Election promises- are they getting desperate?

One-party states! Sometimes you have to question if some people should have the vote although, of course, if you want a one party state you presumably don't believe you need a vote.

Reinstating branch lines as JRM suggests won’t help everyone get to work in the cities most of those are already in use or built on. It’s only rural branch lines that are available and they would never be remotely viable. The branch line we have closeby does have passengers at work times but rest of the day very few and must run at a big loss

What happens when parts of these reinstated railways are found to have been levelled and built over? Stations are now private homes, businesses and schools?

I am wondering whether to start a party that promises to make sure that everyone earns an above average wage, makes every employer provide free transport to work, loving mothers and apple pie every day. Oh, yes, doctors to provide home visits within an hour when asked 24/7

Anyone else want to contribute policies to my new party.

I think I will call it the Potty Party.

I think you will find that ‘Corbyn’s Party’ will shortly be offering all those things Monica ( it’s already the Potty Party)?

Broadband controlled by a government - China, North Korea, Venezuela, Russia etc. spring to mind. It can be shut down overnight and there would be no privacy - everything under scrutiny!
Not-mentioned criteria for eligibility.

Australia tried to introduce nationwide broad band on the model proposed by Labour. It has been unsuccessful and cost three times as much as budgeted. Of course, that is why Labour thought it would be such a good idea for us to follow suit. Heaven forfend that they should have ever knowingly back a policy that can work and be cost effective.

Election promises apart and whether it happens or not it isn't a bad idea although not practical for everywhere. There are still a lot of branch lines that could be reopened or reinstated keeping cars off the road and providing an alternative for poor rural bus services. This will surely help with environmental issues.
Portishead, near Bristol, has a railway line which could be upgraded and reopened. Loads of new houses have been built in Portishead but most residents have to ensure a slow tortuous journey by car into Bristol, where the majority work, where there is then the problem of parking. On top of that diesel cars are to be banned from the city. It is a no brainer to reopen the railway line and get people to work in a fraction of the time at a fraction of the cost to the environment. I am sure there are other lines in other parts of the country which whould offer similar benefits but each would need to be considered on its merits.

To be fair, the lovely Waverley line from Edinburgh to Galashiels and Tweedbank, which closed in the 60’s under Beeching, reopened a few years ago after a long and vigorous campaign. New housing at Tweedbank along with perhaps having the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh may have contributed to its viability. I wonder whether other areas are in the same position.

The amount of data bandwidth used by business is tiny compared with streaming video, only the very largest business get to that level, also I did not hear that free broadband for business was proposed.

Don't people think that needing to do something radical about limiting the effects of Climate Change, by, for example, cutting back heavily on car usage, might make us think differently about what we need in the way of public transport?

Re-opening some branch lines seems to me to be a viable part of the mix, for passenger and freight transport. Many of them were only cut in the first place because road transport was seen as the 'future'.

I admit I haven`t read all your comments, but agree with Calendar girl,, "It was ever thus"

as for the NHS and most other "nationalised" or paid for by the taxpayer services... it is the wastage, I would say corruption, that is the problem,
from my dh being in hospital recently, fabulous, truly caring and all the good comments about the docs and nurses,

the administration is abysmal, and I see that as the biggest problem with so many "services/business" here in the UK

corruption, wastage,, total incompetents at times

go on shoot me down!

Most branch lines never did make money, in fact have any railways ever broken even, most seem to rely on a state subsidy of some kind

Roads on the other hand make money in the form of taxation, fuel, vehicle tax, even insurance taxation.

The only answer is to travel less, do we really “need” to travel the way we do

I am all for opening up railway lines. As someone who suffers from travel sickness on buses and living in a village that used to have station, I am all for it

BUT

Over the last fifty years we have developed our environment so that work, housing, shopping and education are now scatterd all over the place. Combined with families with two wage earners and regular job changes, it will be almost impossible to provide enough diversity of routes to effectively remove more than a small proporion of current car journeys.

Enough, possibly, to remove some of the congestion from inner cities and outer ring roads, which will enable vehicles to run more efficiently but more than that I doubt without a major demolition and rebuilding of about half the built landscape.

Broadband by one provider? Say BT? OH NO!! Remember telephone ‘party lines’ in the early 70’s? Take it or leave it attitude as there was no other choice?

Competition has to be healthy surely? What would happen to say Vodaphone or Virgin?

Crazy.

For transport the future is electric, electrified rail for long distance freight and passengers between “hubs”, battery electric for local movement. Renewable power mostly and far less pollution we are part way along that road now.

polnan
I won't shoot you down. Having worked in a nationalised industry i can only agree with, corruption, wastage, and total incompetents.

Or maybe MOnica shorter car journeys to catch a train outside a city centre where parking facilities are decent?

Maybe public transport should be free to encourage us all to us it and be greener!

The broad “line” would be free, be sure you would pay for any ISP services but it’s not going to happen

Desperate is the word. It also shows just how out of touch they are in their Westminster bubble. I reckon a lot of the former railway lines have been built on or made into leisure routes. Will they have to demolish people’s homes to achieve their hollow promises?

Just get on with doing what we asked in 2016, still waiting, only then will I listen and be convinced they can be trusted in and carrying out anything they spout.

We're going to have to rethink, aren't we? We cannot keep on saying 'it can't be done' as the planet heats up and more and more areas become uninhabitable because of lack of water or too much water.

If communities have changed and refocused in the past because of circumstances, they can do it again.

And it really is time we stopped looking at government financing as if it were some sort of business obliged to make a profit or 'break even'. Taxation does not fund spending. So bugger all the money that roads 'make'.... Most of the money government spends comes back to it through taxation in one way or another, anyway (unless it is squirrelled off abroad in tax havens...) State Investment stimulates the economy...

Davidhs There are alternative fuels; hydrogen and I have seen discussion of others such as formic acid and water.

Do you know, Ug, your post at 11.15 actually makes sense!

What worries me is that some people might even believe the promises and vote accordingly. Would not trust any of them nowadays.

@Davidhs - how do you know that Labours promises aren't going to happen? Got a crystal ball have you? Give them a chance to actually show what they can do instead of dismissing it. If anyone is wondering where the money is coming from then you will need to read their manifesto (which will be fully costed). Crikey - take a long look at what we have had for the last 9 years (austerity was a political choice - not a necessity) and think about what is already happening to OUR NHS.