Re: the railways
 

Gordon and Tony didn't want to turn their shares in Neil:D

Re: the railways
 

true but hopefully our ed will bite the bullet. we have wasted at least £300 billion on stupid ideology of giving private firms billions to pay a dividend. this is really a waste of money.

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If you believe that, there's no hope for you. :rolleyes:

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There never has been Wyn;)

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That'll be difficult, unless he can turn his head through 180! :idunno:

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we will never know how much was paid for the dividend Why is outsourcing shrouded in secrecy? - Telegraph

Re: the railways
 

What record does the local Accrington MP have on transport?
Does he ever raise any questions to the secretary of state for transport?

Re: the railways
 

Always - until I became the whip for the transport team and therefore can't. Strangely whips in government can't speak at all on anything. I asked Jack Straw to ask my last question at the last transport questions. I write to the SoS all the time and there's an interesting snippet in my ob column this week.

I have been very vocal on all transport issues in the area.

Labour. There's a policy review on rail. We have opposed the privatisation of East Coast so far.

Re: the railways
 

G Jones,
I presume you are the local MP?
My question was not meant as a slur, far from it.

I agree, Labour have played it right to oppose changing east coast from direct operated railways (DOS).
For once Labour is winning the economic argument against the coalition that DOS operating the east cost franchise is making profit for the tax payer while providing a better service than the previous contractor who failed.
Labours support for DOS retaining east coast is also helping to demonstrate to the voters the conservatives are wanting to re-franchise based on nothing more than ideology.

As Network Rail's debt is now officially on the government books (lets not forget it was a Labour policy to keep it off), is there not a strong argument to bring the relationship between Network Rail and DOS closer together?
Is there not an economic argument due to the heavy taxpayers contributions, that better financial value would be achieved to move towards a 'in house' asset management and operation?
There are many benefits which would result from such a move.

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I'm not an expert on this and by the sounds of it you know lot more than me. I have only just joined the transport team.

As I understand it the trains are not nationally owned assets but leased. The TOC and rail network are.

You're absolutely right in another sense too. ECML is a complete change in policy by any party in 20 years and in a sense a new debate on future options has been opened up.

Re: the railways
 

There would appear to be a middle ground which the east coast franchise has highlighted.
A none for profit train operator alongside a none for profit railway asset steward and we have a better (not perfect) solution than the current status quo found on all of the other franchise deals.

Regarding the government backed train lease via the banks and financial institutions, this is the biggest scandal of the lot.

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InterCity 225 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia they were given away a pure scandal.

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well i kind of like what ed milliband has put forward. it would mean the British infrastructure service's would be able to bid to run over seas infrastructures . a good way to raise money to invest in British infrastructure.

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They can't run our own properly, do you think Jonny Foreigner will want them messing up theirs as well?

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ya know i kinda wish he would as well after emptying the other chambers of the gun into a few of his MPs before he does of course :)