UK politics - Hamsterwheel
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: On the beach with a cerveza.
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Originally Posted by sitigeltfel
As long as you didn't bring up what he knew (or didn't know) about Cyril Smith, you should be fine.
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One feels the lower photograph is considerably more photogenic and enjoyable to view than the top one........which would not be difficult.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...ssified-papers
But it's no surprise to learn the unlamented deceased found the company of another of the same species as herself appealing.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...ssified-papers
But it's no surprise to learn the unlamented deceased found the company of another of the same species as herself appealing.
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And, by one of those "happy and fortunate coincidences " being absent from the UK on the day when the peasantry ( voters if you insist ) react is always useful.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics...rail-fare-hike
Funnily enough, this is hardly setting a precedent when it comes to the Tories......some will remember the location of a certain Minister when those rather inconvenient issues at Port Talbot surfaced.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics...rail-fare-hike
Funnily enough, this is hardly setting a precedent when it comes to the Tories......some will remember the location of a certain Minister when those rather inconvenient issues at Port Talbot surfaced.
Join Date: Nov 2000
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Originally Posted by Krystal n chips
And, by one of those "happy and fortunate coincidences " being absent from the UK on the day when the peasantry ( voters if you insist ) react is always useful.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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The usual moan. Those earning more than the national average in the south-east and having made the most of property prices want the tax-payers in the rest of the country to subsidise their travel costs.
I have, over the decades, watched this cycle repeat several times. Those living the cities look at relative house prices and sell up, moving to the country side for a more rural lifestyle whilst pocketing a large sum of money whilst starting commuting to work. Supply being strained by demand the price of commuting goes up - which triggers vocal complaints about the costs involved.
To put it context, the Times had an article during the last week looking at house prices in the 10 most popular commuting areas around London as more people do as I say above. In Brighton, For example, house value has, on average, increased by about £25-35K.
Meanwhile those who do not commute earn far less and are being priced out of Brighton to other areas along the coast outside range of the London rail line. A syndrome known as “London prices and south coast wages”.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/p...nham-b7ldmfjpk
....”The Halifax data for 2017 shows that the biggest house price increases in cash terms came in the London boroughs of Richmond upon Thames and Barnet, where rises of nearly 8 per cent translated to an extra £45,463 and £41,697, respectively. The east London borough of Newham had the fastest rising property prices in the capital, up more than 10 per cent to an average of £402,781.
Other top risers included Brighton (11.4 per cent) and Crawley, West Sussex (just over 10 per cent).”.....
I have, over the decades, watched this cycle repeat several times. Those living the cities look at relative house prices and sell up, moving to the country side for a more rural lifestyle whilst pocketing a large sum of money whilst starting commuting to work. Supply being strained by demand the price of commuting goes up - which triggers vocal complaints about the costs involved.
To put it context, the Times had an article during the last week looking at house prices in the 10 most popular commuting areas around London as more people do as I say above. In Brighton, For example, house value has, on average, increased by about £25-35K.
Meanwhile those who do not commute earn far less and are being priced out of Brighton to other areas along the coast outside range of the London rail line. A syndrome known as “London prices and south coast wages”.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/p...nham-b7ldmfjpk
....”The Halifax data for 2017 shows that the biggest house price increases in cash terms came in the London boroughs of Richmond upon Thames and Barnet, where rises of nearly 8 per cent translated to an extra £45,463 and £41,697, respectively. The east London borough of Newham had the fastest rising property prices in the capital, up more than 10 per cent to an average of £402,781.
Other top risers included Brighton (11.4 per cent) and Crawley, West Sussex (just over 10 per cent).”.....
Last edited by ORAC; 3rd Jan 2018 at 06:21.
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Originally Posted by Gertrude the Wombat
I don't get the whole thing - why should people who choose a train-commuting lifestyle expect to be subsidised by those who choose more sustainable lifestyles?
That, and the track record of Graying isn't exactly glowing with success. His bountiful generosity towards the ECML isn't going down too well, but, not a problem as the taxpayers are conveniently available when the private sector runs out of money.
And,when all else fails, what better fall back than the tried and tested "it's all Labour's and ( this bit will set some hearts surging on here ) the unions fault ".
https://www.theguardian.com/politics...rail-fare-hike
https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...-hikes-cartoon
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A letter in today's Times gives the cost of a season ticket between Birmingham and London Euston at £10,567. While this may sound excessive, it works out at £0.22p a mile, a fraction of the cost of going by car before you even begin to factor in parking fees and the congestion charge.
Why should the taxpayer subsidise someone else's lifestyle choice?.
Why should the taxpayer subsidise someone else's lifestyle choice?.
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Originally Posted by sitigeltfel
A letter in today's Times gives the cost of a season ticket between Birmingham and London Euston at £10,567. While this may sound excessive, it works out at £0.22p a mile, a fraction of the cost of going by car before you even begin to factor in parking fees and the congestion charge.
Why should the taxpayer subsidise someone else's lifestyle choice?.
Why should the taxpayer subsidise someone else's lifestyle choice?.
A wonderful piece of understatement there then.....£10.5k doesn't merely sound excessive....it is excessive ! It is, and can be I assure you, considerably cheaper to escape from either of the two great Blots on the British landscape.....which is more polite than describing them as ( rude word ) holes.
That, and you have to love that other JB favourite, semantics, this time not with the usual English language but with maths. Quite how the 0.22p per mile is arrived at would be interesting to learn. There's always that inconvenient word "variables " to take into consideration....
Thus a detailed cost breakdown as to how this figure has been calculated would be interesting to read.....over to thee in this respect then.
But, when it comes to subsidising lifestyles, who better to be subsidised than the deserving poor, those whose life would to torn asunder if their meagre sources of income were removed.....
The Four Big Myths of UK Rail Privatisation ? Action For Rail
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: England
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I do wonder why so many trains in the UK are "privately" operated by the German state-owned railway.
Just a question really - if the Germans run such an efficient railway that they can even export their expertise, why couldn't/can't we operate our own railway without foreign assistance that takes away a profit?
Just a question really - if the Germans run such an efficient railway that they can even export their expertise, why couldn't/can't we operate our own railway without foreign assistance that takes away a profit?
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Originally Posted by sitigeltfel
A letter in today's Times gives the cost of a season ticket between Birmingham and London Euston at £10,567. While this may sound excessive, it works out at £0.22p a mile, a fraction of the cost of going by car before you even begin to factor in parking fees and the congestion charge.
Why should the taxpayer subsidise someone else's lifestyle choice?.
Why should the taxpayer subsidise someone else's lifestyle choice?.
Mick Cash, the general secretary of the RMT Union, on Tuesday led protests against rail fare rises and condemned them as the "Great Train Robbery".
However The Telegraph can disclose that Mr Cash told members of his union last year that increases in fares were “significant” because they would lead to bigger pay rises for rail workers.
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Originally Posted by Sallyann1234
Just a question really - if the Germans run such an efficient railway that they can even export their expertise, why couldn't/can't we operate our own railway without foreign assistance that takes away a profit?
Last edited by Curious Pax; 3rd Jan 2018 at 12:10. Reason: Do quote better!
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Originally Posted by Curious Pax
In a word dogma. Cue protestations that publicly owned rail would be managed in the same way as 40 years ago, with all that implies.
Another part being the reverence to privatisation .....at any cost.
https://www.theguardian.com/business...owners-subsidy
http://neweconomics.org/2017/01/railways-failed-next/
So we might as well chuck in energy and utility suppliers to add to the list as well.
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Originally Posted by Krystal n chips
I'm sure you do understand really GTW, even if like me the commuting life style has never appealed because the price rises come at a rather unfortunate moment in the state of the UK economy.
Nobody, for example, subsidises my lifestyle choice - choosing to spend more on a house so that I can live within cycling distance of work.
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Originally Posted by Curious Pax
In a word dogma. Cue protestations that publicly owned rail would be managed in the same way as 40 years ago, with all that implies.
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Originally Posted by Krystal n chips
Quite how the 0.22p per mile is arrived at would be interesting to learn. There's always that inconvenient word "variables " to take into consideration....
Thus a detailed cost breakdown as to how this figure has been calculated would be interesting to read.....
Thus a detailed cost breakdown as to how this figure has been calculated would be interesting to read.....
According to a mapping application, the distance is 118 miles (236 miles per day).
I was told (many years ago) that, without holidays, there are 200 working days per year - rule of thumb, maybe . . .
Of course the season ticket allows for additional journeys outside working days, but that isn't mandatory.
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Originally Posted by Krystal n chips
Quite how the 0.22p per mile is arrived at would be interesting to learn. There's always that inconvenient word "variables " to take into consideration....
The season ticket is £10,567 per annum.
Track miles (rail version thereof) from Birmingham New Street to London Euston is 112 miles (source). The maximum number of working days* per year is 232 (source).
The total miles travelled per year thus 51,968. (232 x (112 x 2)).
Thus cost per year 20.33p/mile assuming all days worked and season ticket not used for any other purpose.
Now that one person has made the claim and two people have verified it, care to answer the question as to why you were so skeptical about the figures in the first place?
Last edited by Charley; 3rd Jan 2018 at 15:08. Reason: * - for a normal, 5-day per week employed position
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Originally Posted by The Nip
In today's paper,
Mick Cash, the general secretary of the RMT Union, on Tuesday led protests against rail fare rises and condemned them as the "Great Train Robbery".
However The Telegraph can disclose that Mr Cash told members of his union last year that increases in fares were “significant” because they would lead to bigger pay rises for rail workers.
Mick Cash, the general secretary of the RMT Union, on Tuesday led protests against rail fare rises and condemned them as the "Great Train Robbery".
However The Telegraph can disclose that Mr Cash told members of his union last year that increases in fares were “significant” because they would lead to bigger pay rises for rail workers.
This was a clear indication that the transport unions were using strikes, not to improve rail conditions, but to destabilise the government.
They don't give a shit about the passengers, any argument to the contrary is lies.
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Originally Posted by Charley
Broadly agree with the mathematics and with G-CPTN's verification.
The season ticket is £10,567 per annum.
Track miles (rail version thereof) from Birmingham New Street to London Euston is 112 miles (source). The maximum number of working days* per year is 232 (source).
The total miles travelled per year thus 51,968. (232 x (112 x 2)).
Thus cost per year 20.33p/mile assuming all days worked and season ticket not used for any other purpose.
Now that one person has made the claim and two people have verified it, care to answer the question as to why you were so skeptical about the figures in the first place?
The season ticket is £10,567 per annum.
Track miles (rail version thereof) from Birmingham New Street to London Euston is 112 miles (source). The maximum number of working days* per year is 232 (source).
The total miles travelled per year thus 51,968. (232 x (112 x 2)).
Thus cost per year 20.33p/mile assuming all days worked and season ticket not used for any other purpose.
Now that one person has made the claim and two people have verified it, care to answer the question as to why you were so skeptical about the figures in the first place?
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Originally Posted by Effluent Man
Assuming that you have a car already then tax and insurance costs can be discounted
We are comparing a season ticket rather than a casual daily journey.
If you want to use a car for commuting, then it's likely that vehicle provision will be a major consideration rather than an incidental.
