MPs call for FGW to be re-nationalised

[me123]

@me123

Probably because of the vast amount of extra spending per head in Scotland compared to England, on the backs of English Tax payers, but that's a whole other argument. And North Sea oil peaked in 1999, so Scotland cannot survive on that as the SNP argue.

If you read what I say, I'm not arguing with you. We both agree that Transport and especially railways are seen as low priority for central government. Whether they should be is a whole different argument, we may well disagree with.

We all rely on the transport system every day, even if that's for delivery of food and getting people to work that keep the economy going. Without transport you don't have a modern economy an can only support a fraction of the population we have in the country.

However how much spending goes on that system to keep it working is up for debate. If you read what I said, I'm not making a case to spend money of West country railways at the expense of local schools and hospitals, I'm saying that the latter is what people want money spent on, despite the transport system being much more important than people think. It's that lack of investment is why you have problems with transport in this country.

I agree with a lot of what you say here, especially nationalism for Scotland. Not an option at the moment, but one which is sadly being considered because Westminster haven't made a Scottish decision in ages.

And the key problem is: fares are high, because funding isn't covered by taxes, and people will moan either way. Without a tax raise, I don't think the railways can get what they want and, in some cases, need.

 

[mrcheek]

Check one thing.

South West is majorly Lib Dem, where the units have gone is Labour.

erm, actually, the government is the same across the whole of England: Labour.
despite the fact that the southwest overwhelmingly votes Tory. In fact, without all their Scottish MPs, Labour would NEVER have been able to form a government in their entire history. England has never voted Labour in large enough numbers.

Maybe its a deliberate Labour ploy, punish the Tory voters in the southwest, and give the decent trains to all the scum up north and in Scotland who voted Labour.

 

[me123]

erm, actually, the government is the same across the whole of England: Labour.
despite the fact that the southwest overwhelmingly votes Tory. In fact, without all their Scottish MPs, Labour would NEVER have been able to form a government in their entire history.

Exactly, and even my area (Coatbridge and Chryston: so Labour that the Tories only put an MP up when they feel like it) is sick of Labour just now, mostly because they almost closed our nearest A&E, which would force a half hour drive to he next nearest one.

 

[Woody]

Hang on hang on, we got these Pacers, because OUR 158's were sent up North to replace them! It's always the bl***y same with the government, we have to give up our decent stuff for someone else, & in return we get their junk they don't want! And the govenrment wonder why passengers kick up a stink! It's enough to make your blood boil!

Mart

Well said Mart,as a member of the platform staff at Exeter remarked "We are going backwards down here".As the financial base of rail operations becomes ever tighter as a result of FGWs franchise agreement the situation can only get worse.While Beeching represented a Sledgehammer to crack a nut in the 1960s in the South West there seems to be a much more subtle drift in the same direction aided and abetted by the Dft behind the scenes sending all the wrong signals to the market place.

 

[Tom]

Maybe its a deliberate Labour ploy, punish the Tory voters in the southwest, and give the decent trains to all the scum up north and in Scotland who voted Labour.

That's what I was trying to say

 

[devon_metro]

Couldn't agree more TBH.

 

[Metroland]

There am I thinking the South West was a lib-dem area. Q Mojo.

Short franchises with continuous DfT interference are the worst of all worlds. Some of the worse aspects of capitalism with its myopic outlook coupled with 'the planned economy' of a Stalinist state.

Not the situation before was brilliant. TOCs asking Railtrack to spend billions on extra track to run 2 coach trains about.

Even now there is squabbling in the play pen. In this morning’s Times Virgin accuses Network Rail of ‘arrogance’ over the WCML Christmas closures, the TSSA accuses the TOCs of holding back cheap tickets – well they do, it’s called ‘The market’. The Airlines, shops, and just about everyone else will be doing the same if there is the demand. I suspect the RMT will be on strike soon over the wrong brand of pickled gherkins in the mess room at Saltley, while calling for re-nationalisation of track workers, even though they have been brought under control by the not-for profit Network Rail. But lets not let politics get in the way shall we? The rest of us just want to know when we are going to get a customer and engineering led value for money railway. Nobody is interested in the little empires behind the scenes.

 

[Mojo]

Thanks, Metroland

The South West is quite Lib Dem which is why most councils have no overall control (see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/vote2007/maps/eng_councils/html/eng_councils_map.stm)

What is the problem? Mostly lack of political will on a council level. The lack of a transport strategy in areas and the failure of neighbouring authorities to co-operate has caused a huge problem. The refusal of local authorities to recognise the urban area which I call Greater Bristol is also problematic.

The Northern PTEs are very powerful and Regional Development Agencies wealthy. They have numerous highly paid and highly skilled political lobbyists in Westminster. The South West will not have any until 2008 or even 2009. I have seen how the chair and his deputy of the West Midlands PTE works - I would describe them as nothing less than ruthless but highly intelligent individuals who know how the system works. What was the response of the South West? "We are talking with First Great Western." Cluless individuals who don't know how the system works. It's about as much use as complaining to the refuse collectors.

They knew Pacers were going up North, even FGW, to their credit, tried to stop it. The West of England Partnership wrote a letter two months after the deal was finalised.