RMweb Gold TheSignalEngineer Posted September 4, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 4, 2012 Theresa Viliers already moved from Transport to exile in Northern Ireland Office. Justine Greening seen entering the yard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted September 4, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 4, 2012 Justine Greening seen entering the yard. Ready for inspection followed by condemning? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted September 4, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 4, 2012 Goodbye HS2 Theresa Viliers already moved from Transport to exile in Northern Ireland Office. Justine Greening seen entering the yard. "HS2 to be dropped"? "New Heathrow runway more use to Britain"? Is that what I am hearing? Keith Edit: Patrick McLoughlin new Transport Secretary (pro Heathrow!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TheSignalEngineer Posted September 4, 2012 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 4, 2012 Goodbye HS2 "HS2 to be dropped"? "New Heathrow runway more use to Britain"? Is that what I am hearing? Keith Edit: Patrick McLoughlin new Transport Secretary (pro Heathrow!) Strange history, was at Transport before under Thatcher in run up to Privatisation. Apparently had been both National Chairman of Young Conservatives and also a Member of the National Union of Mineworkers !!!!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TheSignalEngineer Posted September 4, 2012 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 4, 2012 Greening now reallocated to International Development - should be able to keep her out of the country most of the time on that roster. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium skipepsi Posted September 4, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 4, 2012 Seems upsetting that nice Mr Branson is not good for one's career! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium phil-b259 Posted September 4, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 4, 2012 Seems upsetting that nice Mr Branson is not good for one's career! As others have noted its not the Virgin bid issues that have done for ms Greening - its her publically stated oposition to Heathrow expansion (which as an MP for Putney and therefore under Heathrows flightpath is expected). Just the other day Mr Cameron was carefull to say the governments policy of no expansion was only limited to the current Parlement and there have been lots of calls from senior Tories (none of whoam live / serve areas afected by Heathrow) and right wing think tanks to revisit the issue. Again, as with othersIi fear for the future of HS2 - while Heathrow expansion may affect more people, in terms of the number of tory MPs affected it will be less than HS2 making it a politically easier option - as well as not costing the treasuary nearly as much. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DavidLong Posted September 4, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 4, 2012 Theresa Viliers already moved from Transport to exile in Northern Ireland Office. Justine Greening seen entering the yard. Anyone else as fed up as I am with the revolving door through which transport ministers pass with monotonous regularity? I am sure that I read somewhere that transport ministers have the shortest average tenure of any equivalent office holder and, even if I didn't, it certainly feels like it. Considering the importance of transport in ensuring that this country has a chance of functioning it seems to have a remarkably low value in the eyes of prime ministers when it comes to some sort of continuity in the post. Theresa Villiers seems to have drawn a particularly short straw considering the goings-on in Belfast recently. Agree with the speculations about third runways and HS2 cancellations probably having some bearing on events. Anyway, as HS2 was being posited on there being a lack of capacity on the West Coast and first now having discovered that there is bucket loads of it and will pay lots of cash to DfT on that basis then HS2 becomes pretty much a non-starter. David Footnote: Remember 'Marples must go' on all those motorway bridges. He who appointed the great and good Doctor. Marples was Minister of Transport for an entire parliament from October 1959 to October 1964. Five years! I am sure that must be a record. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium skipepsi Posted September 4, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 4, 2012 Anyone else as fed up as I am with the revolving door through which transport ministers pass with monotonous regularity? I am sure that I read somewhere that transport ministers have the shortest average tenure of any equivalent office holder and, even if I didn't, it certainly feels like it. Considering the importance of transport in ensuring that this country has a chance of functioning it seems to have a remarkably low value in the eyes of prime ministers when it comes to some sort of continuity in the post. Theresa Villiers seems to have drawn a particularly short straw considering the goings-on in Belfast recently. Agree with the speculations about third runways and HS2 cancellations probably having some bearing on events. Anyway, as HS2 was being posited on there being a lack of capacity on the West Coast and first now having discovered that there is bucket loads of it and will pay lots of cash to DfT on that basis then HS2 becomes pretty much a non-starter. David Footnote: Remember 'Marples must go' on all those motorway bridges. He who appointed the great and good Doctor. Marples was Minister of Transport for an entire parliament from October 1959 to October 1964. Five years! I am sure that must be a record. Must have hung on to the job like a limpet, I wonder why? As for the reat repeat after me London is the centre of the world, London is................................... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TheSignalEngineer Posted September 5, 2012 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 5, 2012 Footnote: Remember 'Marples must go' on all those motorway bridges. He who appointed the great and good Doctor. Marples was Minister of Transport for an entire parliament from October 1959 to October 1964. Five years! I am sure that must be a record. Ah yes, Baron Marples. Not only appointed the good Doctor, but also introduced Parking Meters, Traffic Wardens and Double Yellow Lines, besides having an interest in the company which built the Hamersmith Flyover, Chiswick Flyover and part of the M1. Only lasted so long because he knew which cupboards the skeletons were in. Eventually had to do a runner to Monaco, ironically using the Night Ferry, when it all started to unravel. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted September 5, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 5, 2012 Interestingly London already has more airport capacity than the places it supposing losing out to! Frankfurt is oft quoted, but that consists a network of four airports strung out over some distance to provide the capacity needed. Justine Greening uttered the unacceptable "B" word a week ago stating that Birmingham Airport had the necessary capacity for any expansion, within the travelling time considered acceptable. - She just had to go. London is the centre of the world etc. Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium skipepsi Posted September 5, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 5, 2012 I am not certain that all comentators agree but rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic could spring to mind........ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 I am not certain that all comentators agree but rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic could spring to mind........ Or in the case of First Great Western, rearrange all the seats on a HST..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisf Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Or in the case of First Great Western, rearrange all the seats on a HST..... They have already done that! I wouldn't write off HS2 just yet. It is infrastructure and spending on that is supposed to benefit the economy. I see that Cheryl Gillan, who was threatening to resign over it, has been fired. That should pacify the natives. What I would like to know is just what First mean by "spare capacity" on WCML. Is it the seats that remain empty on Virgin trains because of the fare structure or is there actually room for more trains? Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Metr0Land Posted September 5, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 5, 2012 Interestingly London already has more airport capacity than the places it supposing losing out to! Frankfurt is oft quoted, but that consists a network of four airports strung out over some distance to provide the capacity needed. Keith Not wishing to open 'the wrong kind of deabte' here but something has always puzzled me. I'm not saying here whether I am for or against Heathrow expansion but what puzzles me is this.... People who are for expansion often say we're losing out to Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Armpit Nebraska etc. Surely if people want to come to London they will come to London or a UK airport and not go to these other places? So how are we losing out? If we're talking about hub traffic eg America to Africa via Europe as an example then what benefit does it bring the nation? OK it benefits the airlines and the airports who charge extortionate prices, and creates a few more jobs, but local residents get the extra noise, local congestion etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Traxson Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Lets face it, ministers may come and go, but the faceless unelected grey suits who actually run the country never change! They just orchestrate ministerial changes to cover the fact that they(greysuits) had got it wrong and need to do an about turn. Ever watched "Yes Minister"?? Phil T. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted September 5, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 5, 2012 Not wishing to open 'the wrong kind of deabte' here but something has always puzzled me. I'm not saying here whether I am for or against Heathrow expansion but what puzzles me is this.... People who are for expansion often say we're losing out to Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Armpit Nebraska etc. Surely if people want to come to London they will come to London or a UK airport and not go to these other places? So how are we losing out? If we're talking about hub traffic eg America to Africa via Europe as an example then what benefit does it bring the nation? OK it benefits the airlines and the airports who charge extortionate prices, and creates a few more jobs, but local residents get the extra noise, local congestion etc. One of the arguments is that we (Britain) do more business with countries that have direct air links from Heathrow than those that don't. This smacks more of lazy execs not wishing to sully themselves north of Watford than anything else! Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ron Ron Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 ......while Heathrow expansion may affect more people, in terms of the number of tory MPs affected it will be less than HS2 making it a politically easier option - as well as not costing the treasuary nearly as much. A new runway at Heathrow will cost the treasury nothing. It's private investment by the airport owner and they have the money, own some of the land already and own nearly a third of the housing stock that will be removed. The public purse will pick up the tab for some of the local transport infrastructure, the the BAA will have to fund a major part of it. A new airport will have to be largely funded by the tax payer, even if global investors get involved. The ground transport infrastructure costs may end up doubling the total cost. Got a spare £50 billion? or the extra £50 billion for the motorways, rail links and city terminii? ...and who pays for the relocation of workers, businesses and the unemployment that will affect more than half a million people, by moving Heathrow to a wind swept, fog bound island, somewhere off the Kent coast? Boris hasn't thought this out properly, but then he isn't spending the money. HS2 is interesting. First now say there is loads of spare capacity on the WCML. 30% more !!!!! ????? Is the reward for claiming that a franchise award? . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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