HS2, and the Aircraft carriers are huge £ multi billion very high tech projects. I agree, both were a mistake.
Inter island ferries are anything but high tech, the Chinese and Italians produce ferries like these like shelling peas. identical ferry, after identical ferry, month by month. Low tech floating tin cans - and none the worse for that. I think the total cost for these two was originally £72 million. It is now at least £240 million and may rise further. It is possible that the the ferries are so faulty that they will have to be scrapped before they are completed.
For £240 the Scottish government could have bought 2 ferries from a ferry factory, paid the ship yard workers £500,000 each to retire on or start a new life elsewhere in Scotland. Highly skilled men like them should have no trouble finding new jobs in new locations.
The problems are not high tech they are bad management, bad building and, possibly, money drifting places it cannot be fully accounted for.
I am sorry paddyanne you have always been one to dish out to other people hot and strong, you must learn to take it when circumstances are reversed.