Sunak kills the Northern Powerhouse.

DARb👍🏻

ronib

Easy to forget that HS2 started under Gordon Brown ….. 😕

Pedantic, I know, but HS2 wasn't "started" under G Brown. An investigation, followed by a consultation took place.

Love him or loathe him, I can't imagine things getting as out of hand under his watch as they have under the multiple Neo-Liberal Whig leaders of recent years. They are too taken up with their infighting to run a country and they have replaced efficiency with cult style popularity.

While cancelling HS2 has solved a perceived financial problem we're still left with the problem that it was supposed to be a solution for.

That problem is one of capacity. The old lines cannot handle the traffic they are expected to carry because they can't put on enough trains. HS2 was meant to increase passenger carrying capacity and free up more freight capacity on the older lines.

While increasing connectivity between northern cities is very important and welcome we will still have a capacity problem to deal with.

I didn’t welcome using Mrs Rishi to introduce him.

ronib. It’s impossible to forget HS2 started with Gordon brown as ‘some posters’ use that in an attempt to blame Labour for 13 years of mismanagement

Casdon

DaisyAnneReturns

Whitewavemark2

What I would add, is that they did not inherit remotely the absolute dire state that Starmer will inherit.

I am still trying to get my head around the fact that when any party can talk, or even be allowed to talk, to the Treasury, before an election, is in the "gift" of the PM still amazes me.

I really am beginning to think we need a basic codification of our constitution that makes a government have to be more open - or we could have a new law, I suppose.

What exactly do you mean DaisyAnneReturns, surely the opposition, and for that matter the public should fully understand the state of the public purse and the impact of government policy on expenditure?

Isn't DAR saying that parties aren't allowed to talk to the Treasury unless they've been given permission to do so by the PM?

I'd like to know a bit more about this statement. Where hss it come from, DAR?

Easy to forget that HS2 started under Gordon Brown ….. 😕

today Today

Casdon

Whitewavemark2

What I would add, is that they did not inherit remotely the absolute dire state that Starmer will inherit.

I know, that’s exactly how I feel too. I think it will take at least 5 years before the next government will be able to see the wood for the trees, never mind make any significant progress in improving peoples lot. Not promising what you can’t deliver is such a sensible approach now. The next few years will be expose after expose of the current ills I suspect, so let’s hope the electorate take notice.

Just hearing this on today.

Feisal Islam has been looking through the forty page document containing the new plans for what has been called Network North.

Some industry sources were withering about what they called "a disintegrated rail plan, that had been rapidly drawn up by Number 10 advisors with a crayon and a map" they said. The document appeared to mislabel the location of Manchester and argued funding from HS2 could be available for two new tram extentions, that were actually completed years ago.

The Government argues that there is greater value for money in smaller local projects and that has been shown to be the case with investment in buses, for example. It also says that HS2 alone, was taking up a third of the transport departments investment budget, crowding out other projects.

It's also moving swiftly ahead with selling properties secured for Phase 2 and removing safeguarding along the line that reserves use of some land. This would make it difficult for any future government to swiftly reverse the PM's decision.

🤣

DaisyAnneReturns

Whitewavemark2

What I would add, is that they did not inherit remotely the absolute dire state that Starmer will inherit.

I am still trying to get my head around the fact that when any party can talk, or even be allowed to talk, to the Treasury, before an election, is in the "gift" of the PM still amazes me.

I really am beginning to think we need a basic codification of our constitution that makes a government have to be more open - or we could have a new law, I suppose.

What exactly do you mean DaisyAnneReturns, surely the opposition, and for that matter the public should fully understand the state of the public purse and the impact of government policy on expenditure?

Whitewavemark2

What I would add, is that they did not inherit remotely the absolute dire state that Starmer will inherit.

I am still trying to get my head around the fact that when any party can talk, or even be allowed to talk, to the Treasury, before an election, is in the "gift" of the PM still amazes me.

I really am beginning to think we need a basic codification of our constitution that makes a government have to be more open - or we could have a new law, I suppose.

Whitewavemark2

What I would add, is that they did not inherit remotely the absolute dire state that Starmer will inherit.

I know, that’s exactly how I feel too. I think it will take at least 5 years before the next government will be able to see the wood for the trees, never mind make any significant progress in improving peoples lot. Not promising what you can’t deliver is such a sensible approach now. The next few years will be expose after expose of the current ills I suspect, so let’s hope the electorate take notice.

Allsorts
If Rishi goes anywhere it will be the USA. He didn’t have a green card just to go on holiday.

Sunak has been reported to the police over his comments he made about Sturgeon.

Contempt a lawyer suggested?

How come they pull the plug on HS2 because of cost, yet they can suddenly afford all these other projects?

I hope that after the experience of Cameron, Johnson and Truss runaway prime ministers are curtailed be they Sunak or Starmer. Time for joined up government and not Messianic leaders leading us nowhere in particular.

What I would add, is that they did not inherit remotely the absolute dire state that Starmer will inherit.

casdon frankly I don’t know where they are going to begin. I do know that the last Labour government held it’s nerve for about 2 years whilst it sorted out and understood what was needed, after which reform was swift and sure.

I was reading a list of stuff the other day and it was astounding what they achieved.

CoolCoco

I think it was cringy having his wife give a speech about her husband. Who elected her?

She's no Michelle Obama is she.

Whoops, I pressed ‘send’ too soon.
What I meant to say was that foresight is dangerous, when coming from a such a low base of proven leadership ability that the government has demonstrated. The legacy for the next government will be so mountainous in scale and complexity, that employing hindsight is absolutely vital. I hope that Starmer is well categorised by that nickname, he will need to use hindsight on a constant basis to understand and put right all that has been destroyed.

First smile of the day *Allsorts, thanks. You reminded me of a favourite quote.

Hindsight is notably cleverer than foresight. - Chester W. Nimitz

IT should never have started, but made worse by the effects of Covid, funding of it and Inflation. The original networks need to be put right and that has to be a priority. It is not easy to pull the plug when so much money has been wasted, hearts broken by their homes and livliehoods wrecked. What a distaster for those people in particular. I think it was a hard decision and unpopular yo many but the right one, it doesn't make you popular but it makes economic sense. This government need to make these hard decisions before "Hindsight" gets in and shakes the money tree and wastes millions on Europe, I think he might have a hidden wish to live there because he certainly doesn't care about this country.

Has anyone tried to use trains from Leeds station? Has anyone asked people living in the north whether they would prefer faster travel to London or improved access to other Northern cities?
It’s all very well for newspapers to cite Cameron, Johnson and Truss slating the policy and using it against Sunak but these politicians were completely inept themselves and seem to have some issues with being Conservatives.
Sunak has also announced changes to the A level curriculum!

It was a delusional speech. It’s all very well saying he’s going to crack down on x,y,z when this government has only 12 months to run- how much of this did people vote for? And don’t get me started on them telling us what “ the British people want”….I’m one of the British people and I don’t want half this guff. What the British people want is affordable housing and food prices that don’t go up every week , none of that got a mention.

*Does anyone really believe Rishi's promises today? Really? Once cancellation fee's are finalised and the other costs to wind-down the HS2 project are paid, there won't be a lot left. Plus, setting up new projects take time and money, neither of which it would appear Rishi has - after all we are only a year away from a GE.

He can promise whatever he likes now and blame whoever is in power for non delivery.

I don't know how these people sleep at nights, i truly don't.*

👏👏👏👏👏👏