Jeremy Corbyn Elected

Trains and buses that run like clockwork sound ideal!

And it would take traffic off the roads - there are so many jams and gridlocks these days that something needs to be done.

Perhaps branch line closure was thought to be a very good idea at the time as more and more people bought cars and took to the roads. Driving was probably more of a pleasure as well in those days.
However, it can be a nightmare now - perhaps more branch lines need to be re-opened rather than spending a huge sum of money on HS2.

The triumph of pragmatism over principle.

On the plus side, and I am relieved, is that he backing down on some of his pet ideas that he has held for decades. Hurrah/.

the fact a new thread had to be started as the first got to 1000 in a couple of days, at least indicates it ha perked things up a bit ;)

I think I was vaguely aware of it Ana. Never been on a thread before where it actually happened.

Seems a shame. Doesn't take long to load on my thingies.

Interesting questions both.

Could go either way for numero uno.

Not sure about Portillo- but he is a huge admirer of nationalised Swiss railways that run like clockwork- and where all tickets are the same price, any day, any time- and where you can get an integrated timetable for your journey including buses and some cable-cars too. We live out in the sticks and buses start running at 6.30 and the last bus up from the valley is at 12.30 am- the bus waits for the train to arrive from the larger town below, which is linked to the whole network. Meaning that if ever we could no longer drive, we could still live here out int he sticks- with a great integrated nationalised network- that works- and tickets which are very reasonable in price- and montly, yearly tickets which are much much less than running a car.

Just finished a book written by a Brit called Diccon Bewes (! yes I know) - called 'Slow train to Switzerland' where he describes Thomas Cook's frist organised trip here in 1863. Fascinating.

Beeching and Mrs T have a lot to answer for? But so have overpowerful Unions which held public transport to ransom- and still do to some extent.

In Leicester, there were several bus companies, and if you bought a day ticket, you then found it was not accepted on half the buses. And even worse- there are 2 Bus stations serving different areas, not too far from each other- but not easy with luggage or if walking difficulties, handicap- and a train station at the other end of the town- wihtout a shuttle in between! Yiiiikes! And no buses to most of the surrounding villages either!

perhaps because they take ages to load (at least on my old machine which needs cranking up).

Have you only just realised that, jingl?

Can threads not go over one thousand posts? Why not?

I think it's too early to say about the next General Election. The Labour Party certainly seems to have been revitalised; whether it's the kind of revitalisation needed to win a GE only time will tell. We can speculate all we want but we won't know until the cows MPs come home (read 'get into parliament' for cows MPs come home).

ps do you think Michael Portillo and his Bradshaw have any views on the re-nationalisation of the railways?