Stop HS2 Campaigners bemused by McLoughlin, before heading to Parliament.

On the eve of the Government depositing the HS2 Hybrid Bill, Stop HS2 campaigners have been left completely bemused by reports in The Sun that Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has said that work on HS2 can be started in four months. The current timetable is for construction to start in four years time. Gaffe-prone McLoughlin recently stated that HS2 would take 250,000 lorries per day off the roads, even though that is the estimated annual figure.

To coincide with the deposition of the Hybrid Bill, hundreds of campaigners will descend on Parliament tomorrow (25th November), for the day the first reading of the HS2 Phase 1 Hybrid Bill. Coaches have been booked from Yorkshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire to bring campaigners to meet MPs and Lords.

Prior to going into Parliament, campaigners will be holding a rally in Old Palace Yard from 10.45am to 12 noon. Stop HS2 are asking people who are attending to arrange meetings on the day with MPs and Lords via www.stophs2.org/lobbyday. Events for MPs and Lords are being hosted at 1pm and 3.30pm by MPs Jeremy Lefroy and Bill Cash, with speakers including former Network Rail director Philip Lund and Robert Oxley from the Tax Payers Alliance.

Stop HS2 Campaign Manager Joe Rukin said;

“Not for the first time, we are completely bemused by Patrick McLoughlin saying construction of HS2 could start in four months, when the current timetable is more like four years. To do anything else would be to completely subvert democracy and remove the right of people to petition the Hybrid Bill Committee. HS1 took about 2 years to get through Parliament, Crossrail about 3. To suggest HS2 could get through in 4 months either means the Government are planning a stitch-up of gargantuan proportions or that the Transport Secretary doesn’t have the first clue what he is talking about. Both of those things have been par for the course with HS2, so neither would surprise us.”

“With the widespread criticism of HS2 from independent bodies, it is quite depressing that MPs and Lords speaking for the project recently are so ill-informed and unwilling to listen to the exceptionally sound arguments which make it clear HS2 should not go ahead. On Monday, people from up and down the HS2 route will descend onto Parliament, not to say they don’t want HS2 to come near their homes, but to say that they have studied the plans and justifications for HS2 and that it should be scrapped completely. It is sad that people in affected communities know more about HS2 than the majority of Parliamentarians know more about what HS2 means, and we hope to change that.”

Philip Lund, a former director of Network Rail will tell MPs:

“There is in fact much about the case for HS2 which simply does not make sense. It is for this reason, as well as because of the effects on their own lives and properties, that many of those protesting in and around Parliament want the project to be scrapped now. Whether or not this is done it is surely necessary to call a halt and have a fundamental review of the proposed scheme in the light of the points made above and by such authoritative bodies as the Public Accounts Committee and the National Audit Office.”

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5 comments to “Stop HS2 Campaigners bemused by McLoughlin, before heading to Parliament.”
  1. I think the transport dept will start in four mths after all what can we do if they do ,they seem to have all the cards in there favour .It takes mths to go to court which costs a lot of our money .Mr Mcloughlin knows when they are going to start and let slip knowing we can do little to stop him with his project

    • Have to say Mr/Ms Davis in the nicest possible way “what can we do if they do” you say.
      We can either sit back and watch x factor and wait for the compensation cheque, or, as a friend of mine intends to do , block his lane with a digger as the first of four years’ earthmoving lorries arrives.
      The French would do this and they’re supposed to be a bunch of “surrender monkeys”.
      Or if you haven’t got a digger and much more effective and painless you stop giving them money to fritter in the form of taxes ,council tax etc etc. If everybody affected along the route did it what’s the worst thing that can happen.No Police ? they’ve got rid of’ em, Army ? sacking ’em.NHS ? shambles etc etc
      Of course, I’m dreaming, none of these things will ever happen ‘ I’m always at a loss in wondering how we became/were such a great nation
      “What times strictly on tonight , no ! I’m watching the football”

      • Yes I agree with you the problem is when you try to protect your property or business in this country the law puts you in the dock then with your conviction you try to travel get a job ect it is impossible so what can we do alone .To day we have even wrote to our head of state the queen asking for help to explain our problems to the PM on her weekly meeting .I am not holding my breath but you never know .So who’s next in the bush Tucker’s trail

  2. I take it all back ,McClogger wasn’t on his yacht ( nowt against yachts, sailed many a time ) he was putting a valiant case for HS2 forward to the great unwashed on Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine programme.Usual format,”The Victorians helped make Britain great with their railways” etc etc blah blah! Jeremy Vine hits him with some ” no holds barred” loaded questions ,then McClogger buggers off to lunch at the Dorchester and the great unwashed are left to put their censored objections to Jezza for 10 mins or so.
    How’s about a ( televised) face to face with some modern peasants Paddy,i’ve been to a few HS2 impact forums recently & your minions don’t seem to say a lot apart from a sort of a ” Like it or not suckers, we’re gonna build it anyway, don’t worry you’ll get big bucks compensation”

  3. Cut the crap McClogger,if HS2’s so wonderful , how’s about meeting some of the great unwashed on tomorrow’s march to put your case forward .Fat chance ! Just like a politician , you’ll be on the yacht in the Med or looking down on the peasants from your ivory tower.So what was that deleted Oxford dictionary word again, ” Democracy”
    I can see where where Guy Fawkes was coming from.

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