With less than a day to go before the General Election, it is a surprise to many commentators that so many people have still not made up their minds about who to vote for. With so little difference on substantive issues from so many parties, no clear vote grabbing policies and an election campaign which has been both omnipresent and bland at the same time, it is easy to see why.
So if you are one of the many undecided voters out there, we hope you will make HS2 your ‘Red Line’ tomorrow when you cast your vote. It doesn’t matter why you are against HS2, as there are so many, many reasons why this is the wrong project.
Maybe more importantly, by supporting a project which has been trashed by every independent expert or body which has looked into it, by supporting a project which will cost well above the official £50bn price tag at a time of supposed austerity, by supporting a project which is environmentally damaging in both terms of the devastation it brings on the natural environment and the fact it will lead to an increase in carbon emissions, by supporting a project which will not achieve its’ stated aims and in terms of rebalancing the economy will do the opposite, by supporting a project when there are cheaper, quicker more effective alternatives for increasing rail capacity which deliver more benefits to more people, by supporting a project demanded by the EU which will only benefit the richest in society, by supporting a project which destroys communities and the green belt, by supporting a project whilst key reports criticising are buried, those main three parties which support HS2 despite all of this and more, only demonstrate they are not fit to get your vote.
Steve Batchelder of Southam draws his red line
There are so many more reasons why HS2 is the wrong thing to do, but despite all of this, despite all the platitudes and the promises to mitigate in the areas set to be devastated, the political leaders who support HS2 have not listened to the inescapable conclusion: HS2 should not happen, HS2 should be stopped.
May 7th represents the best chance we have all got to be heard, but voting for a candidate from a party opposed to HS2. It doesn’t matter if you do not think a candidate from a party opposing HS2 will not win where you live, the fact that votes which were expected to go one way end up going another will be noticed by those who matter, especially given the political climate which is likely to exist after the election.
So please make HS2 your own personal ‘Red Line’ on May 7th, and vote for a party opposed to HS2.
A graphic on where parties stand on HS2