The Politics Thread | Page 211 | Vital Football

The Politics Thread

The Fear said:
That money could be used up North to improve their archaic transport infrastructure and allow some social mobility up there. But oh no, lets all get to London quicker. No thanks, a 20 min saving makes no odds and now we have all seen how meetings can be held remotely, surely some companies at least will wake up?
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I used to hold online meetings 15 years ago with the USA we had the time difference thing that meant we did a 2 pm meeting and it was 9 am I think in Illinois. We are are light-years further on with tech now, really don't see the need for travelling on business and even doing office work from some city-centre building.
I went to Munich a couple of years ago with 2 colleagues it was really just a jolly for a couple of days, the actual meeting lasted 2 hours. Could have easily done it by video link.
HS2 is a white elephant. (like the M6 Toll) I suppose it's great if your company is paying but the average person will never use it, it will be astronomical expensive fare wise. Which means people will use their cars
 
david-avfc said:
Do you think there needs to be high speed rail (as you mentioned you didn’t think the technology was that good (I know nothing about the technical specs)), or just better transport infrastructure in general?

To me the issue is not with public transport improvements in general as in the long term this should be beneficial (particularly to the environment), but the idea that we need an all singing all dancing high speed rail which has enormous cost and little benefit over traditional transport
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The ultimate project would result in faster travel between London and Leeds and obviously all stops in between, I see it highly desirable to have that faster connectivity between large cities. It would benefit 'local' tourism and business. Obviously a lot of my ideas on this were formed pre COVID so may have to think things through a little bit.

A major factor is not just the speed but the capacity relief to the existing west coast main line which struggles significantly each year with demand and has an incredible amount of issues causing substantial delays. I actually think the more convincing argument for it is precisely due to capacity relief.

I would concede that there could be better things to spend the money on given what could be spiralling costs. But at the same time I'm absolutely not against it. We do have terrible rail infrastructure (especially down the WCML), perhaps in an ideal world this would have been addressed 30 odd years ago but we are where we are.
 
With HS2 now, with serious doubts about the parts of the project that would've connected the more northerly better and the likelihood they are now going to be scrapped.

The original London/Brum line isn't fit for purpose.
 
Villan57 said:
I used to hold online meetings 15 years ago with the USA we had the time difference thing that meant we did a 2 pm meeting and it was 9 am I think in Illinois. We are are light-years further on with tech now, really don't see the need for travelling on business and even doing office work from some city-centre building.
I went to Munich a couple of years ago with 2 colleagues it was really just a jolly for a couple of days, the actual meeting lasted 2 hours. Could have easily done it by video link.
HS2 is a white elephant. (like the M6 Toll) I suppose it's great if your company is paying but the average person will never use it, it will be astronomical expensive fare wise. Which means people will use their cars
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Government digging holes to pay someone to fill it back in again. Governmental and corporate money laundering from tax payer to company shareholder to worker (and tax payer again).

I’m not against developing infrastructure per se, but the rewards have got to be relatively big for the cost. Saving 20 mins or whatever the time benefit is, isn’t worth the cost (currently £55bn).


I was typing a message about how we should build train tracks to let us travel at 200mph but I’ve just read HS2 would aim for 250mph. What’s the betting health and and safety or noise means we restrict trains to 150?
 
Just listening to Robert Buckland MP who is Justice secretary apparently another bumbling pillock, I was wondering how they get these jobs then realised it's all our fault we elect these unqualified people to represent us. Then we spend the next however many years complaining about how they run the country
 
HS2! We have the pleasure of having it built 500 metres from our house.The roads are already a nightmare. I can't wait for the ramp up in traffic, closed roads and clouds of dust and shit when major construction begins.
 
ironside said:
HS2! We have the pleasure of having it built 500 metres from our house.The roads are already a nightmare. I can't wait for the ramp up in traffic, closed roads and clouds of dust and shit when major construction begins.
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Has your hour price (on paper) benefitted? I assume the price is already being built in, as the Chinese move their investments outside of London.
 
Fulford said:
I haven't watched it yet, but did Boris get rinsed by Starmer at PMQ's today?
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Not as badly as last week, but Boris managed to say that the NHS surcharge for non-EU workers was a good thing to keep because it brings in £900m a year.

So all the non-EU HNS staff who were busy saving his life, and the lives of others, should have to pay for their own NHS treatment.

Seems right and fair :shake:
 
JuanPabloAngel said:
Not as badly as last week, but Boris managed to say that the NHS surcharge for non-EU workers was a good thing to keep because it brings in £900m a year.

So all the non-EU HNS staff who were busy saving his life, and the lives of others, should have to pay for their own NHS treatment.

Seems right and fair :shake:
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Probably should bring in 900m if they actually collected it.
 
I had a good laugh with Sir Lyndsay Hoyle this afternoon, dressing down Matt Hancock. Straight talking Lancashire man

You can tell the Tories are rattled by Sir Kier, as they can't get away with what they did before. Excellent!

Still would have loved hearing John Bercow say "Watch your tone man" which he would have if he was still in the chair 😉

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Speaker threatens to eject Hancock from Commons

https://news.sky.com/video/share-11991733
 
danvilla2 said:
Has your hour price (on paper) benefitted? I assume the price is already being built in, as the Chinese move their investments outside of London.
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I don't know danvilla2 and quite frankly I don't care. I just watch with interest how the cost of HS2 keeps sneaking up. Over 100 billion and rising and there's the year on year cost of maintaining it once it's finished. Still, somebody's making a mint out of it so that justifies it.
I'll get bugger all out of it.
 
ironside said:
I don't know danvilla2 and quite frankly I don't care. I just watch with interest how the cost of HS2 keeps sneaking up. Over 100 billion and rising and there's the year on year cost of maintaining it once it's finished. Still, somebody's making a mint out of it so that justifies it.
I'll get bugger all out of it.
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They'll end up selling it to a company like they did M6 Toll which should have been nationalised years ago if they were serious about reducing congestion
 
The Fear said:
Total pressure at PMQ's and Hancock is starting to look like a dead man walking.

And I know it shouldn't matter, actually, scrub that, it does. Johnson, you buffoon, you are in the House Of Commons representing this country. Comb your hair you bumbling fool.
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A bit technical for a politician combing hair, I think you should stand as an MP you'd have problem
 
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