Forum Topic

Scrap HS2

It's not every day that the Labour Party, the British Chambers of Commerce and the Institute of Directors find themselves in agreement.Estimates of the cost for HS2 now vary between £50 billion and £80 billion. Given that the Government plan will be funding by PFI the final real cost to us all will vary between £300 billion and £480 billion.And all this expenditure just to extend London up to Birmingham so that Midlands stock brokers can travel to London just 35 minutes quicker.With more people sleeping rough in Walpole Park and with plans well advanced to knock down Ealing Hospital surely financial sanity must eventually emerge.

Eric Alan Leach ● 4600d12 Comments

Maybe we should try to rename it H2S - the chemical symbol for Hydrogen Sulphide, a rather obnoctious and foul smelling gas.(As per the typo)

Maurice Jordan ● 4596d

I just said that in a roundabout way :)

Charles Campbell ● 4599d

Just a few more £billions wasted for something that very few people want.

Nigel Brooks ● 4599d

Perhaps it's our Ongoing International Liabilities.Or OIL for short.

Keith Iddon ● 4599d

We are not threatened as a nation state.A war might get Cameron re-elected - but is it really worth thousands dying?Not sure the connection with H2S here...

Eric Alan Leach ● 4599d

Oh no, here we go again.Justifiable moral outrage.Deluded belief that we are the world's policemanCosy up to the equally deluded USALaunch Cruise missilesRealise thy have no effect save for fear and destruction among the general populace.Alienate even more nationsSpend even more billions,A YouGov poll this morning claimed that 'two thirds' do not want us to intervene.So, of course, it's bound to happen.

Nigel Brooks ● 4599d

Just why would we 'free' Syria?Is the UK threatened as a nation state by Syria's alleged chemistry experiments?Surely this is UN issue.

Eric Alan Leach ● 4599d

After they spend a few billion on freeing Syria, maybe they won't have enough left over for other follies.

Charles Campbell ● 4599d

It wouldn't cost much more to move Birmingham 35 mins nearer...I wonder how much money has been spent already, or even if anyone in power knows or cares. The island airport is a much better way to spent this kind of dosh, though I'm sure it would be a lot cheaper.

Keith Iddon ● 4600d

More like handing the steering wheel to someone in whom you have no confidence of their driving ability and then having to endure a very long and arduous journey.Doubtless £billions will be spent on feasibility studies and consultants before common sense, I hope, prevails.

Nigel Brooks ● 4600d

Oh no not another PFI. These are financial arrangements that force a government and therefore democracy into a position where contol is lost. Something like throwing away the steering wheel while driving a car.

Arthur Breens ● 4600d

Eventually, Eric, but only after many more billions have been wasted on work that will never be completed.

Susan Kelly ● 4600d