It’s less about overall demand. Glasgow (and in turn the UK as a whole, not to mention the rail network) will become even more of a global laughing stock than it already is if ScotRail is allowed to effectively shut down during the conference when the entire world is watching.
That's just it though. That's actually all talk. It's not acting on it. They're not taking the M8 through Glasgow down and building social housing on it. They're not cutting public transport prices in half. They're not banning driving into city centres or tolling the motorways. They're not withdrawing the air subsidies or investing in electric ferries and buses. They're not even getting the basics right.
I don’t think we’re expecting it to go ahead truth be told, in the unlikely event that it did it would be disastrous for all involved. There is no winners and it’s in everyone’s best interests to strike a deal to ensure that doesn’t happen.
Half the roads are not closing, but a significant dual carriageway is, along with ramps to / from the M8. There are also 'surface' streets closing near the venue. I'm not aware of any stations being closed either, but I would need to check.
This entire purpose of this conference is to attempt to get them to act on it.
People keep saying that - Scotland is not a world leader on climate change and has a heavy fossil fuel industry. It's a part of the UK which overall is cumulatively responsible for a large share of global emissions, and emissions per person. They're not going to look particularly good regardless.
Arguably it's to convince the rest of the world to do so - that's kind of the point of being the host. The Conservatives in the UK government have next to no interest in net zero however, and won't spend any morney on it.
I’m well aware the UK is already a laughing stock but all this will do is make it much more of a laughing stock than it already is.
It’s a UN conference and they’re the ones trying to convince everyone, including the UK, to act. The UK is hosting it to try and make themselves look better on the global stage and what a way to screw it up by having the ScotRail network off for the duration of the conference.
Indeed but the politics of being the host of the conference are different to the politics of merely sending your delegation. The Paris climate agreement was what it was because of France and the EU's role in it. The UK is choosing to play its role very differently.
Quite right to say so, not half… that was tongue and cheek.
I stand by it, strike won’t happen. Neither do I see it as betting my whole career on it, even if it does.
but the RMT agreed to certain criteria and now are saying it is not what they meant?
Part wishful thinking part common sense
I really don't think that anyone has at any point suggested that a pay rise is in some way not deserved, or that it would be in some way undesirable. However, there's significant concern about how it might be funded, the options for doing so appear to all be viewed as even more unacceptable than doing nothing.
This dispute is about a pay rise for general grades and has nothing to do with the drivers, the RDW dispute the guards are currently waging is completely different dispute.
That's my main concern to be honest. It's either tax increases or fare prices that will fund it and given that fares are already not worth it for a lot of people it's hardly gonna get people out of cars and onto trains. From where I stay to East Kilbride is a great example. The bus may be 20/25 mins longer but it's £72 a month cheaper last time I checked and that's just one example. I'm in the middle of getting back into employment but train fares in a lot of places had really limited the options I could take. I imagine a lot of people are in the same boat with the cost of living going up
