Join us and make a difference at Parliament, 25th November.

UPDATED – For details of transport to the Lobby Day, please follow this link: https://stophs2.org/news/9760-lobby-day-transport-details.
For the day’s timetable see Confirmed: Hybrid Bill will be deposited on Stop HS2 Lobby Day, 25th November.

Don't be a mug, join us on 25th November!

Don’t be a mug, join us on 25th November!

As you may have realised, we are now reaching the endgame with HS2. The stakes are being upped by the proponents as they mount their ‘big fight back’, which we have critiqued here; https://stophs2.org/news/9705-hs2-fight-back-powered-acme. The HS2 Hybrid Bill is set for deposition on Monday 25th November. As such, we want you to join campaigners from up and down the country on the 25th, to be able to say that you were there when we take our fight back to Parliament.

We’d like you to join us in Old Palace Yard outside Parliament (SW1P 3JY) from 10.30, before moving in to Parliament around mid-day, to make our presence felt to MPs and Lords. So please start making arrangements to join us and arrange to meet your MP, or invite them to our events from Parliamentarians in Committee Room 11 (1pm-3pm) or Committee Room 14 (3.30pm-5.30pm) on the day, and we’d especially like to see MPs from off the proposed HS2 route too. We have also booked Committee Room 12 for 1pm to 3pm to be used by you as somewhere to meet with MPs and Lords.

In addition, we’d like you to email a Lord to ask them for a meeting, using the suggested text below. To find a Lord who may share your interests and to contact them, go to https://www.writetothem.com/lords, and you can also to contact your MP if you don’t have the details via the homepage of that website.

More details will follow in further emails, but for now please, please, please make arrangements to join us on the 25th, and please contact a Lord or two with the suggested text below.

Hope to see you on the 25th!

Please visit https://www.writetothem.com/lords, choose a Lord and cut and paste the text below:

I am writing to you about the Governments proposed HS2 project. As you will be aware, the HS2 Preparation Bill went through The Lords on Tuesday 19th November, and I have to say I was exceptionally disappointed with the low levels of knowledge displayed in the debate. The passage of this Bill is nothing more than giving the green light for unlimited expenditure on HS2 preparation work which is needed for one reason, and one reason only: that the project is already over-budget and more money needs to be released. Despite eight construction firms recently signing an open letter that they would not go over-budget on HS2, they neglected to mention that two of them were as early as January 2013..

I will be visiting the Palace of Westminster on Monday 25th November, and would very much like the opportunity to meet and discuss other aspects of HS2. A summation of recent issues can be found via this link https://stophs2.org/news/9705-hs2-fight-back-powered-acme. I would also invite you to attend one of the events being held by Stop HS2 one day day in either Committee Room 11 (1pm-3pm) on the day or Committee Room 14 (3.30pm-5.30pm).

Additionally, wish to say that I am pleased that the committee stage of Part 2 of the Lobbying Bill has been delayed until 16th December.  The campaign against HS2 is potentially the best example of why this piece of legislation is completely unworkable.  The financial thresholds are not necessarily the problem, rather the change in the definition of what would constitute ‘political activity’, and the need for organisations working together to consolidate spending on a single issue. Currently, there are over 100 local action groups as well as three national organisations working against HS2. There is also a plethora of local, regional and national organisations which are spending part of their time fighting the plans. Part 2 of the Lobbying Bill would require all of these organisations to consolidate all of their annual spending against HS2 within three months of a General Election,  which I am sure you will agree would be completely impractical.

 

11 comments to “Join us and make a difference at Parliament, 25th November.”
  1. Pingback: STOP HS2 | Confirmed: Hybrid Bill will be deposited on Stop HS2 Lobby Day, 25th November

  2. Church Fenton Action Group are providing a coach on the 25th. Anyone travelling from the north is welcome to join us. We are asking for a contribution of £5 per seat.
    Contact Jo Mason to reserve a seat or for more details. jomason6@btinternet.com 07971 098158

  3. HI, I read in your previous newsletter you needed more people to add to the growing lists of properties blighted by HS2 but just outside the “protected area” My house is situated between 2 lines, the one into Leeds and the one to York. We had sold the property back in May but the bank’s valuer for the couple buying it, slashed a further £35,000 of the price. We had already dropped it by £35,000. So the sale fell through. If you need further information for your lists I would be only too happy to oblige. Yours truly, Jo Coupe

  4. Pingback: STOP HS2 | Parliamentary inquiries, Parliamentary Regrets

  5. Joe – Is there any way we can rustle up transport from Kenilworth to the venue for a group of us to attend?

  6. Grr – why do people say we are using “Victorian railways” and the infrastructure is 150 years old. It is like saying I am using grandad’s broom. None of the rail is the same. All the ties (sleepers) have changed, the signalling is different, the railstock is different. The people and processes have changed. Lines have been straightened, depots rebuilt and ballast replenished many times. Yes, a few bridges and tunnels are the same (but most of them the are straight anyway!). Just the same old story to make us feel like we have to “do something”.

    • The alignments of our main line railways are Victorian (or even Georgian). Most alignments have not been changed since building. Just take a look at the London Birmingham railway built in the 1830s: tight curves at Berkhampstead, Leighton Buzzard, Wolverton and Weedon, restrictive tunnels at Watford, Newchurch, Leighton Buzzard and Kilsby. These all impose high maintenance costs and speed restrictions. Why? Because the aristocratic landowners were able to insist on changes to the route to avoid their properties. The cost of straightening out or removing these features – probably reverting to the original design proposals – would be astronomic and have a significant effect on properties that have sprung up around the line in the flowing 180 years or so since construction and as a result hasn’t happened! The same considerations apply to rebuilding all the platforms and bridges, adjusting track spacing etc. to fit European sized trains (like double-deckers).

      • We all know how difficult and dangerous our old country roads are where they cross the Victorian railways – very rarely straight on.
        And yes, HS2 has built-in safety in being very straight (though what about the delta junctions). However, there will be hundreds of straight roads which will soon find they have an S-bend or similar where they cross under or over HS2. HS2 just indicates that they will be realigned – but not how. My guess is they wish to minimise bridge-build costs by realigning roads to be 90 Deg to HS2. I’m sure I’ll be corrected in a flash if I’m just showing my ignorance.
        Have a look at: http://www.thehs2.com/phase2/maps/detail.php?area=m10&sheet=4b

        and move up/down the line (top right) for lots more.
        So making roads less safe is ok then??

  7. I was present at the last demo outside Parliament, in the pouring rain. We need many more people to make the effort to come and show their opposition to HS2. It really is about time to make a big impact by having masses of people voice their anger and frustration at a Parliament who are not listening.

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