Once upon a time......
Once, just after the Olympics and when Cross Rail looked to be on target we began to hope that the UK had overcome its long term inability to plan and carry through major projects.
It was, it is now obvious, a false hope. HS2 has ground to a halt perhaps for ever, who is going to restart it once the work has stopped?
Given the opposition by the know nothing Nimbys, the ever rising costs, the inadequacy of the UK construction industry, the failure of the state hollowed out by successive Tory administrations; this is a real a danger.
The government is, of course, losing money on this decision, waiting 2 or 5 years will only increase the costs, but save a bit of cash now; handy for pre-election tax cuts. It is deeply cynical and deeply damaging.
It took 13 years after the opening of the Channel Tunnel to build HS1, now the second High Speed line in the UK won’t reach a mainline London station and will stop at Birmingham. France has been linked up by a whole network for decades now, Spain, Italy and Germany are miles ahead and have been for years.
Forget levelling up, the Red Wall seats, they were always just a con, but this is a national humiliation.
The country that invented the railway can no longer even finish one.
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.
By Jonty Bloom Media