Sunak is a liar

[ravenrover]

Agreed, I see there is another already about Starmer

[BillyStubbsTears]

So Sunak has gone public with his belief that politics has been shit for 30 years.

In totally unrelated news, word is that his team has reached out to Sunak's old mate Cummings for advice on what to do.

One of them summarised Cummings's advice as "Do mental stuff to prove you're not the Establishment."

How long till we get rid of them?

[wilts rover]

HS2 was an unwanted waste of money when it was first proposed.

However after spending £billions on it scrapping half of it now whilst the bit going on not linking anywhere is an even bigger waste of money.

Only 6 months ago Hunt was saying HS2 was 'essential' for levellig up and the country's economic prosperity. What's changed then?

https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/chancellor-declares-vision-for-hs3-hs4-and-hs5-despite-cost-concerns-on-hs2-08-02-2023/

Good luck to them getting international investment for any future major infrastructure projects. What company is going to invest money in preparing something that might get scrapped six months later. Bonkers.

Vote Tory.

[wilts rover]

One of the projects put forward by Sunak instead of HS2 is to extend the Manchester Metro to the Airport. Where it already goes... Still at least he should be able to deliver that!

https://twitter.com/MENnewsdesk/status/1709588057282740506

[BillyStubbsTears]

It's very simple.

They really do not give a f**k about the future prosperity of the country.

I don't say that lightly, but the Tory party has long since detached itself from its old position of claiming to be the party of business.

Now it's about saving careers for as many of the headcase, grifter backbenchers as possible.

So a really important infrastructure project has been thrown away, and I will guarantee you that the money "saved" (sic) will be used to finance tax cuts and pork barrel payouts to marginal towns, in an effort to stop the 2024 election being an annihilation.

They know they can't possibly win next year. This is about minimising their losses. And if the country loses as a result, that's secondary.

They should spend 20 years out of Government after next year while we try to rebuild the damage they are insistent on doing right up to the last moment.

[BillyStubbsTears]

One of the projects put forward by Sunak instead of HS2 is to extend the Manchester Metro to the Airport. Where it already goes... Still at least he should be able to deliver that!

https://twitter.com/MENnewsdesk/status/1709588057282740506

And this was the map they put out in that press release.



How to say "We neither know anything about, nor care about anything outside the South East" without actually saying...

That map looks like it's been cacked together by a work experience kid who is online to fail Geography GCSE.

[drfchound]

It’s going to be alright though.
Labour are guaranteed to win the GE and put everything in place for a brighter future.
I for one am really looking forward to it.

[Branton Red]

HS2 north of Birmingham never made economic sense given it's ridiculously high cost.

The project was always primarily about benefiting London - increasing rail capacity into London and extending London's commuter belt.

The extensions beyond Birmingham were always about political posturing not economics.

I welcome the demise of HS2 North. However it is criminal that the Tories have wasted so much public money on this project to date.

I welcome the idea at least of instead using the money saved to invest in other transport infrastructure projects outside of London which actually do make sense in terms of cost benefit analysis. It's something I've argued for and has been one of my main criticisms of the current Government.

I don't for a second trust the Tories to deliver on them though. Not given their record on delivering infrastructure projects and their baffling prioritisation on reducing Government debt over encouraging economic growth through such spend.

[Sprotyrover]

HS2 north of Birmingham never made economic sense given it's ridiculously high cost.

The project was always primarily about benefiting London - increasing rail capacity into London and extending London's commuter belt.

The extensions beyond Birmingham were always about political posturing not economics.

I welcome the demise of HS2 North. However it is criminal that the Tories have wasted so much public money on this project to date.

I welcome the idea at least of instead using the money saved to invest in other transport infrastructure projects outside of London which actually do make sense in terms of cost benefit analysis. It's something I've argued for and has been one of my main criticisms of the current Government.

I don't for a second trust the Tories to deliver on them though. Not given their record on delivering infrastructure projects and their baffling prioritisation on reducing Government debt over encouraging economic growth through such spend.

Well if we get a Labour Government next year as there is very little left to plunder. Maybe they will re visit the Pension schemes especially the mine workers scheme.

[Iberian Red]

One of the projects put forward by Sunak instead of HS2 is to extend the Manchester Metro to the Airport. Where it already goes... Still at least he should be able to deliver that!

https://twitter.com/MENnewsdesk/status/1709588057282740506

I saw that. The folks of Manchester I know thought it was scandalous.
Sunak should have been made to book a train at peak times from London to Manchester for the conference.
We have one of the worst rail systems in the developed world.
Yet we still het idiots saying bollox about the opposition rather than face reality and criticise a government that has blown the country out its arse.

[drfchound]

World rankings for railway infrastructure.

data


Countries    Railroad infrastructure quality, 2019    Global rank    Available data
Japan   6.8   1   2009 - 2019
Hong Kong   6.5   2   2009 - 2019
Switzerland   6.4   3   2009 - 2019
South Korea   5.9   4   2009 - 2019
Singapore   5.8   5   2009 - 2019
Netherlands   5.7   6   2009 - 2019
Finland   5.5   7   2009 - 2019
Spain   5.4   8   2009 - 2019
Taiwan   5.4   9   2009 - 2019
Austria   5.3   10   2009 - 2019
USA   5.2   11   2009 - 2019
Malaysia   5.1   12   2009 - 2019
France   5   13   2009 - 2019
Luxembourg   5   14   2009 - 2019
Germany   4.9   15   2009 - 2019
Russia   4.9   16   2009 - 2019
Panama   4.8   17   2009 - 2019
Indonesia   4.7   18   2009 - 2019
Latvia   4.6   19   2009 - 2019
Lithuania   4.6   20   2009 - 2019
Canada   4.5   21   2009 - 2019
China   4.5   22   2009 - 2019
Czechia   4.5   23   2009 - 2019
Denmark   4.5   24   2009 - 2019
Norway   4.5   25   2009 - 2019
Saudi Arabia   4.5   26   2009 - 2019
Australia   4.4   27   2009 - 2019
India   4.4   28   2009 - 2019
UK   4.3   29   2009 - 2019
Kazakhstan   4.2   30   2009 - 2019
Portugal   4.2   31   2009 - 2019
Ukraine   4.2   32   2009 - 2019
Belgium   4.1   33   2009 - 2019
Italy   4.1   34   2009 - 2019
Tajikistan   4.1   35   2009 - 2019
Ireland   4   36   2009 - 2019
Kenya   4   37   2009 - 2019
Slovakia   4   38   2009 - 2019
Sweden   4   39   2009 - 2019
Georgia   3.9   40   2009 - 2019
Morocco   3.9   41   2009 - 2019
New Zealand   3.9   42   2009 - 2019
Poland   3.9   43   2009 - 2019
Algeria   3.8   44   2009 - 2019
Egypt   3.8   45   2009 - 2019
Hungary   3.8   46   2009 - 2019
Pakistan   3.8   47   2009 - 2019
Sri Lanka   3.8   48   2009 - 2019
Iran   3.7   49   2010 - 2019
Israel   3.7   50   2009 - 2019
Botswana   3.6   51   2009 - 2019
Vietnam   3.6   52   2009 - 2019
Mongolia   3.5   53   2009 - 2019
Turkey   3.5   54   2009 - 2019
Namibia   3.4   55   2009 - 2019
Mexico   3.3   56   2009 - 2019
Chile   3.2   57   2009 - 2019
Tanzania   3.2   58   2009 - 2019
Tunisia   3.2   59   2009 - 2019
Armenia   3.1   60   2009 - 2019
Bangladesh   3.1   61   2009 - 2019
Bulgaria   3.1   62   2009 - 2019
Estonia   3.1   63   2009 - 2019
Montenegro   3.1   64   2009 - 2019
Slovenia   3.1   65   2009 - 2019
Ethiopia   3   66   2009 - 2019
Greece   3   67   2009 - 2019
Moldova   3   68   2010 - 2019
South Africa   3   69   2009 - 2019
Ivory Coast   2.9   70   2009 - 2019
Peru   2.9   71   2009 - 2019
Senegal   2.9   72   2009 - 2019
Kyrgyzstan   2.8   73   2009 - 2019
Romania   2.8   74   2009 - 2019
Thailand   2.8   75   2009 - 2019
Argentina   2.7   76   2009 - 2019
Cameroon   2.7   77   2009 - 2019
Bolivia   2.6   78   2009 - 2019
Gabon   2.6   79   2012 - 2019
Jordan   2.6   80   2009 - 2019
Mozambique   2.6   81   2009 - 2019
Serbia   2.6   82   2009 - 2019
Brazil   2.5   83   2009 - 2019
Burkina Faso   2.5   84   2009 - 2019
Croatia   2.4   85   2009 - 2019
Philippines   2.4   86   2009 - 2019
Bosnia & Herz.   2.2   87   2009 - 2019
Malawi   2.1   88   2009 - 2019
Mauritania   2.1   89   2009 - 2019
North Macedonia   2.1   90   2009 - 2019
Zambia   2.1   91   2009 - 2019
Madagascar   2   92   2009 - 2019
DR Congo   1.9   93   2016 - 2019
Ghana   1.9   94   2009 - 2019
Zimbabwe   1.9   95   2009 - 2019
Nigeria   1.8   96   2009 - 2019
Benin   1.7   97   2009 - 2019
Colombia   1.7   98   2009 - 2019
Venezuela   1.5   99   2009 - 2019
Albania   1.2   100   2009 - 2019
Uruguay   1.2    101. 2009 - 2019

[BillyStubbsTears]

So that sub-GCSE map actually comes from a Govt produced document.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/651d64646a6955000d78b2e0/network-north-transforming-british-transport.pdf

I really wish the quality of that map was the main thing to get pissed off about.

But go through that document and see how much this bunch of Kitsons thinks about South Yorkshire.

Electrification of the Sheffield-Donny line? Nope.

Electrification of the EMML from Sheffield to Leicester (cancelled under Cameron's Austerity a decade back)? Nope.


A 20thcentury (nevermind 21st century) link from South Yorks to Manchester? Nope.


They are proposing two new rail services for South Yorks. One from Stockbridge to Sheffield. One from Orgreave to Sheffield. Each of them will service maybe a few dozen travellers an hour at most. Each of them serves a community in Red Wall seats that the Tories won in 2019.

They do not give a f**k about us, barring giving a little present to the nobodies who held those seats for a brief moment.

No strategy. No vision. Just micro-pork barrel politics.

[ravenrover]

Makes nonsense of the compulsory purchase of my nephews home on the new build at Mexborough about 4 years back

[River Don]

That £36bil for "Network North" is highly misleading. For a start £14bil is earmarked for filling potholes across the entire country. That's repairing neglected road infrastructure that hasn't been kept up to date with.

There's nothing transformational in that.

[River Don]

And if the idea of cancelling HS2 is to save £36bil, how can they commit to spending it elsewhere?

The answer is they have no intention of investing it elsewhere. Many of the network north projects are existing projects. It's not new investment, they are merely re-announcing stuff that's already going on.

[Bristol Red Rover]

Interesting to see India just above UK on that chart. Add food quality and journey satisfaction to that and India is lightyears ahead. Still the UK is sliding down the snakes on just about every square of the board compared to most other countries.

So much more valuable things to spend money on re public transport than HS2, we're left with both the Tories and Labour not having any sensible vision about the future of public transport. Changes are going to happen fairly soon and the infastructure just won't be there. The big change will be when owning cars becomes a silly luxury and driverless takes over. Then you dial a driverless hire car, it turns up within 10 mins, drops you at the rail station and you get the same at the other end. This will be in place within 20 years max.... or will in Germany, France, Italy, and India. Until then, public transport should be entirely free.

[River Don]

Compare the difference in attitude towards big London based infrastructure projects.

Crossrail comes in at £19 bil. Not an eyebrow raised anywhere. Crossrail 2 is still on the cards, that'll cost a lot more.

They simply won't invest in anything substantial beyond the south East.

[Bentley Bullet]

Don't vote Tory then, if that's what you believe. It shouldn't be difficult, after all, They'll soon be out of power and unable to prove you right anyway.

Time for you now to look forward to a whole new wonderful world of honesty, prosperity and fairness under the guidance of Keir Starmer!

[ravenrover]

Lets face it they are just setting out an agenda for if they lose the next election. If Labour come to power and dont carry out the promises they will make over the next 12months they will turnaround as opposition and say well that's what we were going to do

[SydneyRover]

Don't vote Tory then, if that's what you believe. It shouldn't be difficult, after all, They'll soon be out of power and unable to prove you right anyway.

Time for you now to look forward to a whole new wonderful world of honesty, prosperity and fairness under the guidance of Keir Starmer!

but you're not upset about it aye?

[BillyStubbsTears]

So that sub-GCSE map actually comes from a Govt produced document.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/651d64646a6955000d78b2e0/network-north-transforming-british-transport.pdf

I really wish the quality of that map was the main thing to get pissed off about.

But go through that document and see how much this bunch of Kitsons thinks about South Yorkshire.

Electrification of the Sheffield-Donny line? Nope.

Electrification of the EMML from Sheffield to Leicester (cancelled under Cameron's Austerity a decade back)? Nope.


A 20thcentury (nevermind 21st century) link from South Yorks to Manchester? Nope.


They are proposing two new rail services for South Yorks. One from Stockbridge to Sheffield. One from Orgreave to Sheffield. Each of them will service maybe a few dozen travellers an hour at most. Each of them serves a community in Red Wall seats that the Tories won in 2019.

They do not give a f**k about us, barring giving a little present to the nobodies who held those seats for a brief moment.

No strategy. No vision. Just micro-pork barrel politics.

Apologies. I didn't drill far enough down. You have to get right into the detailed text to see the bigger plans. For some unfathomable reason, they only include the Stockbridge and Orgreave links in the summary.


They ARE proposing to electrify Donny-Sheffield, along with electrifying the Hope Valley line. The former is very welcome. Finally. The latter is a cheap compromise, when reinstating the Woodhead line would give a much better solution.

No mention on timescales for electrifying the MML from Sheffield
 That's just criminal for a city that size to have no mainline electric service going into the middle of the 21st century.

[Bentley Bullet]

Don't vote Tory then, if that's what you believe. It shouldn't be difficult, after all, They'll soon be out of power and unable to prove you right anyway.

Time for you now to look forward to a whole new wonderful world of honesty, prosperity and fairness under the guidance of Keir Starmer!

but you're not upset about it aye?

Not enough to make me want to f**k off and live on the other side of the world.

[SydneyRover]

Don't vote Tory then, if that's what you believe. It shouldn't be difficult, after all, They'll soon be out of power and unable to prove you right anyway.

Time for you now to look forward to a whole new wonderful world of honesty, prosperity and fairness under the guidance of Keir Starmer!

but you're not upset about it aye?

Not enough to make me want to f**k off and live on the other side of the world.

as I said you're not upset aye?

[SydneyRover]

If the election goes the way most sane people want it to, risky will be on the first plane to the US.

[drfchound]

I thought that a Labour victory was a foregone conclusion Syd.
But here you are saying “if”.

[SydneyRover]

Warning, warning, yet another woke warning .............

''Science hasn’t gone ‘woke’ – the only people meddling with it are the Tories''

''he science secretary, Michelle Donelan, told the Conservative party conference this week that the Tories are “depoliticising science”. Or as a Conservative party announcement later put it, in case you didn’t get the culture-war reference, they are “kicking woke ideology out of science”, thereby “safeguarding scientific research from the denial of biology and the steady creep of political correctness” ........

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/04/science-research-sex-gender-michelle-donelan-conservatives-conference

[Not Now Kato]

And if the idea of cancelling HS2 is to save £36bil, how can they commit to spending it elsewhere?

The answer is they have no intention of investing it elsewhere. Many of the network north projects are existing projects. It's not new investment, they are merely re-announcing stuff that's already going on.

Indeed, and in some, (many?), cases the base infrastructure already exists....
 
http://donvalleyrailway.org
 
http://donvalleyrailway.org/thefuture/
 

[BillyStubbsTears]

Actually the line through Orgreave already exists. They are just going to put a bus stop type mini station by a new housing estate. All good, but hardly strategically transformational.

[drfchound]

All journeys start with just one step.

[ravenrover]

The plan for A1 widening in Northumberland was proposed in Oct 2021 and has been put back 4 times now until june 2024  10 years after Osborne gave the go ahead.
New development my arse Rich-ie