Originally published on South Heath Against HS2.
Powerhouse – a drink made of 1/4 orange juice, 1/4 vodka, 1/4 anabolic steroids, and 1/4 Viagra
Last week’s announcement that George Osborne intends to invest 15 billion pounds in ensuring that The North will be transformed into something a bit more Southern, has raised a few eyebrows.
“Today I’m setting out the northern powerhouse, so we can deliver a real improvement in the long term economic performance of the north of England”, he declared. Adding, “This will be the centrepiece of my Autumn Statement – and part of our long-term economic plan for the country.”
Anyone would think it was his money, or money we had ‘just lying around’. At least though it might do something to improve Northern infrastructure, something everyone agrees is long overdue. It all seems so easy that it rather begs the question, “why did nobody think of it before?”
The fact is that throwing large amounts of wonga about rarely does much more than make a small number of wealthy people even more wealthy. High Speed Two has done little to reassure the public that politicians know how to spend money wisely. Ludicrously, HS2 seems to be, ‘an idea looking for a reason to build it’, with many false starts over journey time savings and wildly varying cost projections and no doubt many more to come.
Only last month The Treasury was trumpeting about its infrastructure cost savings, road users up and down the country will not have failed to notice just how bad roads have become in recent years. Rail showed one of the biggest savings, no doubt a great many rail users will have much to say about that too.
The bottom line George, is that if you are going to give that much money away, please consider the greater good and get value for money, if that’s not too much to ask!
Telegraph Article: Northern Powerhouse
The Coalition is rigid about HS2 Phase 1 and the Special Adviser group is part of the issue. Cameron and some MPs cannot lose face and the Special Advisor groups and layers of people in and around the few cannot find the pause, stop or reverse function. Ousting the Coalition is a way to lose the Hybrid Bill momentum by agreeing with Labour a manifesto change to do so. People have to assert their requirement on a party not leave this to party people to come to their own plan. All the reasoning of what is wrong with HS2 and HS2 Phase 1 has to be pre-imprinted on the Labour party in exchange for voting for this specific change. The means some Conservative and Liberal MPs will be changed but that is your patriotic right to vote out as well as vote in. The groups and individuals need to discuss
With the declaration by Warsi that many minorities will vote against Cameron if UKIP do not win Labour Marginals and Conservative Marginals are returned to Labour the Goverment changes.
A non-Conservative Liberal Coalition or non-Conservative UKIP Coalition may be persuaded to focus on the One North or a variant to that idea as a Labour priority.
Crossrail 2 is much more sensible in the next Parliament than HS2 Phase 1 as currently in the Hybrid Bill.
There are many Conservatives in the Southern and fringe areas to change on two grounds: HS2 Phase 1 was the wrong priority for a nation with financial problems in the workforce and mounting debts personal and national.
If Labour can put forward a manifesto to change Phase1 and to delay its start until Crossrail 2 as extended and the Liverpool to Hull roads and rail are completed.
A justification for delaying and changing HS2 Phase 1 is that the East to West road trunk roads and motorways in and out of London need large diameter tunnels which will have to be located first because the Euston area and the impacts of Thames Tideway and Crossrail 1/2 with the current uncertainties on Euston and HS2/HS1 are not resolved and this is the road travellers requirements currently being unaddressed with the public.
There is leverage in the forthcoming party conferences that enable you each to state intentions to vote out a Coalition MP in favour of a manifesto change by Labour. The Coalition and Labout did not listen to the people about the shortcomings of HS2 Phase 1 and liberties and being taken for granted requires changing if only MPs can decide infrastructure. You have 40 weeks to make the point: HS2 Phase 1 cost the Coalition the next Parliament due to lack of belief that people mattered. Please realise it is your single and the collective votes now that can stop the Higgin’s delivery of the mistake that affects you and not the mandate instruction from Government. Vote to oust the people who made you a victim with a petition or not.