For clarification, as the one who started the "NHS/HS2 thread", I'm not a spotter or enthusiast. I take basic interest in the railway infrastructure since I travel on them weekly all over the country, so I'm a bit nosey when it comes to whats going on here and there, as I like the idea of improvement and change.
I didn't intend to create the discussion based on one or the other, as the OP highlighted "NHS VS HS2", which wasn't the case. Nor was it a thread solely dedicated to wanting HS2 cancelled. I created it with the intention to see where everyone's priorities sit, and how they see the current situation both railway related and public services - hence why it was a pole - which I voted "Yes to HS2" in. I wanted to also see the differentiation between the "yes" and "no" sides, which evidently showed the divide between spotters/enthusiasts and others. It got out of proportion a little bit and deviated from the main point, and instead became a thread of sub-topics of bias, which was probably one of the reasons it was locked by mods.
I think HS2 should go ahead because our network can't handle future capacity and I think we need faster means of competing with air travel, in the same way the French and Japenese do. I think it's time to make our mark that we are prepared for the 21st century and realise that it's a time where we need to think again in terms of ticket pricing, journey times etc, and look to other alternatives as to how to cope with it.
Although I've nothing against strong enthusiasts or spotters, I do think nostalgic thinking grinds some of our gears a little bit. The majority of spotters and enthusiasts come from the days of loco hauled and steam services, so don't like the idea of the last of these trains becoming the minority to more modern and efficient trains like the IEPs.
I agree 100% with the OP on this issue. I too, don't understand why some of the comments some people highlighted in terms of; good ol' days or of pure nostalgia, are bold arguments for cancelling a project we all need in order to prepare our transport industry for the future, for the benefit of the public. It's a very interesting discussion indeed. Hopefully this, unlike the NHS/HS2 one, doesn't become plagued with sub-topics of nostalgia and mediocre reasons why HS2 shouldn't go ahead.