Category Archives: Hs2

The Rishi Sunak ‘released funding from cancelling Hs2’ con – part 6.

23 Friday Feb 2024

Posted by in Hs2, Politics, RAIL magazine, Rishi Sunak, Wales

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Today, the Department of Transport tweeted this ridiculous claim.

I actually feel sorry for the civil servants at the DfT. They know this is a con but their political masters are using them to push Government (read Tory) propaganda out in an election year. This is a naked abuse of what the civil service is there for, but there’s no low this Government won’t stoop to – including politicising the civil service.

Why tweet this? There’s no supporting press release or announcement of anything happening on the DfT website, or through the DfT’s normal press releases, there’s just this tweet. So why put this out now? Oh, wait. Rishi Sunak was in North Wales yesterday on his pre-election campaign ‘grand tour’. What a co-incidence!

So, what’s happening with North Wales electrification, announced as being funded by scrapping Hs2 phase 2 by Sunak last years and included in the risible ‘Network North’ not even the back of a fag packet plan?

Nothing. Zip. Bugger all. Last month RAIL magazine carried an excellent article detailing why nothing is likely to happen before 2030. You can read it here.

For a start, the £1bn is a con. There’s no HS2 money to ‘release’. It doesn’t exist. It wasn’t due to be borrowed for years yet. It sure as hell isn’t say in a pot in the Treasury labelled ‘for HS2’ that’s just waiting to be rebadged. It’s classic ‘jam tomorrow’ politics. Cancel something you *were* building that had a business case, planning permission and even spades in the ground and announce utter vapourware for sometime in the future instead.

Before a spade enters the ground in North Wales there needs to be a business case for the work. That doesn’t exist. There *was* one, but that dates from 2015 and is hopelessly out of date. That £1bn figure is assumed to be based on that now-defunct business case. Since then, construction costs have increased by roughly 7% per annum – meaning that there’d be no spare change from £1.5bn.

As you can see, the project exists on in the imagination. It’s not included in Network Rail’s future plans and budget which is known as CP7. Control Period 7 runs from April 2024 to March 2029.

The truth is, there’s not a cat in hell’s chance of ANY work planning/consultations being done before the next General Election, which could come as early as May this year. As for actual spades in the ground – don’t make me laugh…

This is nothing but a dishonest and deceitful election con by Sunak and the Tories. Don’t fall for it – or him.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

16th February picture of the day…

16 Friday Feb 2024

Posted by in Hs2, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Politics, West Yorkshire

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Today got off to a good start when I picked up my phone, logged on to the news and saw that Labour had trounced the Tories in yesterday’s by-elections – and by a significant amount – especially in Wellingborough. Of course, the media went into overdrive, although a lot of the reports provided far more heat than light. Speculation was rife amongst readers of runes, many of whom seemed keen to put their own spin on things to make the results seem far more equivocal than they were. Let’s face it, only the other day parts of the media were trying to make out that Labour were in trouble due to Starmer’s decisions over suspending candidates due to anti-semitism. The reality was – it didn’t make the slightest difference to either result.

Others were keen to talk up the impact of ‘Reform’, the rebadged Brexit party and inheritors of UKIP’s crown (minus the odious Nigel Farage of course). Some commentators have tried to make out that Reform getting 13% of the vote in Wellingborough is, somehow, a triumph. All I can say is – they obviously have short memories and no access to Google. Why? Well, here’s the 2015 general election result – when UKIP came second with 19.6% of the vote on a far bigger turnout.

2015 was UKIP’s electoral zenith. The 2016 referendum result burst their bubble and the party faded away in the 2017 election (they only got 3.5% here that year). Oh, but how many MPs did they get in 2017? Not a one. Yesterday Reform came 3rd, not 2nd. But this is first past the post, there’s no prize for 2nd – or 3rd.

Reform are no danger to anyone other than the Tories. In fact, they’re a double danger as so many Tories can’t read the room and insist they need to tack further to the far-right to appeal to Reform voters – which will alienate ordinary voters even more. It’s a death-cult in a death-spiral, all Reform will do is hasten the Tories demise. Still, they’ll keep media commentators in column inches as they try and make-out that the next general election is going to be more of a contest than it is.

Away from politics I’ve been busy out at the back of the house, cleaning down the moss and winter grunge covered steps and cobbles which meant that I emulated the Tories and ended up on my arse! I’d been scrubbing and washing down some wooden steps when a workman called to measure up for our new front door. In my haste to get to greet him muggins here slipped on the top step and ended up coming down the whole flight on my backside before sliding several feet to a watery stop (like a kid off a waterflume) at the gap opposite the back door – just as Dawn opened it to a surprised workman! Still, I made an impression on them both! it certainly gave us a giggle after it became apparent that the only thing hurt was my pride.

I’ve eschewed the opportunity for Friday night in the pub as the pair of us have a busy weekend planned (and an equally busy week after that). Instead we’re having a quiet night in, enjoying each others company and maybe a film or two – hence this blog being earlier than usual.

All that remains now is to leave you with today’s picture. I wasn’t sure what to use today, but I’ve decided to give you a clue as to what I’ll be up to early next week.

In the meantime, enjoy your weekend!

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

22nd January picture of the day…

22 Monday Jan 2024

Posted by in Birmingham, Hs2, Musings, Picture of the day, Railways, West Yorkshire

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Bugger! Having waited around all day on the promise that Fedex would deliver the new camera today I received the following message late this evening.

It’s frustrating but as long as it arrives tomorrow things will be fine as I’ll still have chance to learn how to use it before my job in Birmingham on Wednesday. Mind you, that’s cutting things fine. This may be ‘on the job’ training!

Still, today’s not been entirely wasted. I’ve got a lot done at home with a mixture of picture editing and paper-shuffling. The enjoyable bit was shuffling a lot of paper out of files and bookcases into the recycling. My shelves are now looking a lot slimmer and cleaner. Plus, one of our local charity shops will benefit from some of the redundant electronic hardware I’m parting with. There’s more stuff to get rid of yet – but that involves digitising various old records and diaries which is going to be time-consuming.

Taking a break from the dust and old paperwork I did manage to get out for my daily constitutional which was challenging due to the weather. We may have been in-between storms but there was enough of storm Isha hanging around to make walking through our local woods feel risky. The amount of broken branches littering the paths and trails was both impressive and a testament to just how windy it’s been. Not that it’s blown over as it’s goodbye storm Isha, hello storm Jocelyn. Please, weather Gods, just let this all blow over by Wednesday as I have to get to Birmingham and back and I really don’t fancy getting stuck on a Voyager! I’ll be blogging throughout that day, which could prove interesting…

Today’s picture is a taster of what I’ll be visiting. The HS2 station construction site at Curzon St, although it’ll look rather different to this July 2023 view now as the platform decks are being constructed atop many of the pillars seen here.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Rolling blog. Wending my way to Wendover…

11 Thursday Jan 2024

Posted by in Buckinghamshire, Hs2, London, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel, West Yorkshire

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06:25.

04:15, what a time to be alive! Well, half asleep really as that was the time my alarm clock went off this morning. Dragging my bones out of bed I had an hour to prepare and get myself out of the door before beginning my walk to the station. To be honest, it was one of the best strolls I’ve had for a while. I was in no hurry and the weather was mild (3 degrees) and dry. Whilst strolling up the hill to Spring Edge I looked back across the Calder Valley and the lights of Sowerby Bridge which looked lovely and peaceful. I was momentarily confused when I saw the lights of a 6-car train wending its way below me as nothing should have been running. Then it revved up its engines and the distinctive deep roar reverberating across a sleepy valley gave away the fact this was a pair of Trans-Pennine Class 185s on a diversion. I didn’t pass a soul on the way into town. Even the dog-walkers and their pets were still abed. Even the roads were quiet with just the occasional motorist around. Actually, it really was a good time to be alive…

The centre of Halifax at 05:30. Not a creature was stirring…

Now I’m on Northern’s 05:59 to Leeds. Despite the hour it’s a busy train. Dozens of folk were waiting to catch it at Halifax and many more have joined at Bradford Interchange. Of the 15 seats in the back of the rear car 11 are occupied. I suspect they may fill up before Leeds…

06:50.

My Hebden Bridge – Leeds train was early into Leeds, a rare event as normally you expect to be held outside waiting for a platform, but at this time of day there’s less chance of delays having accrued. This was fortunate as I managed to get ahead of myself by 20 minutes as I made a connection with LNER’s 06:40 to Kings Cross. I’ve now got the mobile office set up in a table bay ready to catch up with the day. At this point I’ve realised the flask of coffee I made to bring with me is still sitting on the kitchen work surface back at home. Bugger! Off to the on-board shop it is then…

08:25.

The arrival of dawn coincided with us passing Peterborough at speed. Supposedly, the days are getting longer but that’s not how it felt today. Now we’re bowling along South of St Neots in half-light past flooded fields that bare testament to just how much rain we’ve been having these past couple of months. The sun’s doing its best to break through the low, patch cloud so I’m optimistic we might get some good weather in Wendover by the time I get there. In the meantime, it’s warm and cosy aboard this train for the next 20 odd minutes before we reach London…

08:30.

I’m always fascinated by the way the weather works. After passing Hitchin we crossed into what’s obviously been a cold front. Everywhere (houses, cars and fields) is coated in a layer of frost so thick you could almost mistake it for a light dusting of snow. What a difference to the mild weather I had on my walk this morning!

08:40.

We’re in the North London suburbs. Having broken through the layer of cloud bordering the capital we’re once more enjoying clear blue skies.

09:55.

On arrival at Kings Cross I transferred to the ‘tube’, or in this case the old Metropolitan line which isn’t a tube at all. An uncrowded train deposited me at Baker St, a station whose architecture and detail I’ve always admired. I was in no hurry so whilst humming Gerry Rafferty’s musical homage I took pictures of the remnants of a more genteel and less rushed age.

Now I’m at Marylebone, waiting for my train to depart, having swum against the tide of incoming commuters. Marylebone has always been the odd one out of London’s termini. It still is today as it’s the only one that’s purely diesel powered – with no sign of electrification in sight…

10:40.

Almost there. The journey onChiltern’s been fine but by God their old ‘Thames Turbo’ fleet is looking tired. The seat coverings are threadbare, vestibule doors are missing and the whole train needs a damned good clean.

17:00.

Apologies for absence but it’s been another busy (if Baltic) day looking at the start of the Wendover viaduct deck push-out. I’ll describe it in more detail later, right now I’m on a train from Banbury into Birmingham have explored a couple of other HS and E-W rail sites with a friend (Chris Howe). In the meantime, here’s a couple of pictures to be getting on with.

The Wendover viaduct looking South. In the background (below the crane) is Jones’ Hill wood.
The view from atop one of the bridge pillars looking North towards Wendover.
Looking South from atop the same pillar. The construction site is long and very narrow. The track to the left is the haul road used for moving spoil from further South to be reused North of Wendover.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.cozm/paulbigland68312

Economics 101. The difference between Capex and Opex, why you don’t spend the former on the latter – and why Rishi Sunak is perpetuating a con…

07 Sunday Jan 2024

Posted by in Economics, Hs2, Politics, Railways, Rishi Sunak

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This is a rewrite on a much earlier blog which is now out of date due to a changing financial world, but where the basic economic rules still apply. Rules that our (hopefully soon to be Ex) Prime Minister – despite his time as Chancellor of the Exchequer – seems to be unaware of. More likely? He’s gaslighting you. Let me explain…

What are Capex and Opex – and why does the difference matter?

Capital expenditure is an expense incurred to create future benefit, such as buying new assets for a business – like buildings, machinery or equipment. Doing so generates profits for the future over several tax years. Hs2 is a very good example of the principle. It will generate jobs (which generate tax revenue), kick-start regeneration in some of our major cities and make the UK a more attractive place for businesses (which generate corporation tax). Capital investment on decent infrastructure is well understood as bringing economic benefits. This BBC article sums up the situation. As capital expenditure will generate tax revenue year after year it’s not just a one off. That income stream would enable the Treasury to spend money on many different things, from the NHS to social welfare, to more modern infrastructure and even tax cuts if it so chose.

Operating expenditure covers the day to day functioning of a business, like wages, utilities, maintenance and repairs. It also covers depreciation. It’s money needed every year. It’s not a one-off – and it doesn’t generate any extra income the way Capex does.

The UK has a poor record for capital expenditure on infrastructure. It’s why so much of the countries infrastructure is old and outdated (like the railways) and why our productivity is so low.

The OECD (Organisation Economically Developed Countries) recommends that baseline infrastructure investment is 5.5% of GDP annually for an economy with aspirations to growth. We’ve only spent this amount twice since WW2. This is especially relevant now as the UK desperately needs to invest in ‘green’ infrastructure to both tackle and be resilient to Climate Change. HS2 was one of the projects that ticked all these boxes. The importance of such investment has been thrown into the spotlight by the recent storms that have closed railways and flooded large parts of the country. We need modern infrastructure designed and built to cope with them.

Now to the present. Rishi Sunak has announced he’s ‘scrapping’ HS2 and diverting the capital expenditure to operating expenditure, like filling potholes and subsidising bus fares. It’s economic madness, but it’s also a con as the ‘diverted’ money doesn’t exist. There’s no pot of money sat in the Treasury labelled ‘for HS2’ that’s waiting to be diverted elsewhere. HS2 is funded from Government borrowing and the money for the sections of HS2 Sunak has cancelled isn’t on the Governments books as it wasn’t due to be borrowed for many years yet. It’s fantasy money, as real as the stuff you play Monopoly with. Sunak knows this, but he’s taking voters for fools as he also knows most people have no understanding of either economics or Government finances.

Sadly, much of the media is helping him perpetuate the con by lazily copying and pasting his claims and not once asking any awkward questions, informing people of economic basics (like Capex and Opex) or doing any analysis of his claims.

Don’t be fooled.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

The Tories are just taking the p*ss now.

21 Thursday Dec 2023

Posted by in Hs2, Levelling up, London, Politics, Railways

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Yesterday the Government was busy on social media, spreading a message so asinine that satirists across the country were immediately put out of work. Converted to electricity, the levels of derision this poster generated could have powered the UK for a day at least. Here’s how the message appeared on Twitter (bugger off Musk, I refuse to call it X).

Network North – London?

The ridicule was savage and widespread. It soon got picked up by the national media such as the Independent, who highlighted it here.

I’ve blogged many times in the past about this whole scam (there is no money to redirect from HS2, it wasn’t due to be borrowed for years yet) but unashamedly, the Tories keep doubling down on the lie. This particular stunt appears to be a pathetic attempt to prop up the flailing campaign for London Mayor of Tory no-hoper Susan Hall, hence this awful tweet featuring Transport Minister Mark Harper, exposing the fact that ‘levelling up’ the North-South divide actually means levelling up London’s roads.

Rather then fill in any holes Harper continued to dig them for himself with these follow up tweets.

Needless to say they went down like a cup of cold sick. Many commentators pointing out the gaslighting here. ‘Network North’ now covers the whole of the UK, apparently! None of this money exists and there’s a huge elephant in the room that Harper is deliberately ignoring. It was a footnote on page 24 of the risible ‘Network North’ fantasy list.

What business cases? Fantasy projects don’t have them and never will.

Clearly, the Tories have given up any pretense of being honest or credible. They really are just taking the piss out of people. No-one with half a brain falls for this stuff. You have to wonder what they were thinking when they produced this stuff. I feel sorry for the decent people working for the Department of Transport who’re having their reputations besmirched by association with this crap.

The derision at this idiotic attempt at currying favour with London motorists whilst alienating the rest of the UK is still spreading. I can’t wait to see what stupid stunt they come up with next! It’s worth remembering that Harper and Co recently announced they were giving Transport for London just £250m of the £500m funding TfL had requested. Now suddenly there’s another £235m available for London. Anyone smell a rat?

Meanwhile, if you’re a Tory voter who lives anywhere outside London and the South-East, all I can say is – what on earth are you thinking? They’re taking the piss out of you too…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

19th December picture(s) of the day…

19 Tuesday Dec 2023

Posted by in Food and drink, Halifax, Hs2, Photography, Picture of the day, Politics, West Yorkshire

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It’s been another mixed-fortunes sort of day here at Bigland Towers. Unlike yesterday where I didn’t even set foot outside the door this morning I walked into Halifax in order to get the frames for my glasses changed. The old new ones had worn very rapidly, so Specsavers agreed to exchange them for new ones which (hopefully) wear a little better. Whilst I was in town I took the opportunity to have a wander around, enjoy the atmosphere and indulge in a spot of Xmas shopping. Nowadays Halifax has a far nicer feel to it than nearby Huddersfield. Partly due to the town’s new-found status as a tourist attraction thanks to TV programmes like ‘Gentlemen Jack and ‘Last Tango in Halifax – and of course the fabulous Piece Hall. That said, there’s still a lot of the old working-class Halifax left in the form of the towns denizens. One thing that struck me was the amount of smokers (admittedly, mostly elderly) sucking on fags as they wandered between shops. That’s something that was very different to my recent trips back to London. Sure, you have smokers there too but many are tourists – and the population’s numbered in several millions, not less than 100,000 the way Halifax is!

Having swapped my frames and found some presents by chance I called into the old market to pick up a rare treat. There’s a Thai cafe in the old market hall that sells the Northern Thai dish called Kow Soi. You rarely see it on Thai restaurant menus and it’s one of my favourites, so I couldn’t resist. Having walked back home I’ve spent the rest of the day sorting out various strands of work as well as updating old and publishing new blogs. I’ve a few more backdated scribbles in the pipeline once I can dig out the archive pictures but I suspect they’ll have to wait until the new year.

This evening’s been spent gritting my teeth to resist shouting at the TV following Rishi Sunak’s latest appalling performance in front of a House of Commons Committee. Sunak’s billed by his supporters as a ‘details man’. Yet, when questioned he has the attention span of a Goldfish (‘I can’t recollect’) or he just makes stuff up, then falls apart and blusters when questioned by someone with a bit of nous and persistence. He’s shifty and evasive, whilst acting like he’s the CEO of UK PLC and how dare anyone question his authority? He was hung out to dry several times, including over HS2, the rail union RMT tweeted this which hits the nail squarely on the head.

Sunak then on the make the outrageous claim that the bit of HS2 he hasn’t cancelled ‘triples’ capacity on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) which is a blatant lie – especially as Sunak’s done his best to make sure HS2 doesn’t get to Euston! There’s not one iota of factual evidence anywhere to substantiate that claim, but that’s classic Sunak. Say something that isn’t true then claim it was your ‘recollection’ (or not, if you’re denying something) – and the truth and facts be damned.

On the bright side, tonight there was more signs that the country is getting sick of these shysters. Whilst the media’s been concentrating on Miriam Cates, the latest right-wing Tory MP likely to fall foul of Parliamentary Standards, one of the other 7 Tory MPs under investigation has been booted out through a recall petition. Peter Bone, another rabid Brexiter and all-round bad egg had been suspended from Parliament for some weeks. 13.5% of his constituents signed the recall petition (the threshold is 10%) so he’s out and a by-election will be held in the New Year.

Right, time to go, so here’s today’s picture, which is of the Thai cafe in Halifax market. With prices like this for such delicious food and great portion sizes, why would you say no?

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Rolling blog. I’m back – with another HS2 visit…

29 Wednesday Nov 2023

Posted by in East-West rail, Hs2, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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07:00

Apologies for the lack of promised blogs these past couple of days. My absence was due to events beyond my control. But now I’m back, with a visit to the HS2/East West rail interchange site at Calvert in Buckinghamshire. It’s an important site as not only does it contain the intersection of E-W rail and HS2, it’s also the location of HS2’s IMD (Infrastructure Maintenance Depot). Tracklaying from E-W into the site has been ongoing for weeks and the main earthworks and bridge over the HS2 route has now been handed over. I’ll add pictures after the visit.

It’s bleeding Baltic here in the Pennines and very icy. So much so Dawn insisted on giving me a lift to the station as the pavements and cobbles (yes, we do still have ’em here) are so slippy and treacherous. It took us a while to defrost the car as the frost was so bad. But thanks to may wonderful wife I made it to the station in one piece.

Right now I’m on Northern’s 06:45 from Halifax to Manchester Victoria. This train’s made up of a pair of CAF built Class 195s but despite the fact it’s a four-car it’s very busy. Lots of us have laptops out as this is a popular business train. Whilst we’re busy typing, other passengers are busy dozing and making the most of the chance to catch some shut-eye in the warm and quiet.

I’ll blog throughout the day as I can, so feel free to pop back later to see what I get up to.

09:15.

Frustrating. I’d published a blog update from my refurbished Pendolino but the damned thing hasn’t loaded due to the wifi repeatedly dropping out. Ho hum. Let’s tey again…

Whilst I was wrapped up warm for my stroll across Manchester city centre I couldn’t help but feel for the poor homeless souls I passed asleep in doorways. At the Arndale centre I passed a group of six people huddled together for warmth under a mess of sleeping bags and blankets. They were lucky. I saw many solo sleepers with no-one to offer warmth or companionship. It’s a tragedy, and one our cynical government is exploiting as a distraction. The poor aren’t screwing the country the Tories friends are. The wealthy tax-avoiders and those who’ve raked in millions off the sale of dodgy PPE.

At Piccadilly I joined Pendolino 390132 working the 08:15 to Euston. Most of the trip’s been through thick fog with odd clear patches like this one as we crossed the famous viaduct at Stockport.

The frost and fog covered countryside looks lovely, but then I’m in the warm with a flask of coffee. I might feel differently if I was in the outside looking in!

10:07.

My Pendolino rattled its way to Milton Keynes where I’m now waiting for fellow journo and snapper Phil Marsh who’s kindly offered me a lift as we’re both going to the same event.

16:30.

I’m currently speeding North again after a busy but fascinating day where we were given a grand tour of the EKFB construction site at Calvert that allowed us access to places the public never get to visit. Our small group were given a full briefing by project managers on the work that been completed, is still underway or has yet to start. Some of the statistics are mind-boggling. The old E-W rail ‘Varsity line’ embankments have been raised by 6 meters where it crosses HS2. This is a complete reversal as originally, the Great Central trackbed that HS2 reuses passed over the ‘Varsity line’ at that point.

The East-West rail intersection bridge over HS2 looking East. This is the final phase, the 400m long ‘plug’ between tracklaying from the West (behind the camera) and the East. Below the bridge to the right can be seen the HS2 trace heading South.
A similar view looking further South-East, showing the HS2 trace and the edge of the Calvert Jubilee nature reserve that the Wildlife Trusts claimed had been ‘destroyed’ by HS2. As can be seen, it’s actually in rude health as HS2 is merely clipped off what was originally old railway land.
Looking West along East-West rail with the intersection bridge behind me. Tracklaying on this section will be completed in very early January 2024. There used to be a road overbridge in the middle foreground of this picture but with the E-W embankment having been raised 6 meters at this point the road’s been diverted under a new road underbridge.

17:55.

We’ve just left Doncaster en-route to Leeds. The 16:03 from Kings Cross is being worked by one of LNER’s Mk4 and Class 91 loco sets and been busy all the way. Many passengers appear to be dozing in the heat after what’s been a cold day all round, although I suspect we’re all going to get a rude awakening when we step off the train on arrival in Leeds!

19:25.

It wasn’t just the cold weather that was a problem at Leeds, it was the usual late-running and cancellations that added to it. My LNER service was late into the city, then my next connection to Halifax was late. Admittedly only only 8 mins, but. Once we all piled onto the Hull – Halifax 3-car (which became rammed) we were stuck in the station awaiting the road due to congestion. Of course by 2033 congestion at Leeds would have been a thing of the past as the newly opened HS2 station would have solved that problem. Then a bunch of incompetents masquerading as a government cancelled it.

Things didn’t improve en-route. The Conductor came onto the PA to announce our service would be canned at Bradford Interchange – but there was a late running Chester service only a few minutes behind! So, that’s alright then (you’re being sarcastic again, aren’t you? Ed).

To Hull and back – but from Bradford, not Halifax…

I’ve managed to find a seat on the Chester service which (thank the Gods – or Northern Control as they’re known) is a pair of 2-car class 195s. Now I’ll arrive in Halifax 40 mins late. Thankfully, Dawn’s waiting for me so I won’t have to slip and slide walking home as it’s certainly another cold one tonight…

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Rishi Sunak and the great HS2 ‘released funding’ con. part 5. £8.3bn for potholes? You’re having a laugh!

17 Friday Nov 2023

Posted by in Calderdale, Hs2, Rishi Sunak, Transport

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This morning the media – including the BBC, who really should know better – are running headlines puffing the latest Sunak con over HS2 and ‘released funding’. Here’s the BBCs uncritical advert for the Government filed under ‘business’ which is headlined thus;

‘Rishi Sunak sets out how pothole funding from HS2 savings to be used’

God, where to start? Firstly, let’s ask how the BBC can be an uncritical organ for this propaganda? Filed by ‘business reporter’ Faarea Masud it’s little more than a cut and paste job from this press release. Not once are the claims analysed, critiqued or put into perspective, never mind numbers crunched. Alarm bells should ring when a ‘business reporter’ doesn’t even point out the economic madness and illiteracy of using Capital expenditure (Capex) for Operational expenditure (Opex). There’s good explainer of the difference here.

Can you imagine the howls of outrage from the Automobile Association who’re quoted in the article if the Government had announced they were scrapping the RIS2 new roads programme to use the dosh to fill in potholes instead?

Let’s be clear about one thing. This £8.3bn doesn’t exist. It’s a back of a fag packet calculation of money that hasn’t even been borrowed yet. The money to build Phase 2b of HS2 wasn’t due to be borrowed for many years yet (the Hybrid Bill authorising construction hasn’t even passed through Parliament, never mind actual construction contracts been awarded). There’s no pot of money sat in the Treasury labelled ‘for HS2’ just waiting to be rebadged.

The pothole ‘plan’ is credited to Sunak, but it’s Transport Minister Mark Harper who’s quoted in the article. Harper lets various things slip but the BBC immediately drops the ball by not questioning anything he says. For example, this supposed £8.3bn will be spent over 11 years, so the annual amount is chicken-feed when it comes to putting right the effects of 13 years of cost-cutting by the Tories. The DfT let the cat out of the bag in the report when they explained that;

“The Department for Transport said local authorities in England would get an extra £150m for road repairs this year, and the same amount for 2024 and 2025. The rest of the funding will be allocated over the next decade”.

So, that £8.3bn becomes £150m and after 2024 nothing is guanteed for anything as the Tories will have lost the election. This is classic ‘jam tomorrow’. It’s nothing more than an election bribe in the hope it will fool the feeble-minded (and the BBC). Let’s add some perspective the BBC fails to. There are 317 councils in England), so that £150m is less than £474,000 per council! I live in Halifax in West Yorkshire, it would probably cost that much to resurface the long pothole-filled road outside my home! Yet, according to the Department for Transport, in 2021-22, only 7.5 miles of roads in Calderdale were fully resurfaced, up from three miles five years before. In 2023-24 Just £3.17m is earmarked for road maintenance in Calderdale, any extra money won’t even touch the sides of the problem.

Potholes? This is the stretch of road right outside our home. It’s been like this ever since I moved in, just before the Tories won the 2010 election. Every year it gets worse as the winter weather breaks up the surface even more. Every couple of years the deepest holes get a ‘temporary’ repair. The whole half mile and more looks like a patchwork quilt.

The BBC puff piece contains another cut and past quote from Sunak which is complete bollocks;

“This unprecedented £8.3bn investment will pave the road for better and safer journeys for millions of people across the country and put an end to the blight of nuisance potholes.”

The ‘blight’ of potholes is down to the Tories. They’ve underinvested in this country’s infrastructure from day 1. We’ve now had 13 years of decay where Councils estimate the cost of repairing just local roads was closer to £14bn! An imaginary £8.3bn – even if it was real – won’t fix the roads. This is desperate stuff from a Government that’s ruined the country and completely run out of ideas what to do now. It’s like the infamous ‘cones hotline’ from the John Major era. What’s depressing is the way much of the media (national and local) is regurgitating this guff and presenting it as if it’s anything other than what it really is – a damning indictment of 13 years of austerity, economic mismanagement and a crippling lack of vision and purpose.

So, Sunak’s lying – again. We’ve heard all this before. Like this tweet from 2021 which hasn’t aged well at all – just like the road outside my house!

The one thing we do need to put an end to – as soon as possible – is him and his rotten and dishonest Government. He’s putting the con back into Conservatives.

Don’t fall for the con, or the Conservatives.

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Extinction Rebellion founder endorses the views of climate-change denying ‘think tanks’ opposing HS2.

03 Friday Nov 2023

Posted by in 'Green' madness, 'Think Tanks', Extinction Rebellion, Hs2

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I’ve long said that the UK’s ‘green’ movement is hypocritical and unfit for purpose. Their years-old stance of opposing us building HS2, the new spine of the British railway network is the classic example of this. The Green Party of England and Wales (The Scots are separate, and sensible) have a mad policy where they support building a new North-South high-speed line ‘in principal’ but vehemently oppose it in practice. So much so that their energies go into trying to stop a railway whilst giving road construction a free pass.

Yesterday, their outgoing MP for Brighton, Caroline Lucas tweeted this load of tosh whilst linking to a Guardian article on the trial and conviction of Gail Bradbrook, one of the co-founders of ‘Extinction Rebellion’.

Where to start? Was Bradbrook convicted of protesting? No. She was convicted of criminal damage, for smashing a plate glass window in protest against the building of HS2! Yep, protesting against building a new railway! Not a road, not a motorway – a railway! Criminal damage is NOT covered by article 11 of the ECHR law. It is NOT a ‘peaceful protest’ – it’s criminal damage. That some ‘greens’ simply can’t get their heads around that because of their exceptionalism is just another reason I have little time for them.

I won’t go into the rubbish Lucas has claimed about HS2 ‘destroying’ nature. Regular readers will have seen me cover that canard at length in previous blogs. I tweeted this is response to Lucas.

“Without Hs2 we won’t have the rail capacity we need to get modal shift from road/air to rail to cut #co2 emissions to tackle GLOBAL #ClimateChange. Stopping HS2 isn’t ‘green’ it’s the opposite. You’re literally doing the fossil fuel lobby’s job for it”.

This rattled Bradbrook’s cage, as she responded with two tweets, both of which sent my irony meter off the scale! The first quotes the Times newspaper and its recent attempts to fly air-cover for Sunak and the Tories by rehashing old claims of corruption with HS2 Ltd as a way of diverting attention from the mess they’ve got themselves into by cancelling parts of HS2. Never forget, who had oversight and control of HS2 Ltd? The Government. But, a founder of XR? Using a Murdoch-owned newspaper as ‘evidence’? Bless! However, it was this tweet that was the most interesting.

This is a link to an anonymous document with no provenance and no names on it to say who compiled it. Called ‘supporting facts and figures’ it’s essentially a cut and paste job a list of cobbled together reasons and ‘evidence’ of why ‘greens’ should oppose HS2. It’s a litany of lies, discredited claims and things that never, ever happened, including the classic that “HS2 is the largest deforestation exercise in the UK in over 100 years, not since WWI has the UK cut down so many trees”. I skewered that one here back in 2019!

But the real doozies are these. Amongst the list of cut and paste incoherency and contradictions the list uses ‘evidence’ and quotes from both the Institute for Economic Affairs and Policy Exchange, two of the most opaque right-wing ‘think tanks’ in the UK.

Both have been linked to being funded by oil companies. The ironies here are weapons grade! In 2018 a Greenpeace investigation linked the IEA to British Petroleum (BP)! In 2022 it was revealed that Policy Exchange is partially funded by ExxonMobil! Next is where we hit ‘through the looking glass’ territory. The Open Democracy investigation revealed that the new controversial anti-protest law may have originated in a briefing from Policy Exchange! Bradbrook is espousing the views of the very people who may have helped the Government impose the law she’s spent so much of her time protesting against and claims to be a victim of!

That a co-founder of Extinction Rebellion is circulating this travesty of the truth and actively promoting the views of climate-change denying, fossil-fuel funded ‘think tanks’ is beyond belief. Or is it? I’ve long harbored suspicions that XR is a front for attempts to discredit and sideline the green movement by showing them up as a bunch of fools who do more harm than good. Lets face it, many of their actions have had real greens holding their head in their hands. Gluing yourselves to green electric public transport to disrupt the lives of ordinary people is a bizarre way to get people ‘on side’. Many of their actions seem to be intent on alienating ordinary people and provide the right-wing media with a massive stick to beat the environmental lobby with. Is this by accident, or design? The fact the likes of Braybrook are peddling fossil fuel lobbyists anti rail propaganda looks less like stunning ignorance of who these lobbyists are and more like a deliberate attempt to further their agendas.

Bradbrook claims to be a ‘trained scientist’. But if this is the quality of her research…

Still, I’m sure Bradbrook spends even more of her time campaigning and Tweeting about the 1000s of miles of new roads the Tories are planning to build, doesn’t she? Oh, wait. @CanburyLiberal did a search on Twitter and found this. Nada, zilch, zip, SFA…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312