"the sooner the better" is one of those silly expressions. you can say it about anything, any measure in isolation. but that doesn't mean much when in reality things ain't happening on their own and you've got the trade off the time between each.
Crucially this bill does not include public ownership of the rolling stock which it by far the most profitable part of the railways:
The Labour Party needs to take on neo-liberalism and the rich
Exactly; the whole Starmer project has been predicated on assuring capital that, in office, the party will present no threat whatsoever to neoliberal accumulation and wealth defence. Quite the opposite; Starmer’s Labour will offer corporate capital huge opportunities to turn tax on labour into profit.
It’s a strange hill to die on but I get the impression they’ll be u turning soon.
One can but hope. Particularly as it is such a simple way to help families who are struggling.
Agreed. The optics of it costing about 3 billion which is the exact amount we announced for Ukraine aren’t good either. We really should put these things against each other.
The state? Buying things?! With debt?!?! (spit)
I laughed, but the ROSCOs haven't been bad for the rail user. Average age of rolling stock is quite a lot less than it used to be when it was a capital expenditure for the railway itself. Look at the Underground - they own their trains and the Bakerloo and Piccadilly Line both have trains more than 50 years old. It's not that train leasing is inherently good, but the government was always unwilling to do the investment themselves so it has been an improvement in a way.
inews.co.uk
You mean like Michael Douglas in Falling Down?
Like Daniel Morgan?…..
More in there that sees the odd glimpse of promise but the likelihood that the Faustian temptations will win out.
The neoliberal corporations much prefer lending the state money than paying tax; that way they get to hold on to their principle and, on top of that, get paid handsomely for it. Why wouldn't they lobby their way to such low risk/high reward pickings? Starmer's LP are a dream come true for them.
