backontrack
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Poll goes back to 1983, the year of the Serpell Report.
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Let's put it to the forum: which has been the worst Secretary of State for Transport?
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Andrew Nelson
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Failed Unit
Established Member
Some of them were hardly in the job long enough to have any influence. Shows how low down they treat the job.
furnessvale
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+1...
61653 HTAFC
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The voting so far seems fairly
conclusive!
LOL The Irony
On Moderation
Has to be grayling. If Spitting Image was around today, it wouldn't treat him kindly.
LOL The Irony
On Moderation
I want to change it to adonis now 
GRALISTAIR
Established Member
Spoiler = I see good old 2 Jags has scored a few votes
LOL The Irony
On Moderation
Well he did make statements that he didn't follow through on, such as stopping privatisation...
swt class 450
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None of them have been particularly good. I haven't really been impressed with any of them. But it is certain that Chris Grayling has been the worst by far. He is on a whole new level of incompetence and uselessness. So i would vote for Chris Grayling as the worst.
Killingworth
Established Member
Maybe we're looking at the wrong target. The SoS is a figurehead, largely doing what his/her civil servants suggest. Are we certain Grayling or any of the others really disagree strongly with the advice they get? How far dare they go to change the direction previously set in the time of their predecessors? And if they do want to make changes they'll almost certainly involve more money which the Treasury will resist paying.
Now when it comes to our present SoS's position on Brexit I'd have to abstain because I can't recall any others taking such an illogical stance and that isn't what this poll is about.
Now when it comes to our present SoS's position on Brexit I'd have to abstain because I can't recall any others taking such an illogical stance and that isn't what this poll is about.
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
If you are basing that on the cancellation of electrification schemes, it's wide of the mark.
You should be blaming the NR GRIP review system for failing to deliver electrification for anything like the costs that were quoted when the schemes were authorised.
Grayling had no choice but to call a halt, until the costs were reduced to something which supports the business case.
We're still waiting (and in the meantime ordering bi-modes).
Lampshade
Established Member
In defence of Grayling...
No, there is no defence of Grayling, it’s him.
No, there is no defence of Grayling, it’s him.
3141
Established Member
There's more to transport than railways. Is the poll about the performance of the Secs of State in relation to just railways or everything? Of course someone will say it's still Grayling!
edwin_m
Veteran Member
However I think the SoS does have an influence on policy. For example Grayling stopped the devolution of more suburban services to TfL, allegedly due to political differences with Sadiq Khan. And Patrick McLoughlin went as far as to over-ride his civil servants and insist that the Northern franchise should replace the Pacers.
squizzler
Established Member
I presume it was Cecil Parkinson who was behind so-called Roads for Prosperity. I must say that in light of our current electronic age the Thatcherite "Great Car Economy" sounds rather quaint.
Killingworth
Established Member
PM was being persistently lobbied by his rail using constituents who were happy to have any trains, even Pacers, but used Pacers to highlight the need for the Hope Valley Capacity Improvement Scheme to permit a full hourly stopping service. Conceding the end of the already antiquated Pacers was less costly than the HVCIS.
squizzler
Established Member
ian1944
Member
Looking at that list, I realise how many I'd either forgotten or never realised were in the job. For some, to describe them as pipsqueak nonentities would be to give them a higher profile than ever they had. Now, if the poll was on all those before the current aberration, for me it would be a tie between Prescott and Kelly, one a poisonous man, one a poisinous woman - one once my MP.
Esker-pades
Established Member
My problem is my age. Half those candidates were around before I was alive, even more before I was aware that such a person as the Secretary of State for Transport existed, and even more for me to be politically aware enough to know what they were actually doing. Thus, I can't really make an informed opinion on Malcom Rifkind, for example, let alone how competant Chris Grayling was in comparison to him.
Indeed, before the mass and instant availability of information, how much was known by the average person about what X or Y secretary was doing. I'd venture it would be in less detail than is known now.
Grayling is objectively awful, but can I say with any confidence that he is worse than someone like John Moore (who I hadn't even heard of until I saw this thread)? Probably not.
Indeed, before the mass and instant availability of information, how much was known by the average person about what X or Y secretary was doing. I'd venture it would be in less detail than is known now.
Grayling is objectively awful, but can I say with any confidence that he is worse than someone like John Moore (who I hadn't even heard of until I saw this thread)? Probably not.
squizzler
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Chris999999
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No question about it:
Barbara Castle
Barbara Castle
Nicholas Ridley for deregulation of buses alone. At least Castle tried to make our roads safer with the introduction of the Breathalyser. To be honest, it’s quite hard to find a good SOS. It’s a dumping ground for failed Ministers. This must also reflect quality of Civil Servants within Department.
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Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Whilst agreeing with you on the worst SoS of Transport (called Minister then) I think you have mistaken the meaning of this expression. I suspect you are too young to know this.
Andrew Nelson
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Whilst agreeing with you on the worst SoS of Transport (called Minister then) I think you have mistaken the meaning of this expression. I suspect you are too young to know this.
I'm 77, so no, I'm not "too young".
However, you may want to tell the world what you THINK it means.
Andrew Nelson
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Certainly more Railway mileage disappeared under her tenure.
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