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This morning certain national and other newspapers are uncritically rehashing a DfT press release, claiming that money released from scapping phase 2 of HS2 is going to fund new bus services next year.
This is very frustrating because those newspapers and journalists are helping the government publicise the con. Not one of the journos has stopped to think, do any analysis, or ask any awkward questions. For example, discussing the theoretical size of the slice of a non-existent pie rather than pointing out the fact the pie itself doesn’t exist. Is it any wonder people in the UK are so woefully ill-informed when members of the 4th estate become an uncritical arm of government propaganda?
Here’s the DfT press release journalists have cut and paste to cobble their stories together from.
Note some important points;
This funding won’t be available to sometime (unspecified) in the next financial year – subject to all the usual caveats about bids, business cases, approvals etc. No-one knows what it will actually be spent on. No-one actually know where it’s really coming from. The press release makes some wild guesses on what it ‘could’ be spent on – like this;
“While it is up to local authorities in partnership with operators to decide how best to use the funding, the new funding for next year is enough to support up to 25 million miles of new bus services across the North and Midlands”
Note the word ‘support’. They mean subsidise. Sunak himself is quoted as claiming this;
“We’re backing buses with one of the biggest ever support packages and keeping bus fares down to ensure the country’s favourite means of transport is more affordable for millions of people”
*More* affordable? The Government has already announced it’s keeping the fare cap, so how does this make buses ‘more’ affordable? It doesn’t. It’s yet more weasel words and part of Sunak’s con. This is yet another example of Sunak’s ‘illustrative’ claims that will never be delivered before the next election when he’s out on his ear.
There’s also a huge financial elephant in the room here that not a single journo has picked up on. This is using Capex as Opex.
Let me explain. Capex (capital expenditure) is when you invest money in long term assets which are an investment for the future – such as building a new green railway with a design life of 120 years that actually generates a return. Opex (operational expenditure) is money spent on short-term, day to day expenses, like wages – or subsidising bus fares! You need to replenish that money every year because once it’s spent it’s gone. There’s a good explanation here.
Instead of having a new green railway, the modern spine of our crumbling network which is beset by Climate Change we’ll have what to show for the money? Nothing – apart from the abandoned, half built structures on HS2’s route to Crewe – a monument to Rishi Sunak and this governments short-term thinking and lies.
It’s no wonder some perceptive commentators are calling Sunak ‘Truss lite’. This is similar to her economic madness of borrowing money from the markets to fund tax cuts.
Yet again Rishi Sunak is trying to con you with ‘jam tomorrow’ – and large sections of the media are helping him to do it.
I’ve a small favour to ask…
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Not seeing much mention of yesterday’s Sunday Times investigation into HS2……perhaps not a great surprise!
Why would I? It’s a load of tosh. They bill it as a ‘three month long investigation’, but in truth it’s just a lazy cut and past job of discredited ‘whistleblower’ stories going back 13 and more years that were dismissed by the likes of the National Audit Office way back then. Now, I’m all for a properly constituted enquiry into HS2 and the problems that have beset it (rather than trial by innuendo in the media) as Labour have promised – because that will expose these canards once and for all and highlight the real issues. But the present Government won’t come out of that well – at all.
Nor will HS2!!, another Times article today showing their world class ability to spaff taxpayers money. You might have got your shiny new railway if they were competent…..
It hasn’t occurred to you to wonder why these stories are appearing now, does it? Who’s trying to shift blame from themselves and pin stuff on those below them that they were mean to be supervising – and who were controlling the purse strings. Why, the Government. And what better (arms length) way to do it than use your friends in the media! Now, let’s see a real look at what’s gone one when we have a new Labour Government in power.
Another Times article, the real story here and it’s a classic comedy James is guys like you falling for it every time. But the real irony is it’s a story about the “how” and not the “if” and the further irony is even if there’s any truth in any part of the story the amounts are miniscule as part of the overall budget. Your toxicity is all too obvious.
Indeed. It’s interesting that the Governments friends in the media are playing ‘look over there’ – trying to blame the mismanagement of the project on Hs2 Ltd and not the people who were really in charge – the Dept of Transport and Government Ministers. HS2 even had its own dedicated Minister.
It’s also worth pointing out that 140 miles of “shiny new railway” is most welcome for its positive capacity and other benefits south of Rugby and in and either side of Birmingham New St, two areas with massive current issues. And that’s just to mention two of the most obvious benefits. And lastly its worth mentioning that Phase 1 will undoubtedly ultimately become the launch point for future extensions, this Government’s error has only delayed the inevitable and yet it won’t save them at the next election.