Well, as ever when governments release white papers or command papers, any pretence of level headed thinking goes out of the window and in comes platform end frothing as the dreams take over reality.
There are some crackers - "pathetic government". In terms of the railways? Well, perhaps I have been around far too long but I cannot remember a single government in the last 40 years authorising some of the schemes which are now before us; electrification (tick), HS2 (tick), Crossrail (yep, continue), some more rolling stock (yep). Any government faced with a stonking deficit could have quietly pushed a lot of these enhancements into the long grass. But no. They have got on with it.
And before we get any "conservatives are swines" nonsense either, there was a Labour government for 13 years before this. Strangely they could have restructured the railway - they didn't; fully nationalised it after Railtrack (they didn't), removed the ROSCO's (they didn't); nay even produced a green paper, followed by a white paper and legislation forecasting a new brave world of track and train....they didn't.
So, let us move onto the next nonsense. Greedy TOC's. Ok - here is a starter question for 10 - how may Train Operators are currently making a margin of 5% and how many are actually making a profit? Any ideas - ok, none. So, here is a really simple question - how many train operators are currently on revenue support from Daft because they are suffering? Hmmm. Plentry - SWT being one, FGW being another...so yes such is the culture of greed that train operators are actually loosing money.
And now onto ROSCO's - ok - how many on here buy a new car and then pay cash upfront? Hmm - not many hands I see. So to draw a parallel out - successive governments have decided that in essence Hire purchase is the way forward. This goes for new schools, hospitals and trains. Possibly because, in their eyes the risk is transferred to the private sector - so in 10 years time it is decided that we don't like that train then we can bin it. Ok, so it doesn't actually work like that - but to the governments eyes the money is not committed up front. And besides the rolling stock was not actually gifted to the ROSCO's in the first place - strangely enough it was sold and the proceeds used to bribe the electorate, spend on trident or fill a pothole. And again, was there any attempt to take back the stock after 1997? Nope.
Has anybody actually read the command paper and McNulty's report to go with it; or have you all swallowed the bullexcrement pumped out from the likes of the RMT hook, line and sinker?