(13 Apr 2018, 11:22 am)Jamie M I used to follow this stuff a lot closer, but now I feel most of the time I feel completely disconnected to what's happening and how the country is even being run. Not sure if this is passive or active ignorance.

I would have thought changing passenger fairs and reusing the VED else where or to improve systems, but hard to really say. I still don't think it will come close to actually happening, but that may just be my complete lack of confidence in any government system at present.

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My opinions are based on my experiences -- I bought bus passes and drove, so I can't relate to that point.

I don't think it'll deal with congestion either, or not in any noticable way. It'll maybe stop some new drivers starting, but wouldn't convert many to bus imo.

My idea was to subsidise fairs with VED in order to be cutting fairs and having more money free to invest back into the system or elsewhere.

(14 Apr 2018, 9:37 am)Andreos1 Cold, wet, April evening and finishing a shift at 10pm at the Metrocentre, but needing 2/3 buses to complete the trip home? I can't see how that will be attractive to many. Regardless of how reasonable the fares are.

(28 Apr 2018, 10:47 am)Andreos1 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2018/apr/27/martin-rowson-on-tory-woes-from-windrush-to-rail-franchises-cartoon?CMP=share_btn_tw

Sack the lot of them!

#toryincompetence

(28 Apr 2018, 10:59 am)Jamie M Neebody to replace them mate!
Not even an opposition..

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(28 Apr 2018, 10:59 am)Jamie M Neebody to replace them mate!
Not even an opposition..

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(28 Apr 2018, 12:35 pm)mb134 I'd argue that Labour are far more equipped to be running the country than the current Conservatives. Unfortunately the MSM don't actually like to report on the things that the Tories do so horrifically, spending most of their time trying to find fault with Labour.

(07 Jun 2018, 8:57 am)Andreos1 Couldn't make it up.

Private company picks up contracts previously held by public sector (supposedly more cost effective).

Private company collapses.
People lose jobs.

Public picks up the tab.

(07 Jun 2018, 8:57 am)Andreos1 Couldn't make it up.

Private company picks up contracts previously held by public sector (supposedly more cost effective).

Private company collapses.
People lose jobs.

Public picks up the tab.

(07 Jun 2018, 10:24 am)Jamie M I think there are times and places for private contracts, but I believe they should be non-essential in a public business, rather than the entire business.

Often than not, the publicly run services are more efficient given they are run with thoughts to purpose and intention of the service, not creaming money. There are certainly cases where private companies do a good job, but it will very rarely compromise profit margins.

I don't think in the UK there's a great need to reform infrastructure (other than rail where it was clearly better under gov control) but just more investment in the services that it currently provides. I also believe if private tenders are raised in value (i.e money paid to contractor), the requirements can also be made tighter in terms of what must be done, and obviously there will be more people willing to take under a more valuable contract, thus provoking more spotlight on providing good quality private contracts.

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(20 Feb 2019, 12:42 pm)Andreos1 This thread has died off a bit, which is a shame. 


The whole Brexit thing is a shambles.
Both sides of the negotiation teams have hardly covered themselves in glory and the MSM are hardly helping things. 
Day after day, we see and hear that Brexit is to blame for job losses and again, with Honda in Swindon.
Apparently Brexit has caused them to re-focus energies elsewhere, as the potential JIT problems getting parts in from Europe, coupled with the potential tariffs that exist, mean Swindon is no longer viable.
Except how many jobs were lost when the JIT manufacturing sites moved from the UK to Europe, using EU incentives?
How will those sites manage to get parts from Europe to Japan (where Honda are shifting the work), quicker than via the North Sea or English Channel? 
How will the removal of tariffs agreed in the latest trade deal between the EU and Japan affect other manufacturers across the EU? 
How has the EU diesel emissions regs impacted on car manufacturers around the bloc? 
The propaganda we are seeing pumped out on a daily basis is amazing. People are falling for these half truths and in some cases lies... 

Then, we have the ever growing group of independents, (currently) made up of a mixture of ex tories and ex Labour mp's. Labour mp's aligning with Tory mp's - who would have thought such a bunch of characters would have so many things in common?

(20 Feb 2019, 2:21 pm)Rob44 One person to blame for this. David Cameron. Should never have bowed down to his right wing hard liners of the conservative party by promising a referendum in the first place!

(20 Feb 2019, 2:21 pm)Rob44 One person to blame for this. David Cameron. Should never have bowed down to his right wing hard liners of the conservative party by promising a referendum in the first place!

(20 Feb 2019, 12:51 pm)Jamie M My view is Europe is pretty much also in shambles, but I think reform should have been the agenda, not leaving it for an unknown outcome.

Many think we survived WW2 without Europe and therefore we can now, but so many things have changed since then, we live internationally connected lives in the western world. We share ideas and use products from so many different countries.

I think there has been no opposition to brexit. Everyone knows what they don't want, nobody knows what they do want. There's only push factors, no pull factors.

No deal is uncertain and nobody knows what it could mean. May's deal is awful, and going back to Europe still leaves us with the same issues as before. Not only this, but we will be looked down on and made an example of how nobody can leave the union.

I think businesses have also been stretching brexit as a way of scaremongering. This is from someone who isn't a eurosceptic.

A people's vote seems poorly received, voting on a vote sounds silly.

If we leave, half the population will be upset that their say was not represented.

If we stay, half the population will be upset that they didn't get what they fairly voted for.

Hands are well and truly tied.

Clocks ticking, but towards what? I dread to think.