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Monthly Archives: February 2016

The anti Hs2 mob live up to their name.

25 Thursday Feb 2016

Posted by Paul Bigland in Anti Hs2 mob, Hs2

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Anti Hs2 mob, Hs2

Yesterday Hs2 Ltd officially opened a new information centre in Camden. It’s there to help inform Camden residents about the project and to give them a permanent, direct point of contact with Hs2 Ltd staff. You’d think that such a centre would be welcomed, but the anti Hs2 mob had other ideas. Despite complaining about a ‘lack of dialogue’ their behaviour makes it pretty clear it’s the dialogue of the deaf.

Around 30 people turned up to picket the centre & prevent Hs2 staff getting in. As usual, they claimed vastly more people were there than actually turned up.

mre than 100

too many..

Ironically, their deceitful claims were exposed by the Camden New Journal’s Tom Foot, who normally uncritically swallows whatever they tell him!

Tom Foot

Instead of a peaceful protest the atmosphere turned into one of intimidation, which forced security guards & the police to lock the gates. Don’t believe me? Check out their own video!

Also, note the comments under it.

drummond st

A “proper” demonstration? I’ve little doubt the decent folk who live & work in Drummond St would be horrified at this turn of events & seeing their reputations besmirched by this group.

Clearly, these demonstrations have nothing to do with dialogue, but they do show what some elements of the anti Hs2 campaign will stoop to.

 

 

The Hs2 Bill Ctte report

23 Tuesday Feb 2016

Posted by Paul Bigland in Anti Hs2 mob, Hs2, Hs2 petitions, Railways, StopHs2, Transport

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Anti Hs2 mob, Hs2, Hs2aa, Rail Investment

Yesterday evening the Hs2 Hybrid Bill Committee released its final report. There were no real surprises in this solid piece of work – although some of it still seems to have come as a shock to the anti Hs2 campaign, but that’s because of the dream world they’ve insisted in living on for the past few years.

The report has rejected all the more outlandish and impossible asks, such as a fully bored tunnel under the Chilterns, terminating the line short at Old Oak Common and restricting train speeds.

The 112 page report has also made some practical and sensible recommendations on the way the phase 2 hybrid bill petitioning process should be revised. Here’s a look at some of the detail. This can only be a brief overview. I’d recommend that those interested read the full report themselves. It can be found here.

On the Chiltern tunnel (full details on page 36-37 of the report).

page 37

I can’t help wondering if the decision was also made with an eye on precedent. If the Committee agreed that an AONB was to be sacrosanct & new transport links had to be tunnelled under it life would be made very difficult for future developments in any AONB. The Ctte went on to say this;

AONB

When it came to the idea that Hs2 shouldn’t go to Euston, the Committee had this to say;

Euston

And..

Euston 2

So, Euston it is. The Committee were well aware of the potential for disruption to Camden residents lives and made several recommendations & observations in the pages following on from the above.

As for the daft idea put forward by Hs2aa that Hs2 trains should have their speed limited, the Ctte said;

Rail speed

Looking through the report it becomes clear that anti Hs2 campaigners Hs2aa had their arguments rejected time and time again. They’ve not come out of this process at all well.

After dealing with all the substantive matters of the petitions, the Committee moved on to look at the Hybrid Bill process itself. They made several recommendations to streamline the process and make it more relevant to the modern age whilst enhancing the ability of people who are genuinely affected to petition. At the same time they made several specific recommendations that will prevent organisations like the StopHs2 campaign from trying to bogĀ  down the process. If adopted, these will have a major impact on the progress of the Hs2 Phase 2 Hybrid Bill. Locus standi was one such issue.

locus 1

The Committee made some pithy observations on the petitions themselves;

pet 2

pet 3

That said, the Ctte made it clear they were not criticising the majority of petitioners (see 403).

The whole report is a fine piece of work. Hs2 Ltd don’t escape criticism, nor do the Council of Mortgage Lenders or its members for the ridiculous zero valuations applied to some properties affected by Hs2! To my mind all the criticisms are considered and valid.

Anyone who’s ever watched the Committee in action can appreciate the difficulties of the task, so the members of the Committee should be commended for their scrupulous fairness and dedication to the task they were entrusted with. Sadly, StopHs2 campaigners are already doing the opposite. Here’s a taste of their reactions:

conwy

DD crap

Meanwhile, the main anti Hs2 groups seem to be deliberately ignoring the report. StopHs2 are too busy tweeting about a side-show at the PACAC regarding the Hs2 Residents Commissioner whilst nothing has been heard from Hs2aa for days.

Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt….

Another stophs2 electoral disaster

19 Friday Feb 2016

Posted by Paul Bigland in Anti Hs2 mob, Hs2, StopHs2, UKIP

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Remember the heady days before the general election? UKIP were convinced they’d win seats in the Chilterns as they’d done a volte face on their 2010 manifesto promise to build 3 high speed lines to oppose Hs2. They even produced this cartoon;

Farage Hs2

The stophs2 campaign had conned UKIP into believing Hs2 was a vital election issue and ran a risible ‘no votes for you with Hs2’ campaign. It was complete hogwash of course. The truth is that (even in the Chilterns) the only people who really care about Hs2 either live directly in its path or are just outside the compensation zone.

The 2015 election was a disaster for both sides as it exposed both were writing cheques neither could cash.

Despite this, both sides still cling to the same fictions. UKIP still think opposing Hs2 will win them votes & the anti Hs2 mob still pretend they’ve electoral clout. So last nights result in the local elections in Chesham (a supposed stophs2 stronghold) will come as a nasty reality-check for both sides.

UKIP

Meanwhile, over in Lichfield (another supposed anti hs2 stronghold & seat of Michael Fabricant, one of the few MPs to actively oppose Hs2), this was the result;

Lichfield result

Let’s see how the anti Hs2 mob explain these – other than by studiously ignoring them…

 

How times change!

18 Thursday Feb 2016

Posted by Paul Bigland in Hs2

≈ 2 Comments

Much to the anti Hs2 campaign’s chagrin, Twitter sees the #hs2 hash tag trending in Sheffield. This is nothing to do with them of course (their one attempt to get stophs2 trending was an embarrassing failure). It’s because there’s a public meeting to discuss the best location for the future station. Hs2 Ltd & the government have proposed that it should be located a few miles North of the city centre at Meadhowhall, but there’s an active campaign (led by the local council & supported by local media) to have the station relocated in the city centre using the site of the old Sheffield Victoria station site.

Personally, I can see the pros & cons of both arguments so I’m not going to offer an opinion either way.

What I find refreshing is a campaign around Hs2 that’s overwhelmingly positive and looking to the future. It’s a marked contrast to the selfish anti Hs2 campaign which is all about maintaining the status quo for some people who live on the Hs2 route, plus the usual anti public investment interventions from the likes of the right wing Taxpayers Alliance and the Institute of Economic affairs.

I’m sure it will be a fascinating discussion and I wish both sides well. You can follow it at the #hs2 hashtag on Twitter. Here’s a sample:

Sheffield Hs2

 

 

The anti Hs2 campaign has shares in green ink.

16 Tuesday Feb 2016

Posted by Paul Bigland in Bigotry, Hs2, Rant, StopHs2, Twitter (and how not to use it)

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Anti Hs2 mob, Hs2, Peter Jones, StopHs2, UKIP

Well, if they had any sense they would, but sense is the one thing noticeably absent from the anti Hs2 mobs social media campaign nowadays. It’s become the modern refuge for and version of the old green ink brigade! (here’s an explanation of the term for readers who may be unfamiliar with it).

In fact, it’s the green ink brigade who seem to be keeping the antis social media campaign (and I use that term very loosely) going.

More and more of the old campaigners have left the field nowadays. This is due to a combination of factors. One is that many of them have been bought out by Hs2 Ltd & moved on (metaphorically and literally). Another is that most sensible people have worked out that it’s futile. There was a noticeable drop off in their campaign after the Hs2 Hybrid Bill passed with a massive majority and another after last years general election when it was clear the political battle was lost.

As the pragmatists and rational folks have retired, the – how shall I put this? “eccentric” wing have taken taken centre stage. In a few cases they’ve been bolstered by folks who don’t just write in green but prefer the most vivid shades of the colour! They’re a mix of UKIP members, who bring their own particular brand of xenophobia, paranoia and poor education – and the genuinely bonkers. Folk who believe in any conspiracy theory going but think they’re the only one’s who really know the truth. It’s like an internet version of Bedlam, only without the restraints.

To say this leaves their campaign with a image problem is an understatement. If I was Hs2aa or any of the few intellectual Nimbys left, I’d be tearing my hair out at their behaviour as it’s utterly destroyed any credibility they might have claimed to have. It also makes it very easy for politicians to ignore them. When you see some of their tweets and Facebook comments, it’s not difficult to see why. So, here’s a selection of the anti Hs2 social media car crash. Enjoy!

hs2 nutter 5

Hs2 nutters 3

hs2 nutters 4

Hs2 nutters6

DD bonkers

liar MPs

Honey hs2

Meanwhile, over on the anti Hs2 facebrook groups;

hs2 altofts

Need I say more?

The petitions process ends, not with a bang – but a whimper…

09 Tuesday Feb 2016

Posted by Paul Bigland in Anti Hs2 mob, Hs2, Hs2 petitions, Hs2aa, StopHs2

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Anti Hs2 mob, Hs2, Hs2aa, Politics, StopHs2

Last Thursday the House of Commons Hs2 Hybrid Bill Committee heard its last petition. At the close of events, Mr Strachan, one of Hs2 Ltd’s QC’s made this statement, which put the process into context;Strachan 1

Strachan 2

Yet, for all these remarkable numbers, the process ended with a whimper as the last two surviving anti Hs2 groups (Hs2aa and Stophs2) failed to make any impact with their final petitions.

Part of Hs2aa’s final ask was that Hs2 should have a 300kph speed limit imposed upon it. To justify this they used an ‘expert’ witness. Sadly for them this expert managed to make a fundamental error in his argument, asserting that existing high speed trains used in Germany, France & Japan all had top speeds of 300kph. Here’s a slide from his presentation.

hs2aa expert

The reality is very different. The Siemens Velaro E has a top speed of 350kph and the version used by Eurostar (the e320) will run at 320kph – the same as the Velaro D in Germany. Here’s a look at the Velaro family.

Alstom TGVs operate at between 300-320kph whilst the newer AGVs run at speeds up to 360kph.

The Japanese high speed fleets also operate at 320kph with the newer N700 capable of 330kph.

Oh, and that still leaves the Bombardier ETR 500 Frecciarossa (max speed 360kph) and the Spanish Talgo T350 (350kph). So, as you can see, the 300kph claim by Hs2aa’s “expert” is misleading nonsense. You can read about Europe’s top 10 high speed trains here.

Needless to say, Hs2aa’s QC had a hard time trying to sell these claims. You can watch the days proceedings here.

The final days hearings on Thursday weren’t any better. Joe Rukin presented StopHs2’s final comments and asks which were so poor that Hs2 Ltd’s QC didn’t even need to reply, pointing out that everything Rukin raised had been said before, so there was no point in wasting the Committee’s time responding!

Petitions done and dusted, the Committee have retired to compile their final report and recommendations, which may be available before the end of February. Expect the Committee to put the final nail in the coffin for antis claims that Hs2 should terminate at Old Oak Common not Euston as well as the idea that Hs2 should be tunnelled all the way under the Chilterns.

This leaves the anti Hs2 campaign with nothing else to do until the House of Lords petitioning process starts later in the year. This is a big problem for them as they’ve no way to keep their campaign going. It’s been losing momentum ever since the Hybrid Bill passed 2nd reading with such a stonking majority. There’s been nothing but bad news for them ever since and the lack of anything happening outside of social media means that many people have given up on the anti campaign.

To add to their woes the social media campaign’s floundering, badly. There’s hardly any activity from either of the two groups. Hs2aa have only tweeted 4 times in 2016. Their website’s been updated 6 times but most of that is the ‘news’ about their appearance at the Committee! Their Facebook page is equally bereft of real news, most of what appears is their tweets about “empty” trains!

StopHs2 are in just as poor a position. They’ve nothing going on so they’re reduced to recycling old stories. Their Facebook page is a joy to behold. The few people commenting (always the same few names) can’t understand why they’ve failed to stophs2 – although the nature of their remarks makes it obvious to outsiders! Twitter isn’t much better. They’re so bereft of ideas they’re now trying to get the Cubbington pear tree top of an EU vote, so they’ve been posting this in several languages;

tree

Quite how voting for a tree is meant to stop hs2 is a mystery, but I suppose they’ve got to keep the bloke bankrolling them thinking they’re still doing something!

In truth, the whole stophs2 Twitter campaign is becoming an embarrassment. Now that most sensible people have abandoned them the lunatics have taken over the asylum. It’s as mad as a box of frogs! Here’s a few examples from today.

nut 1

Nut 2

Nut 3

Nut 4

Is it any wonder sensible folks have given up on the anti Hs2 campaign when this is what it’s sunk to? How is this vacuous nonsense meant to persuade intelligent folk to support them? All it does is expose the fact their campaign’s a shambles.

I wonder how many more folks will desert it in the next few weeks before the Lords take up the reins & continue the progress of the Hs2 Bill into law?

Real hs2 facts (No 2)….

01 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by Paul Bigland in Anti Hs2 mob, Hs2, Hs2 petitions, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Hs2, Hs2 facts, Hs2 petitions

More folks have signed the save a cross channel hovercraft petition in 3 days than the Stop Hs2 flood petition in 35!

Hovercraft: https://www.change.org/p/homes-and-communities-agency-save-the-princess-anne-the-last-remaining-srn4-hovercraft-for-the-nation …

Flood petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/117184

 

 

Here’s a real Hs2 fact.

01 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by Paul Bigland in Anti Hs2 mob, Hs2, Rail Investment, StopHs2, Transport

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Anti Hs2 mob, Hs2, StopHs2

This week sees the final sessions of the Hs2 Hybrid Bill petitioning in the House of Commons. Despite all the anti Hs2 mobs bluff and bluster they failed to stop the project by bogging it down with petitions. In fact, the Hs2 Committee have sat for less time than the Crossrail Committee!

The Crossrail petitioning process lasted from 13th December 2005 until the 18th October 2007 – over 22 months. In contrast, the Hs2 committee will have sat from the 10th June 2014 until the 3rd February 2016 – less than 19 months.

It’s another abject failure by hs2 antis who are now trying to furiously back-pedal on their claims they ever thought they could Stophs2 with petitions. Here’s a classic example..

Sarbutts petition crap

If anyone else can supply other examples of their ridiculous claims I’ll be happy to add them.

Here’s who is appearing when in the final week.

 

 

Sri Lankan sojourn, part 3

01 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by Paul Bigland in Sri Lanka, Travel

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Sri Lanka, Travel

After leaving Colombo behind we spent a few days in Kandy, the capital of the hills. Kandyans pride themselves on being a little different than people from the plains. The women even dress slightly differently as they wear a ruff around the waist of their saris. Like many visitors we stayed in a guest house set back on the slopes of the artificial lake. The Amanda Hills was a multi storey complex which had entrances & exists on two levels due to the topography. With no lift it could be a bugger to carry your suitcases but (as usual) the staff were happy to oblige – even if their eyes did bulge a little when they tried lifting Dawn’s ā€œit’s all my makeupā€ she’d joke! The floor we stayed on had an attractive shared sitting area for the three rooms located there – plus our own private balcony overlooking the lake – not that you’ll be able to see the lake for much longer. This area has seen a lot of new buildings spring up over the past 12 years, now the views are rapidly disappearing as hotels shoot up like weeds, jostling for the skyline. Unless unbridled development is contained the area will soon have more in common with Honk Kong than Kandy.

It was a good 20-minute walk back into the town centre from the hotel which meant we got plenty of exercise. This was offset by the amount of traffic fumes you’d inhale as you walked along the Southern edge of the lake as this road has become increasingly congested. One thing I did notice was how many more modern cars are on Sri Lankan roads compared to my earlier visits. I only spotted on vintage vehicle this time (an old split windscreen Morris Minor). In the past they’d seemed common.

Our first port of call was the temple of the tooth one of the most important Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka, not just spiritually, but temporally. Presidents have a habit of turning up here to receive blessings from the monks as their endorsement is seen as an important political tool. During the civil war the Tamil Tigers attacked and severely damaged it with a truck bomb for the same reason. None of this was evident on the day we visited. Instead it was busy with a stream of ordinary Sri Lankans who’d come to pay their respects to the dental fragment of the enlightened one. When you come from a secular society you don’t always appreciate the part religion pays in many people’s everyday lives. Coming to a temple in India, Sri Lanka or other SE Asian countries readjusts that.

DG237612. Offering prayers and flowers.Temple of the tooth. Kandy. Sri Lanka. 13.1.16.

Offering prayers and flowers at the Temple of the Tooth

DG237638. Temple of the tooth. Kandy. Sri Lanka. 13.1.16.

The exterior walls of the Temple of the Tooth

That said, for many years Buddhism was in decline in Sri Lanka due to colonial influences, the introduction of Christianity and corruption & infighting within the Buddhist hierarchy. It took the arrival of an American theosophist, Henry Steel Olcott in 1880 (accompanied by Madam Helena Blavatsky) to herald a revival.

The grounds of the temple contain a fascinating museum dedicated to telling the story of Buddhism around the world. Although it costs extra to get in, it’s well worth a visit. It contains the history of the spread of Buddhism as well as artifacts, histories and photographs from all the different nations. Sadly, photography isn’t allowed and the museum doesn’t seem to have a website, so here’s a link to a Sri Lankan news article which explains more.

After our cultural experience we retreated to the pub – literally! I’d remembered ā€˜The Pub’ from my previous visits. It’s an upstairs bar on Sri Dalada Veediya which has a lively little balcony overlooking the street. The balcony dĆ©cor hasn’t changed a bit although the inside has expanded considerably. It’s a great place to sit and sip a cold Lion lager whilst watching the world go by outside. But be aware that it’s a bit like the UK of old – local licensing laws mean they can’t serve alcohol between 2-5pm. Each evening the local birdlife puts on a cacophonous show as they come to roost in the trees outside, whirling & swooping they jostle for position on the braches until finally, they fall quiet, leaving pedestrians below to run the gauntlet as the birds relax their sphincters! It’s times like this that brollies are good for more than just keeping the sun and rain off you…

DG237705. The Pub. Kandy. Sri Lanka. 14.1.16.

Enjoying drinks on the balcony of The Pub

After slaking our thirsts, we headed for another Kandy institution further down the same road. The Muslim Hotel and restaurant is a fine old two-story colonial era corner building which services delicious and inexpensive local food. If you’re a sensitive soul just off the plane and not used to Asian standards of hygiene or way of doing things, it’s probably not for you. If you are you’ll find good food and friendly staff (if you’re willing to engage with them). We visited twice. On our first visit we shared a vegetable kottu and vegetable rotti, the second time we had a selection of egg and plain roti with curry sauce. Oh, the takeaway samosas are pretty good too…

We’d planned to leave Kandy on the train through the hills as far as Ella but found it impossible to get reservations because the day we were leaving was in the middle of the Tamil harvest festival of Thai Pongal. As I’ve done the trip several times before and Dawn was suffering from a stomach upset we decided not to risk being jammed like sardines on a packed train, so went for plan B by chartering a taxi. Not only would this give us guaranteed space, it also allowed us to stop off and visit places I’d never seen before.

You can read about our trip to Ella by road in part 4.

If you’d like to see more pictures from our trip, follow this link to my picture website.

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