APOLLO Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 (edited) This is interesting. ANDREW NEIL: At over £50bn a year, Britain is the world's 6th biggest defence spender. So why are our forces so badly equipped and humiliatingly hollowed out? The answer is that MoD bureaucrats are guilty of incompetence, stupidity and reckless squandering https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-13066863/Andrew-Neil-Britain-biggest-defence-spender-Armed-Forces-badly-equipped-incompetence.html Behind a paywall but you get the gist. Brit15 Edited February 10 by APOLLO 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted February 10 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 10 Meanwhile there is still some progress on the group d. This video shows three years progress in the Fleet Marston area. Jamie 2 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foulounoux Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 1 hour ago, APOLLO said: This is interesting. ANDREW NEIL: At over £50bn a year, Britain is the world's 6th biggest defence spender. So why are our forces so badly equipped and humiliatingly hollowed out? The answer is that MoD bureaucrats are guilty of incompetence, stupidity and reckless squandering https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-13066863/Andrew-Neil-Britain-biggest-defence-spender-Armed-Forces-badly-equipped-incompetence.html Behind a paywall but you get the gist. Brit15 I spent a few months contacting for the MOD 3 of us contractors 2 ex forces covering 13 vacant roles and in 6 months we had the outstanding order balance at the lowest it have ever been. The debrief when I left for a permanent role was enlightening....for the MOD 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium figworthy Posted February 10 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 10 On 09/02/2024 at 13:59, jamie92208 said: As mentioned above I think we are on thin ice and getting close to discussing politics and economics. Any chance of something about HS2. Florence should break through any time soon and the Colne Valley viaduct must be over the Grand Union Canal by now. I believe that a planned possession of the canal is either ongoing or about to start. Jamie As chance would have it, I went past the viaduct (on the Chiltern line) yesterday. The assembly rig appeared to be over the arch immediately before the canal, but it wasn't possible to see how well advance work was on that arch. Adrian 1 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium phil-b259 Posted February 11 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 11 (edited) 18 hours ago, jamie92208 said: From what is starting to emerge the DfT weren't involved in the cancellation decisionuntil very very late in the day. They also had very little idea of the Network North fiasco. Jamie Which brings us back to the point that HS2 has been crippled for party political / blatant electioneering / pacify Tory party members who hated the whole thing anyway reasons rather than any sound analysis! Edited February 11 by phil-b259 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
62613 Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 19 hours ago, jamie92208 said: From what is starting to emerge the DfT weren't involved in the cancellation decisionuntil very very late in the day. They also had very little idea of the Network North fiasco. Jamie Yes, it seems more and more that our PM was showing some "Leadership"! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
caradoc Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 7 hours ago, phil-b259 said: Which brings us back to the point that HS2 has been crippled for party political / blatant electioneering / pacify Tory party members who hated the whole thing anyway reasons rather than any sound analysis! If that is why HS2 has been crippled would Labour not have committed to building HS2 in full as soon as the cancellation was announced? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Saunders Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 11 minutes ago, caradoc said: If that is why HS2 has been crippled would Labour not have committed to building HS2 in full as soon as the cancellation was announced? You've got to remember how much spin has been directed against the project coupled with tunnel vision of the "High Speed" bit without realising there will be benefits other than journey time! 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northmoor Posted February 11 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 11 9 minutes ago, caradoc said: If that is why HS2 has been crippled would Labour not have committed to building HS2 in full as soon as the cancellation was announced? The Labour party was talking about funding high speed rail links when Neil Kinnock was leader. A decade later they were elected and what happened? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium phil-b259 Posted February 12 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 12 (edited) 15 hours ago, caradoc said: If that is why HS2 has been crippled would Labour not have committed to building HS2 in full as soon as the cancellation was announced? As I have repeatedly pointed out the Labour Party are desperate to avoid being cast as being irresponsible with the nations finances. Were they to do commit to reversing decisions over HS2 you can be sure that said decision would be sized on with glee by the Tories and used to denigrate the party as being profligate in spending terms leading to grater national exit and higher taxes etc. However what experience should also tell you is that once in power what a party (and that’s ANY party by the way) decides to to can vary considerably from what they may have said or not said on the run up to / during an election campaign - particularly if the topic is not specifically mentioned as a manifesto commitment. So to turn to turn back to HS2 while it’s true that on the face of things Labours position is they won’t re-commit to the cancelled phases, given the need for things like a Stafford / Colwich bypass (which has long been identified as a key bottleneck on the WCML) then it’s not impossible that something which re-uses the parliamentary powers for phase 2A might not in time emerge under a Labour administration. Edited February 12 by phil-b259 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Compound2632 Posted February 12 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 12 21 minutes ago, phil-b259 said: As I have repeatedly pointed out the Labour Party are desperate to avoid being cast as being irresponsible with the nations finances. Remember that they know just as well as the rest of us that there is no money left, it having been frittered away on irresponsible economic experiments. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsforever Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 .Labour will not spend a penny on transport they never do dont expect anything to come forward all thier money will go on social problems it always does 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium corneliuslundie Posted February 12 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 12 I think we are getting dangerously near to party politics. Best to get back to the engineering, even if I have been one of those guilty of diverging from the topic of the thread. Any news of those lost tunnelling shields? Jonathan 2 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PhilH Posted February 12 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 12 59 minutes ago, lmsforever said: .Labour will not spend a penny on transport they never do dont expect anything to come forward all thier money will go on social problems it always does As you seem to have a crystal ball can you give me next week’s winning lottery numbers please? 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MJI Posted February 12 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 12 Time for some party politics. Mayors, vote Andy. The two Andys of Birmingham and Manchester are working together to improve rail links between the cities. One option is complete HS2. https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/feb/07/mayors-put-forward-alternatives-to-hs2-scrapped-northern-section https://news.google.com/articles/CBMifmh0dHBzOi8vYm1tYWdhemluZS5jby51ay9uZXdzL21heW9ycy1idXJuaGFtLWFuZC1zdHJlZXQtdW5pdGUtb24tY29zdC1lZmZlY3RpdmUtYWx0ZXJuYXRpdmVzLXRvLXNjcmFwcGVkLWhzMi1ub3J0aGVybi1zZWN0aW9uL9IBggFodHRwczovL2JtbWFnYXppbmUuY28udWsvbmV3cy9tYXlvcnMtYnVybmhhbS1hbmQtc3RyZWV0LXVuaXRlLW9uLWNvc3QtZWZmZWN0aXZlLWFsdGVybmF0aXZlcy10by1zY3JhcHBlZC1oczItbm9ydGhlcm4tc2VjdGlvbi8_YW1w?hl=en-GB&gl=GB&ceid=GB%3Aen 3 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ron Ron Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 For those of you, who'd rather we had some more actual HS2 construction news........... This weekend (just gone), the M42 was closed again, near the NEC, to allow demolition of the 2nd concrete bridge that previously carried the A452 over the motorway. (n.b. That was the roundabout over the motorway, that looked like a motorway junction, but without any slip roads or connection to the motorway itself.) With both bridges now removed, work can start on constructing the box bridge structure that will carry HS2 over the M42 at this location. Click here for the story...... HS2 Ltd News Media story and details Looking North....... . 4 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ron Ron Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 (edited) If you think that most of the "Green Tunnels" on Phase 1, are an unnecessary overspend and waste of literally, billions of ££££'s; then are you aware of the mega expensive "Bat Tunnel", that will be built over HS2 at Calvert ? Yes, you heard it correctly ! A Bat Tunnel.....and it has nothing to do with Bruce Wayne. Check the date ! This isn't the 1st of April either. Rather than being underground, or buried, the Sheephouse Wood Bat Protection Structure is above surface........ Details here..... https://assets.hs2.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Sheephouse-Wood-Bat-Protection-Structure-You-said-We-did-Information-Boards-March-2023.pdf . Edited February 12 by Ron Ron Ron 1 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arun Sharma Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 (edited) Looking at the supplied map, it looks like it is actually on the line of E-W Railway rather than HS2. It is well to the East of HS2's maintenance depot. While I like bats [especially as I have had numerous dollops of Rabies vaccine in the past] I am not sure that this is the best use of taxpayers' money........... Edited February 12 by Arun Sharma 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbedford Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 Did anyone ask the bats? It will be amusing if they refuse to use it. 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ron Ron Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 1 hour ago, Arun Sharma said: Looking at the supplied map, it looks like it is actually on the line of E-W Railway rather than HS2. It is well to the East of HS2's maintenance depot. While I like bats [especially as I have had numerous dollops of Rabies vaccine in the past] I am not sure that this is the best use of taxpayers' money........... I thought that at first glance, but quickly noticed the map is turned on its side. North is on the left, south on the right. There are obvious clues from the locations marked on the map, such as the Greatmoor Energy from Waste plant, just to the south of Calvert and the relative positions of Quainton and Calvert villages. . 1 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbedford Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 Is Bechstein’s bat the new Great Crested Newt? 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ron Ron Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 Chilterns Tunnels... Florence has less than 56 metres to go, as of yesterday's report. Probably, slowly cutting through the heavily reinforced and stabilised ground in the final stages to breakout at the northern portal. Cecilia now under 465 metres from breakthrough and counting down. . 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arun Sharma Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 23 minutes ago, Ron Ron Ron said: Chilterns Tunnels... Florence has less than 56 metres to go, as of yesterday's report. Probably, slowly cutting through the heavily reinforced and stabilised ground in the final stages to breakout at the northern portal. Cecilia now under 465 metres from breakthrough and counting down. . A friend of mine who has a passing, albeit somewhat cynical interest in the doings of large bodies, wonders whether the missing tunnelling machines in the Chilterns were in fact diverted to build a bunker at, and a railway connection from, Chequers to join HS2 so that the denizens of that Noble House could make a fast getaway if they ever needed to...... 1 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
caradoc Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 14 hours ago, Ron Ron Ron said: If you think that most of the "Green Tunnels" on Phase 1, are an unnecessary overspend and waste of literally, billions of ££££'s; then are you aware of the mega expensive "Bat Tunnel", that will be built over HS2 at Calvert ? Is there anywhere else in the UK, rail, road or any other location, where such complex and expensive measures have had to be taken to protect wildlife? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted February 13 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 13 15 minutes ago, caradoc said: Is there anywhere else in the UK, rail, road or any other location, where such complex and expensive measures have had to be taken to protect wildlife? Believe that the Bicester to Oxford section of Cilterns service from Marylebone was delayed for a long time due to bat's being found in the tunnel. There were a long series of legal challenges IIRC. I believe that the delay was quite expensive Is maybe that's why care has been taken this time. Jamie 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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