This may not be true for much longer ...

A well-known ditty reflecting the perceived position of Caledonian MacBrayne in providing sea links on the west coast of Scotland:

The earth belongs unto the Lord And all that it contains, Excepting Highland piers and boats And they are all MacBrayne's.

However, this may not forever continue. Unions are worried about opening up the services the company provides to tender. As usual, top priority is given to protecting members' jobs and conditions, with the potential impact on the communities served by these services coming third. These people are the true 'conservatives'; we'd still be using hand-carts if these people had their way.