North MP Drew Hendry told to ‘get a backbone’ over A9 dualling comments
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Dozens of people have vented their anger at MP Drew Hendry after he thanked Scottish Government transport minister Jenny Gilruth for “making it clear” the A9 would not be dualled by 2025.
As the member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey the A9 and A96 – also earmarked for dualling – runs through a large part of his constituency.
And when he argued that the Scottish Government's 2007 manifesto promise to dual the A9 from Perth to Inverness could not have been completed by 2025 due to Brexit and the pandemic he provoked a furious backlash.
Mr Hendry was compared unfavourably with SNP MSP for Inverness and Nairn Fergus Ewing who described the missed deadline as “simply a betrayal of the Highlands and of the people who have supported the SNP.”
Invercoffee stated simply: “At least Fergus Ewing has a back bone” while Highland Business wrote: “At least Fergus Ewing is taking an honest view on this situation Drew. Please stop pointing fingers in every direction other than the mirror of your own party. I’m non party aligned.”
Tiffer Forbes: “Sorry Drew but that is a horrendous tweet from a man who is voted in by the public and who is there to serve our city. Between the A9, A96 and ferries, the Government are a disgrace to the transport, safety and equality of the Highlands. Do more, and do it better.”
John Patience: “Very poor response. The public north of Perth are being short changed again. Every bit of criticism is 100 per cent justified.”
Craig Dishington said: “Yet again those of us in the highlands are let down. Inverness the only city in Scotland not connected to another city by at least a dual carriageway. Could tell well before Brexit that it would never be completed on time.”
When Highland Conservative MSP Edward Mountain also stuck the boot in a minor spat ensued: “So another promise shamelessly missed with the SNP government blaming everyone apart from themselves. I thought you might have the backbone to call this out. I was wrong.”
Mr Hendry responded: “Says the man who has stood silent as Brexit has pushed food prices up, silent as his PM trashed the economy and hiked mortgages, silent as his party rolled out the odious rape clause, same - as they've slashed Highland trade, imposed the hostile environment. No lessons from you.”
Mr Mountain again: “Ahhh the old pivot trick, stay on the single carriageway. Talking of which, we were on the A9 and the A96. Failure by this SNP Government to honour their promise and dual them is bad news for the Highlands.”
But Les Wilson warned them both that the issue that matters is the road and the safety of those who travel on it: “Do not politicise this by school yard bickering. This project was promised yet has not been delivered and will take at least a further decade to complete. Is the Highlands not as important as the rest of Scotland or the UK? People are dying on this road every year.”
And one with the Twitter handle of Fraz said: “Im sorry Drew but even though I can't stand the Tories and vote SNP this is poor. There's been no let up in private companies building thousands of houses (Brexit / covid inc) in Inverness yet there's been no ground broken on the Moy-Tomatin sect yet. Woeful. H&I left behind!”
