Railways disaster
Dutch-owned Scotrail announces that the first of 26 “new” trains has crossed the Border. Actually, these magnificent diesel-electric Intercity 125s were built over 35 years ago by British Rail Engineering – and still hold the world’s diesel speed record. They are iconic symbols of British engineering excellence and prove that rail nationalisation works.
When Conservative MP Robert Adley stood up in the House of Commons to rail against the John Major government’s shameful privatisation of the rail industry, he held aloft a British Rail timetable which he described as “a wonderful book” and warned of the folly of breaking up the national rail system. Events have proved Adley right.
East Coast mainline has seen a succession of private companies failing; while in public hands East Coast turned a handsome profit with record levels of customer satisfaction. Nationalisation welded the regions of Britain together, privatisation pulled them apart.
Every passenger journey in Scotland receives a subsidy of £6.70 (compared with the average of £1.66 in England). So how much is returned to the Dutch state railways, the owner of Abellio-scotrail?
Opinion polls have shown consistently a huge level of public support for rail renationalisation.
So what’s stopping it?
If the Conservatives had any sense they would adopt it as policy and scupper Labour’s chances of re-election for a decade.
Alas, with a Prime Minister so unimaginative as Mrs May, who would not say “boo” to a goose, the chances of that are slim.
WILLIAM LONESKIE
Oxton, Lauder
“Transport police merger to be dropped.” Another one of the Scottish Government’s ambitious flagship policies abandoned. Wonder which one’s next? The popular P1 assessments, perhaps?
And come to think of it, any recent sightings of the highly acclaimed Named Person scheme, which will apparently safeguard the nation’s youth from their misguided parents?
Presumably they’ll still hang on to the baby boxes, since virtue-signalling is undoubtedly one of this administration’s many strengths.
M. O’GORMAN
Colinton Road, Edinburgh