Re: Brexit Anyone? (part 4) : Sat Sep 21, 2019 8:30 am  

Sal Paradise wrote:

Of course it will a bigger infrastructure - improved health and safety needs, inflation etc. Quite rightly the burden of cost must sit with the consumers who use the system and not build up losses supported by the government. Greater investment in rolling stock etc. if it weren't for the unions most users would suggest punctuality have improved significantly since nationalisation and the trains are significantly better.

If the amount of money being thrown at the railways now had been provided to the managers of British Rail 30 or 40 years ago we would have had a rail system which would have been the best in the world. The root cause of British Rail's problems, such as they were, were underfunding and the solution was not to break it up, remove its interconnectivity and ludicrously insert a private profit-making layer.

Providing a good transport infrastructure is one of the key things the government should do - the railways shouldn't be run as a purely profit making venture any more than the roads are.

Re: Brexit Anyone? (part 4) : Sun Sep 22, 2019 7:09 am  

The Ghost of '99 wrote:

If the amount of money being thrown at the railways now had been provided to the managers of British Rail 30 or 40 years ago we would have had a rail system which would have been the best in the world. The root cause of British Rail's problems, such as they were, were underfunding and the solution was not to break it up, remove its interconnectivity and ludicrously insert a private profit-making layer.

Providing a good transport infrastructure is one of the key things the government should do - the railways shouldn't be run as a purely profit making venture any more than the roads are.

I agree about a the infrastructure but to me that is the highways and the tracks not the vehicles that run on them - if the government dictate which trains and buses you use why not which cars you drive, which cycles you ride, which side of the road you walk etc.

I doubt there are many who would struggle to get where ever they want on the rail or bus - would prices come down under public ownership - unlikely would there be greater investment in rolling stock again unlikely would the service improve not if past history of public ownership is anything to go by.

Re: Brexit Anyone? (part 4) : Sun Sep 22, 2019 8:08 am  

The Ghost of '99 wrote:

If the amount of money being thrown at the railways now had been provided to the managers of British Rail 30 or 40 years ago we would have had a rail system which would have been the best in the world. The root cause of British Rail's problems, such as they were, were underfunding and the solution was not to break it up, remove its interconnectivity and ludicrously insert a private profit-making layer.

Providing a good transport infrastructure is one of the key th6ings the government should do - the railways shouldn't be run as a purely profit making venture any more than the roads are.

it will be better when Labour abolish OFSTEAD and Labour Properties pay the tax owed on their £20m turnover.

Re: Brexit Anyone? (part 4) : Sun Sep 22, 2019 11:21 am  

IR80 wrote:

it will be better when Labour abolish OFSTEAD and Labour Properties pay the tax owed on their £20m turnover.

Are you just hooked up directly to the fever dreams of the hard, hard right media or do you actually have anything relevant or substantive to say?

Re: Brexit Anyone? (part 4) : Sun Sep 22, 2019 7:36 pm  

The Ghost of '99 wrote:

Are you just hooked up directly to the fever dreams of the hard, hard right media or do you actually have anything relevant or substantive to say?

Aww, diddums, have I read about the Conference and investigations into Labour practices?

You are a bit myopic, in a kind of Cyclops way.

Re: Brexit Anyone? (part 4) : Mon Sep 23, 2019 7:17 am  

Sal Paradise wrote:

if it weren't for the unions most users would suggest punctuality have improved significantly since nationalisation

Cobblers. Northern Rail - who I use every day - has a 50-60% on time record this year. Having promised at the start of the year that things would improve dramatically from last year's disastrous performance. Nothing to do with Unions.

Re: Brexit Anyone? (part 4) : Mon Sep 23, 2019 10:35 am  

tigertot wrote:

Cobblers. Northern Rail - who I use every day - has a 50-60% on time record this year. Having promised at the start of the year that things would improve dramatically from last year's disastrous performance. Nothing to do with Unions.

as ever, not telling the full story, 80% within 3 minutes of expected, 96% within 10, usually down to staff being late.

Re: Brexit Anyone? (part 4) : Mon Sep 23, 2019 10:46 am  

tigertot wrote:

Cobblers. Northern Rail - who I use every day - has a 50-60% on time record this year. Having promised at the start of the year that things would improve dramatically from last year's disastrous performance. Nothing to do with Unions.

All the Saturday strikes had nothing at all to do with punctuality?

Re: Brexit Anyone? (part 4) : Mon Sep 23, 2019 10:47 am  

tigertot wrote:

Cobblers. Northern Rail - who I use every day - has a 50-60% on time record this year. Having promised at the start of the year that things would improve dramatically from last year's disastrous performance. Nothing to do with Unions.

You have just made that up haven't you?

Re: Brexit Anyone? (part 4) : Mon Sep 23, 2019 12:13 pm  

IR80 wrote:

Aww, diddums, have I read about the Conference and investigations into Labour practices?

You are a bit myopic, in a kind of Cyclops way.

I've no love for, and have never voted for, Labour so I'm not sure of the relevance.

I'm just keen for you to express something vaguely coherent.