put the case for the Union. However, your response is what we have come to expect from 'Better Together' proponents - scared to engage in the debate in case their preconceived views are challenged.

Monday's meeting is to discuss the opportunities and challenges of independence, it is not really for minutiae like mobile phone signals.

However - as regards the mobile phone petition - I feel that I've done my bit; I suggest all those who signed now email Mike Russell and Alan Reid to enquire as to what response we can expect and when. All you have to do is click the email links I gave above - or copy and paste them if you are using Hotmail or similar - and type a few words. If that is too much effort for people then it suggests that they don't really have much interest in the subject.

[jimcee]

Oh come off it Nick.
You are suggesting that there is no interest in this subject and what an independent Scotland might have to say on the subject - minutiae is the word you use to describe a subject that has so far achieved a readership of 1704 - very high in the normal message readership, and at the time of instigation was almost considered a matter of life and possible death to our residents.
And even had a picture of yourself proudly presenting a petition to Alan Reid on the subject.
It may not be of national importance to your panel but I see no reason why they should not take on board local concerns in setting out their views on matters which affect us here.
If they were unwilling to address this subject, it would almost suggest that either they were uncomfortable with the subject, or considered purely local concerns unworthy of their notice