British rail strike

This is a political strike. It is a stand against the Tories and against coming automation – a warning that attempts to update infrastructure will be bitterly resisted. It is akin to opposition to the spinning jenny in the 18th century. And, like the industrial revolution before it, the arrival of automation will certainly revolutionise the economy and disrupt lives – but it will also lower costs and raise productivity.

We doubt that Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn truly grasps the nature of what is happening. His politics are out of date and out of touch. [In a speech], he gave the Fabians one solution to almost everything: public ownership. Is there a crisis in social care? Nationalise the care homes, he said. Are the trains slow and overcrowded? Take them away from the owners, he advised. Never mind that this would be horrendously expensive or that some of the most malfunctioning aspects of the railway system, such as track and signals, are already run by the state.

Mr Corbyn’s style is underwhelming . . . And the substance of his ideas renders Labour irrelevant. Mr Corbyn has no clear position on the EU or immigration. He has the wrong position on education, tax, regulation and now transport. No wonder moderate Labour MPs are quitting to work in museums and the nuclear industry – leaping to safety from a runaway train.