president as was of catalonia a fascinating present of lebanon recently a feel fairly important people from ireland and northern ireland and that's a time when amanda term that you can catch up with all the alex salmond shows online and then from hilda who's emailed us to lisp on style requests for suggestions from future sure as hell the suggests weaving and point so that scotland's weaving connections around the globe and particularly in rural scotland is a traditional skill the still a very important one and there are an e-mail i think from india from from stephen keith who says it wishes us continued success with the after show a breath of fresh air and thanks everyone involved thank you for that stephen and finally this week for from patrick from glasgow who's tweeted it to say that scotland glasgow generally need to be competitive with the rest of the world and stop standing by the traffic lights with a cardboard sign and an empty coffee cup and if it be creative or die that is evolution says part. of that means but it sounds good and that's why we included it

in this week's show. as first minister for scotland back in twenty four thirteen i was closely involved with the rescue of faggots at the yard have gone down at the smart ship building in the lower clyde the scottish entrepreneur jim mccoll step third on the investment plan shows a totally different perspective of the man that i'll be talking to chief executive jenny marshall about faggots and plans for the future the first does mean local member of the scottish parliament. to ask what it means for the title of a working shop and that's my biggest. welcome and it has been to tell me a bit about the time. very rich heritage of building. something also has a future building mineral standing here in the biggest marine and the tone so i've been through some tough times particularly twenty fourteen or so in the yard but and to see the ship but it's like

a phoenix rising from the flames. with also the cyclone sonics behind us and this is the building the fost of two of the larger vessels are being built and also just after the three days at the shell built in recent years so those are bright future ahead for fed ex many because she would involved at the time. when there were difficulties how did the community feel at that tape what was the impact on the benefits that he did have and raced. in the news broke. and into receivership there was a sense of loss it was like a a loss of a family member because everyone is so much preyed on passion about shipbuilding and port law school and also that sense of accomplishment when you see the the ship going going down the stocks when it's been launched that trade is the it and i know that's something that's been used in the cd it's building programmes that you've been doing that's what it comes up time and time again this tell you very much

lives and bodies shipbuilding. it was a terrible period of time however. and the former foreign minister summoned setting up a task force to make sure that that ship building but once again with tom to the town and also to talk to the law quite certainly was a huge huge boost to making sure that ship building. would continue and that's and this time and it's great to see that all the work that's being done and continues to be done here that ferguson medina you of course have family connections to shipbuilding tell me that i do this was the last yard that my father want to and before he sadly passed away and two thousand and one. certainly the main road in the yard at the time it was main also that of women which is great. i mean really support of my family. and i have a chance to to help the yacht and to help ship building and port last quarter and i

was certain of it throughout so and my eleven years in the scottish parliament have been a continual support of all for christians as it was and also. it always fills me with such a huge amount of plate but we still both ships and this time that's probably holding true to that promise you made but i know you also play another role here i hear that you also write when ship so large here is that right i do it's sort of these things that. are not an additional thing that a politician does i am the official parliamentary paper but someone who grew up here and. i paid to launches when i was a boy and having the privilege to do. something that i never take for granted and genuinely as a publisher do it because they see the from the. building ships and the shows being

launched and the whole tone gets behind it and to play that small part of people doing it it always feels with a joy and it's great thank you very much indeed for joining us here today thank you thank you thank you now back to alex jenny marshall lisieux ferguson many. kelly welcome to the alex salmond show thank you very much alec tell me a bit first about the history of this great ship applied welfare to since has been the fed distances since one thousand nine hundred three and you can actually go back to seven hundred ninety if you want to look for the first vessel is actually recorded to be launched in the stadium and how many if you done today to date we've done three hundred sixty down and i mean when i was last year there's been a almost been a few changes in terms of investment well with no invested in bibles capital command the national investment proposal was twelve and a half million to date with twenty five million pounds invested in the facility and

that gives you a tremendous capacity to do different things in that capacity and capability what was sitting in today and i was a state of the art module whole then we can compete very competitively for meijer what packages through the u.k. and abroad which a key strategy for the future key strategy for the future is still focus on what has been our core what good's a fair market but we're also diversifying though when they're looking at ministry of defense work the tape there too when the and other projects to go along with our we're looking at ship repair we're looking the mobilization of the workforce so with the best of fine but still steam to our core american will say that look very ship boeing hasn't been able to compete with low cost locations in the fairly market for example not always a very high cost location they've been able to compete hugely successful in some markets why is that i believe if you look at norway and some other countries they

have been basement banks that are set up and these investment banks work with the shipyards and help them with what can capital and there's a direct correlation between the market share and your production costs and any subsidies or investment banks the more you have the more you can cliche. market share in the just the production costs and has been for example this question of having to launch bourne's for confidence that it's a nest of the government's got to show the u.k. could take to make more competitive it would definitely three hundred investment back or definitely because more competitive right now we have to go through bourne's and as you can imagine borns can be pretty expensive but so we are poised to get in there be able what can capital that ties up your capital if you have to log on your capital effectively absolutely. obviously the family market is a key was the connection between the ship building commercial families and some john popular support in the overall strategy for the industry. pocket

a poor really kick start to denationalize ship building strategy and if you look at the strategy itself part of combining naval ship yards with the commercial shipyards to have a more competitive and competent supply chain in the u.k. the one that we can use all of the shipyards to the benefit both of the naval and to the benefit of the local communities the social economic and the prosperity that . there's. still a great drive out of the local economy isn't a definite if you look here very narrow with unfairness and we have our own three hundred people as the knock on effect in the local community and for quite itself is it's been challenged over the years but with therapists and here and three hundred employees we bring in security back to these ploys well paid good job civil career which then gives the full truth about people buying houses and will clearly

the schools the local community if you get there in the road know when there are marks and spencers the snow and then the local area the next. day and the retail part they're in there so it's a huge benefit and you said boys in the shipbuilding is changing in terms of his gen. catalyst is an obsolete was fantastic we now have that to five a plane to seize and if you look at those appliances eight of them are actually home to be female and they're performing the exceptionally well as well as good and in some cases better than the boys themselves as just definitely agenda neutral and district well to do about competition doing it. so it wasn't you say you have three hundred employees not an f. of a thing when the whole point is that the scope of facilities such as this in terms of generating employment generate employment through the national shipbuilding strategy read over stay involved and take that to one the supreme leader focus just

winning a lot she had a fought the blow builds all thought would significantly increase of workforce suck affected one hundred people just without one contract divested find them to ship ship appear having that i don't keep about what's a dollar a day not more workforce to dot and that importantly the pain to ships that we pull through from not securing the future of ship building in scotland if i wanted a new fairly solid fagots those built to offer me that student fair distance welfare cases be paid to sail from that innovation of the shipyard in two thousand and twelve to put the hybrid ferry in the water the tooth fairy's that you see getting built here just know the foster fuel l.n.g. ferries in the u.k. and were constantly high in the hydrogen fuel cell so we could offer you a whole lot really from size to shape and to how you want to drive you have the poetry behind you want to feel whaling gee do you want buy three operating or are

you want to hydrogen which by twenty twenty we plan to be the first ship in the world in a hydrogen fed in the water now that levein is going to be increasingly important in terms of the placement of fatties there's a substantial sized set in market in scotland but the european fairly market subject to the same regulations what are you. when i look at the fed in mocking scotland to those over seventy ferries operating in scotland over fifty one percent of the in our current will for twenty years olds what i believe we need in scotland as an aside a national strategy based on the freedom aka a twenty year program that we could look at where we could take. to provide the most efficient and effective ferdy's that was san francisco schmock are you ready and you'll feel you're looking forward to. families in the future and that would put you really well positioned for the phantom internationally which is going to have to abide by environmental regulations coming up absolutely if you look at

hydrogen we have we are aiming for zero emissions and the ferries that we're currently offering just know. them drill field well in control for. an option to upgrade them to hydrogen so they don't need to replace all the ferries game when we finally get hydrogen through the whole process we can just upgrade them given a. fairly mako ferry service to the whole of scotland so the hydrogen fuel cell finally sold in the phantom market absolutely there's a definite. but driving towards unfair dismissal in a leading the charge. in a phrase shipbuilding in the in the law applied sunrise or sunset and this is definitely sun rice. thank you so much for them to thank you very much alex coming up after the break we'll be speaking to some of the walk. ins have been tamed not great tradition of shipbuilding here in the lower plight.

and indeed this is. the church secret indeed priests accused of sexually abusing children can get away with it literally like to call this the geographic solution so what the bishop needs to do then he finds out that the priest is is a perpetrator is simply moves him to a different spot where the previous standard is not know the highest ranks of the catholic church conceal the accused priests from the police and justice system.

welcome back you know back in twenty fourteen things look pretty desperate for ferguson the lawyer client that i got in vegas a couple of guys who were the key shop stewards campaigning to see if the so john welcome to the. thing back to twenty fourteen when you were leaving that campaign when things were pretty dark terms of the future because they are hard in ferguson has not. grown men cry in a plane and says what the straw with absolutely no future micra this. and as soon as what was funny and between you and john here your spell here ferguson's montane a long time and you know as the shop she was nervous it was your obligation your duty to the campaign did you think it was going to be successful. and i'm not sure

. that they've become one of the freedom. and they knew something was off in their office over the weeks. and weeks. and. been ministry of and told to do this. tough and i want to leave off and often about the pica stuff and maybe opt. to join say that i was one of a grown man is crying i've been here a long long time and local community is a family what can you tell my brothers my nephew as evident in my shop to family and what i need if they have any family on a day job and i was devastated and dame especially classical and for shipbuilding commune in a little clique so john you're facing not just the loss of jobs and livelihoods but the loss of history and heritage as well. as a mood for oh twenty years i was here before we'd be no one better greeks would know what management kept us or and i know it all go in and out one spot saying so

when i came to the hospital that i was struck. as delicately as i can by the the i'm team mate showed us some of the equipment he has had the workforce of the top of the machine and i think it was made by yourself we said it was like that i think we walked on the top. you know by going to the a boat shop so these things you know i was on the clearance is so different a transformation so as people see the investment coming into that must give you a kind of bones for the future and a definite does a good get the whole local community was going to build for the future and that apprentice is that a company i think the big big thing. as an agent force and me going to get apprentices. is once you lose the skills and shipbuilding on trouble and shipbuilding about nineteen maybe every five and one three and then this is

a feature of the show see the gender of balance is changing a bit the only changes in behavior have to do with. kids of merit custody and you have met with. the data rick good thing good thing so as you look to the future but will be a thing school. i mean in terms of the prospects we all do in management. defense what is key for the moment but to achieve that really need some help from your key government has been taught. i mean a decent g.m.b. study proved the place a hundred million or done with a. three hundred fifty million can buy. shipbuilding has always been a great driver of the economy not just in terms of local content but also in terms of the price ation generated by the jobs and livelihoods of state and this is a tonal bargain it's all that we need to cut corners jobs to play very that we move forward to stimulate board was going good and well when sonic's of course was

launched last year of us to be in some day for the tide in the workforce to see a boat moving off the myself i was a good lead by good shipments of about. you know a bit today actually it is small ferries dunks. fetching a protection blues and he had been built. in the middle looking to move into a defense and i said that is going to be key because that's a long time like everything that has come the needs and that's of it i think then just needs this. and i get the government i've got to know and none of us political are going to get up intending to go as is going to vote this must be voted on for all the shipyards in the communities that are in the country they have agreed guys in your joint campaign to save the future of the workforce but you don't absolutely agree on everything you know when it comes to the beautiful game and your team has been just

a wee bit more success than your team. i'm enjoying the sunshine in the back of food clothes from your. other member you called me one day even hot for celtic i can get you in a minute funders that we won. game which i wasn't going to manage an open in the west and you see have a viable the prospects. if you have keep the to equal the revival if you know. they mean it in all of them and you money just come in and so just watch and by custom of invincibles no more right so well as you before going off to be a we have it. for many years to come as little in the league something. let's go over to. speaking to some more of the workforce. thank you alex i'm night joined by hugh mackay n.z. unchristian graham the longest serving an us member of the ferguson family welcome to the alex i'm in show now here you've been here for quite a b. spell how long did you know ferguson well realised this is a let's go up and you know somewhat still fifty years thirty two years that's quite

a long stint and yourself christina silver you're sure you're the new kid on the globe what's it like it ferguson. to learn that people are pro you know so i want to be doing here in all of those thirty years if you've been in the same role if you miss two different will cost the ecumenism fabric. through the various roles on the yards from from through take the technical departments floor and the management team which they're all incredibly there and they're how many more years you think you've got it bowden. twenty years on me yeah but you cross the heavy heavy enjoying it up and ship and what you think the future holds for you and hopefully they're not the same here there's lot still and there's so many opportunities especially with the yard nearly opened and you have family and children and no on the first new very first when i was a light being being a young female amongst that predominantly male workforce there's no one of course. the sort of like family of origin so the same and you would just think about what

women coming into the industry obviously something is welcomed as this is something i know surely it's good for them to store several i mean. in general really to get more females an engineer number two dogs most males and i'm trying to encourage them to get some sort of general contest and i many people have spoken to ship both things very much family orientated it feels like one big family how do you feel the future of ship building is important to the maintenance of our founding of course all of the people in the white community who benefit from the first of all and some sort of crucial i mean number of the every part in the spread of fairness and benefits the whole place where the poor guy is going to no choice crucial that you keep what and you keep just type of commercial around the school half you. must feel like you've already said to pick a big. found the future you feel now about your future you know for family perspectives now in creating tierra ferguson really enjoy it here and you can encourage more young women to enter the workforce infinitely thank you very much indeed kristie of course quest is the only female employee here ferguson mehdi alex

is speaking to the reason. now one of our themes as we look to the future of sadness and this is commenting on the changing gender balance in the work force of the op and i joined by one of the appendices least lochan so how do you got to do the full year complete apprenticeship here just three months now you have nearly seventy and then the final year here the french is got the fully part of the workforce of course but you get paid a fair bit more if you're continuing here in the yard after was when you definitely a year where we just got a lot less something good to look forward to but you're in the drawing office on here so you'll be planning on the future of project planning in this our union and growing at one seven percent level that you think you're going to see your career as part of the shipyard not when i was really young that would be an engineer when i was younger but i didn't really have the confidence to go for it until i was older then once i got out about i would call it in that a couple years and you needed them and i seen that focuses were higher than i don't

think twice and applying and i was really lucky to get your friendship with your local to here i just think you know which doesn't fly my first year in the yard i was an engineer then start by saying gee i was offered a place and its own office. she'll be here you'll be looking very much at the future of what's to come in this yard in the drawing office definitely i'm really excited to wear the art school and then really excited to get over the guard and tells you don't pass no development of in this particular mission where you can do your apprenticeship as a fully fledged worked on the doing the painter ship but also develop your skills and understand you're doing that yeah that's one of the opportunities that been given before i started the focuses i had given that in seen it ten c. so when it came i came a fair distance that it finds my cell phone and. so if i could just wave a magic wall and say listen what is the ship that you would like to be working on in the drawing office drawing up the plans for a ship would you like to be

a hydrogen vessel that i did in maybe the future and this is. technology clean technology is going to we're making a reality of what's been laid the holy grail of hydrogen. it's really exciting and i think their existence is going to be the place to take it forward so i'm going to be there so from your perspective ship building here. is very much an industry of the future and it's really good for the. plate than if you take on. keeping the jobs an unfrequented is really important to that i. can thank you very much. this has been a great place to see these are the future of the shipbuilding. was set for closure only forty years ago now is every prospect of much brighter titans to come. this is a building of commercial ferries but even here we've had the familiar refrain the government teat flow of order from the military is an essential prerequisite of

building that base lying to lower the to compete and commercial markets are crucial to that decision and the consortium which are being formed to bid for it is the upcoming decision on the support ships for the caius sense of first program in a series of announced a strategic partnership with the systems to compete for that vital and huge. here at farragut since they know they have to be part of these can soften parts of the partnership if they have to build of baseload to allow them to compete effectively in the international family market. one thing's for certain. visited over the past few weeks and the syphon belfast and here in the clyde there are communities who are committed to building ships they see their industry as part of the sunrise not of the sunset photon's we know myself the crew it's good bye for now and of course from everyone here that faggots and.

the for. the. radially reinforced rammed earth bricks is what they really are. this more than seventy houses about a hundred and forty people with families living here.

it's really a way of forming same as. the sun's coming in and heating their house and being stored in massive walls. sagebrush is the natural environment here but as we're containing the sewage and using the plant stuff to process the sewage we create our own little way system here. please.

don't let. i think the last interventions military interventions schol. be to listen to. the regime change also perform upset and take iraq was.

take a fee and leave but i think. we should we always tell people exactly these nations the. changes will. lean meats but i think the ideal for regime change. from outside this is mostly although. i.

think. this always top stories here on r.t. the us congress debates a new war authorization bill introduced by some of donald trump's loudest critics. would significantly expand the president's power to launch military. we've gone through. seventeen years of war. you would drop this proposal will have one hundred seventy more of a loaded gun in a desk drawer of the president ready for him to take it out and shoot it but every what's wake up call britain's up a parliament the house of lords is the right of members falling asleep during sessions on the program we get reaction on the streets of london. to space i would be let's have another think i went so well to say washington state.