RIP The Tory “Red Wall” 2019-2021. Funeral to be held at the next general election. No flowers: donations in lieu to the Boris Johnson “Crikey, I’m going to need a new job” Slush Fund.
None of the PM's since Macmillan (Douglas-Home was already) apart from Thatcher have been ennobled. I hope Mr Johnson doesn't have ambitions in that direction!
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
The NYTimes is reporting that the Iraqi and Syrian migrants that Belorussia invited in are beginning to give up on getting to Poland and are now starting to claim asylum there instead.
The Minsk government has banned all flights from the Middle East in response.
Birmingham to Nottingham - 27 minutes under his plan.
"city centre to city centre" he said.
Is that right? The faster line will go to E Mids Parkway - miles and miles from Nottm city centre. From there it must be what 15 mins to nottm on normal lines? So Brum city to Parkway is < 15 mins??
He hasn't a clue. Though there are some frankly absurd claims elsewhere which I have noted above.
Fastest train Parkway to Nottm city centre is 13 mins that I can find.
So Shapps has to get the Brum train from Birmingham city centre to Parkway in 14mins.
The NYTimes is reporting that the Iraqi and Syrian migrants that Belorussia invited in are beginning to give up on getting to Poland and are now starting to claim asylum there instead.
The Minsk government has banned all flights from the Middle East in response.
Lukashenko will no doubt eliminate them.
There are quite a few there now - probably 10-15,000.
Apparently they are laying on flights to Baghdad.
I can't see them getting on willingly
Cute that you think they'll have a choice.
Well they do have a choice, which would involve trying to kill as many of Lukashenka's thugs as they can. Could get messy.
Conservative Central Office will be glad that there are no Con defences in today's local by-elections. It is Labour in the firing line - they are defending 3 seats in Liverpool plus 1 each in Canterbury, Manchester, and South Ribble. As well there is a LD defence in West Devon and two quirkies - a Lib defence in Ryedale and a Brockworth First defence in Tewkesbury.
Conservative Central Office will be glad that there are no Con defences in today's local by-elections. It is Labour in the firing line - they are defending 3 seats in Liverpool plus 1 each in Canterbury, Manchester, and South Ribble. As well there is a LD defence in West Devon and two quirkies - a Lib defence in Ryedale and a Brockworth First defence in Tewkesbury.
Ryedale is one of the few places where the Liberal Party actually has councillors.
The NYTimes is reporting that the Iraqi and Syrian migrants that Belorussia invited in are beginning to give up on getting to Poland and are now starting to claim asylum there instead.
The Minsk government has banned all flights from the Middle East in response.
Lukashenko will no doubt eliminate them.
There are quite a few there now - probably 10-15,000.
Apparently they are laying on flights to Baghdad.
I can't see them getting on willingly
Maybe, but they're still going to be on the flight. It's that or a bullet to the head.
This is where we need to stop the planes flying somehow.
RIP The Tory “Red Wall” 2019-2021. Funeral to be held at the next general election. No flowers: donations in lieu to the Boris Johnson “Crikey, I’m going to need a new job” Slush Fund.
None of the PM's since Macmillan (Douglas-Home was already) apart from Thatcher have been ennobled. I hope Mr Johnson doesn't have ambitions in that direction!
He will be off to America starting a campaign to be President and getting $$$$$. And it doesn't matter if he is eligible or not, he can still fundraise regardless. No court will rule on his eligibility until necessary (see Ted Cruz for example, factcheck.org only has him as "most likely" to be eligible) and significant proportions believe Trump won the last election, many even that JFK is coming back to anoint him, so getting them to believe someone born in the US is a natural citizen will be trivial for Bozo.
RIP The Tory “Red Wall” 2019-2021. Funeral to be held at the next general election. No flowers: donations in lieu to the Boris Johnson “Crikey, I’m going to need a new job” Slush Fund.
None of the PM's since Macmillan (Douglas-Home was already) apart from Thatcher have been ennobled. I hope Mr Johnson doesn't have ambitions in that direction!
He will be off to America starting a campaign to be President and getting $$$$$. And it doesn't matter if he is eligible or not, he can still fundraise regardless. No court will rule on his eligibility until necessary (see Ted Cruz for example, factcheck.org only has him as "most likely" to be eligible) and significant proportions believe Trump won the last election, many even that JFK is coming back to anoint him, so getting them to believe someone born in the US is a natural citizen will be trivial for Bozo.
He wouldn't get it anyway. Boris is too culturally rightwing for the Democrats and too pro Brexit, plus he is too socially liberal and too much of a big spender for the Republicans
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own, so using words like lies and stupid do not add to the debate
RIP The Tory “Red Wall” 2019-2021. Funeral to be held at the next general election. No flowers: donations in lieu to the Boris Johnson “Crikey, I’m going to need a new job” Slush Fund.
None of the PM's since Macmillan (Douglas-Home was already) apart from Thatcher have been ennobled. I hope Mr Johnson doesn't have ambitions in that direction!
He will be off to America starting a campaign to be President and getting $$$$$. And it doesn't matter if he is eligible or not, he can still fundraise regardless. No court will rule on his eligibility until necessary (see Ted Cruz for example, factcheck.org only has him as "most likely" to be eligible) and significant proportions believe Trump won the last election, many even that JFK is coming back to anoint him, so getting them to believe someone born in the US is a natural citizen will be trivial for Bozo.
He wouldn't get it anyway, he is too rightwing for the Democrats and too pro Brexit, too socially liberal and too much of a big spender for the Republicans
It is not a question of getting it, it is that he could raise many tens of millions of dollars, that would be under his control with loose restrictions, very quickly. As well as getting adoring publicity again rather than getting bashed in the press over here.
On the new boundaries though these new Survation numbers would still give the Conservatives comfortably most seats in a hung parliament on 310 to 253 for Labour.
That would be a "be careful what you wish for" government. Maybe others can see it working well, I can't. Labour would be in office but not in power.
Minority governments or those with very small majorities are rarely successful in this country, and are often abject failures. Only the 1964-66 Wilson government is an exception to that rule.
Plus the Tory-LD coalition from 2010-2015 but then while the Tories were short of a majority, the Tories and LDs combined had a comfortable majority of 74.
On the Survation numbers though Labour + SNP or Labour + LD would still be well short of a majority even if Labour + SNP + LD would be enough to make Starmer PM
I think that might be a good outcome for the Conservatives. It would be a weak government that would collapse in perhaps 18 months and that would be enough time for the Conservatives get rid of Johnson and put the grown-ups back in charge
If Johnson stayed Leader of the Opposition, had won a majority in England and Starmer was only PM being propped up by the SNP and LDs, the Johnson Tories could be 10% ahead again within a few months.
Like Trump you needed to beat Johnson by a landslide to really put a stake in his heart, hence Trump is still a prospect for 2024 having only narrowly lost to Biden in 2020 and with Biden's current low approval ratings (not that his were any better and in fact generally worse).
Similarly in France Sarkozy having narrowly lost his re election bid to Hollande in 2012 would probably have comfortably beaten Hollande in 2017. It was only Macron replacing Hollande as the main candidate of the liberal left that ended the Sarkozy comeback and Sarkozy supporters drifted to Fillon
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own so using words lie lies and stupid do not add to the debate
Shapps can't read details if he thinks York to Manchester can be done in 28 minutes (it's 70 miles and currently takes 90 minutes minimum).
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own so using words lie lies and stupid do not add to the debate
One for the PB mask haters. As someone who attended one of my first big social functions maskless on Saturday night and now has Covid I support its message. Wear a mask.
I cannot see what the issue is. We are in a global pandemic. Wear a mask FFS. The sooner we are out of it you will hopefully never have to wear one again.
One more time: Wear a mask FFS!
PS: Sorry to hear you have it OLB. I hope you make a speedy recovery.
The issue we won't ever be out of it. Its endemic now. Masks will help but do we want masks forever?
Exactly. We were in a global pandemic, but now we have an endemic disease and vaccines.
Get your jab and live your life. Masks served a purpose when we didn't have vaccines. No need to play into antivaxxer memes and keep on with masks or distancing or anything else. Jabs and normal life is where we're upto now.
The rest of the world that isn't vaccinated, masks may be useful for them.
There are two different questions: 1. Are masks effective? 2. Should people be forced to wear masks?
The best evidence (this review) on 1 is yes. The evidence should get better as more (and, hopefully, better) studies are published. There is no definitive answer to 2. It depends on viewpoints on the relative costs of masks versus the apparent benefits (there are public health benefits in requiring everyone to wear a mask everywhere for ever more, but also costs to society in changed interactions, the economy in changes in behaviour, to the hard of hearing, to children learning language etc etc...)
There is, presumably a point on 2 for almost everyone where they would say that mask wearing should stop under certain conditions. For some that was comprehensive vaccination. For others linked to case numbers perhaps?
Case numbers is not the best measure. It depends who you test and why. We also do not discriminate between how infectious a person is. My suspicion is that lateral flow is a really good way of showing if someone is infectious, whereas PCR is not. PCR tells if you have covid not matter how infectious you are or aren't.
If people wish to wear masks thats up to them. But yes, generally with the mass vaccination complete and boosters rolling out, I am at the not needed stage. Others will clearly disagree.
On the new boundaries though these new Survation numbers would still give the Conservatives comfortably most seats in a hung parliament on 310 to 253 for Labour.
That would be a "be careful what you wish for" government. Maybe others can see it working well, I can't. Labour would be in office but not in power.
Minority governments or those with very small majorities are rarely successful in this country, and are often abject failures. Only the 1964-66 Wilson government is an exception to that rule.
Plus the Tory-LD coalition from 2010-2015 but then while the Tories were short of a majority, the Tories and LDs combined had a comfortable majority of 74.
On the Survation numbers though Labour + SNP or Labour + LD would still be well short of a majority even if Labour + SNP + LD would be enough to make Starmer PM
I think that might be a good outcome for the Conservatives. It would be a weak government that would collapse in perhaps 18 months and that would be enough time for the Conservatives get rid of Johnson and put the grown-ups back in charge
If Johnson stayed Leader of the Opposition, had won a majority in England and Starmer was only PM being propped up by the SNP and LDs, the Johnson Tories could be 10% ahead again within a few months.
Like Trump you needed to beat Johnson by a landslide to really put a stake in his heart, hence Trump is still a prospect for 2024 having only narrowly lost to Biden in 2020 and with Biden's current low approval ratings (not that his were any better and in fact generally worse)
No PM in the modern era has stayed on as Opposition leader and Boris certainly won't be the first.
Reading through the document now. Some absolutely ludicrous claims being made. London to Leeds now via the ECML will be 20 minutes faster. 20 minutes! If they made the entire route 140mph top speed it would save 6 minutes - and that isn't the plan. So what is the plan? Closing level crossings doesn't save 14 further minutes.
And again - making trains fun raster on existing lines reduces capacity. 140mph running means longer headways which means fewer trains.
Those 14 minutes are going to be achieved by being a direct service, so not stopping at Wakefield, Doncaster, Newark, Peterborough etc.
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own so using words lie lies and stupid do not add to the debate
You still trust these shysters, don't you ?
BigG is a prime example that you can fool some of the people all the time (or at least most of the time).
The NYTimes is reporting that the Iraqi and Syrian migrants that Belorussia invited in are beginning to give up on getting to Poland and are now starting to claim asylum there instead.
The Minsk government has banned all flights from the Middle East in response.
Lukashenko will no doubt eliminate them.
There are quite a few there now - probably 10-15,000.
One word. Katyń.
Most individually shot in the back of the head, up to 7000 by one man, Valery Blokhin.
It's possible, the KGB has form and can just dig out the plan and repeat.
Reading through the document now. Some absolutely ludicrous claims being made. London to Leeds now via the ECML will be 20 minutes faster. 20 minutes! If they made the entire route 140mph top speed it would save 6 minutes - and that isn't the plan. So what is the plan? Closing level crossings doesn't save 14 further minutes.
And again - making trains fun raster on existing lines reduces capacity. 140mph running means longer headways which means fewer trains.
Those 14 minutes are going to be achieved by being a direct service, so not stopping at Wakefield, Doncaster, Newark, Peterborough etc.
I need the Newark stop to get to PB meets efficiently !
The NYTimes is reporting that the Iraqi and Syrian migrants that Belorussia invited in are beginning to give up on getting to Poland and are now starting to claim asylum there instead.
The Minsk government has banned all flights from the Middle East in response.
Lukashenko will no doubt eliminate them.
There are quite a few there now - probably 10-15,000.
One word. Katyń.
Most individually shot in the back of the head, up to 7000 by one man, Valery Blokhin.
It's possible, the KGB has form and can just dig out the plan and repeat.
For a moment I thought that meant 7000 bullets in one man's head and thought that's a bit overkill can't have been much of a head left by the end.
Reading through the document now. Some absolutely ludicrous claims being made. London to Leeds now via the ECML will be 20 minutes faster. 20 minutes! If they made the entire route 140mph top speed it would save 6 minutes - and that isn't the plan. So what is the plan? Closing level crossings doesn't save 14 further minutes.
And again - making trains fun raster on existing lines reduces capacity. 140mph running means longer headways which means fewer trains.
Those 14 minutes are going to be achieved by being a direct service, so not stopping at Wakefield, Doncaster, Newark, Peterborough etc.
Yep - but a faster train requires a longer gap so that knocks the total capacity of the line down from say 12 trains an hour to 10.
As I said before it's almost like these plans have been made without paying attention to capacity.
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own, so using words like lies and stupid do not add to the debate
They are blatantly lying at worst or spinning at worst. Such as shaving 20 mins off Leeds to London (but that's only if doesn't stop anywhere, which won't apply to 99% of the trains.)
York to Manchester in 28 minutes, you couldn't do that at warp speed.
You should really listen to those of us who use the trains, A LOT.
On the new boundaries though these new Survation numbers would still give the Conservatives comfortably most seats in a hung parliament on 310 to 253 for Labour.
That would be a "be careful what you wish for" government. Maybe others can see it working well, I can't. Labour would be in office but not in power.
Minority governments or those with very small majorities are rarely successful in this country, and are often abject failures. Only the 1964-66 Wilson government is an exception to that rule.
Plus the Tory-LD coalition from 2010-2015 but then while the Tories were short of a majority, the Tories and LDs combined had a comfortable majority of 74.
On the Survation numbers though Labour + SNP or Labour + LD would still be well short of a majority even if Labour + SNP + LD would be enough to make Starmer PM
I think that might be a good outcome for the Conservatives. It would be a weak government that would collapse in perhaps 18 months and that would be enough time for the Conservatives get rid of Johnson and put the grown-ups back in charge
If Johnson stayed Leader of the Opposition, had won a majority in England and Starmer was only PM being propped up by the SNP and LDs, the Johnson Tories could be 10% ahead again within a few months.
Like Trump you needed to beat Johnson by a landslide to really put a stake in his heart, hence Trump is still a prospect for 2024 having only narrowly lost to Biden in 2020 and with Biden's current low approval ratings (not that his were any better and in fact generally worse)
No PM in the modern era has stayed on as Opposition leader and Boris certainly won't be the first.
Churchill did when he lost in 1945 and came back to win in 1951, so did Attlee who lost in 1935 but won in 1945 and stayed opposition leader even after losing in 1951.
Wilson too was Opposition leader after losing power in 1970 and came back to win again in 1974
The bad news for Johnson is that even a blind man on a galloping camel riding through Hartlepool now understands that for all his bonhomie he's a lying cheating crook.
The only thing standing between the Tories and oblivion is a Labour Party and leader which looks convincing.
But two, or maybe generously three, out of the last ten Labour leaders has been convincing as a PM, compared to perhaps six out of the last eight Conservative leaders in that time.
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own, so using words like lies and stupid do not add to the debate
Big_G I know all of these routes very well. Also I can add.
You cannot sprint out of Leeds onto the stanningly route to Bradford. A series of comlpex junctions and tight curves. Once you clear Leeds its at best 7 miles of double track railway - with two intermediate stations which will have stopping services on it. Then you run down a steep hill with a very tight curve on it into Bradford Interchange.
Like the just claimed 28 minutes between York and Manchester Piccadilly it is simply impossible. Wrong. Not True. Either Shapps doesn't know what he is talking about - stupid. Or he knows what he is talking about and is lying.
Reading through the document now. Some absolutely ludicrous claims being made. London to Leeds now via the ECML will be 20 minutes faster. 20 minutes! If they made the entire route 140mph top speed it would save 6 minutes - and that isn't the plan. So what is the plan? Closing level crossings doesn't save 14 further minutes.
And again - making trains fun raster on existing lines reduces capacity. 140mph running means longer headways which means fewer trains.
Those 14 minutes are going to be achieved by being a direct service, so not stopping at Wakefield, Doncaster, Newark, Peterborough etc.
I need the Newark stop to get to PB meets efficiently !
On the new boundaries though these new Survation numbers would still give the Conservatives comfortably most seats in a hung parliament on 310 to 253 for Labour.
That would be a "be careful what you wish for" government. Maybe others can see it working well, I can't. Labour would be in office but not in power.
Minority governments or those with very small majorities are rarely successful in this country, and are often abject failures. Only the 1964-66 Wilson government is an exception to that rule.
Plus the Tory-LD coalition from 2010-2015 but then while the Tories were short of a majority, the Tories and LDs combined had a comfortable majority of 74.
On the Survation numbers though Labour + SNP or Labour + LD would still be well short of a majority even if Labour + SNP + LD would be enough to make Starmer PM
I think that might be a good outcome for the Conservatives. It would be a weak government that would collapse in perhaps 18 months and that would be enough time for the Conservatives get rid of Johnson and put the grown-ups back in charge
If Johnson stayed Leader of the Opposition, had won a majority in England and Starmer was only PM being propped up by the SNP and LDs, the Johnson Tories could be 10% ahead again within a few months.
Like Trump you needed to beat Johnson by a landslide to really put a stake in his heart, hence Trump is still a prospect for 2024 having only narrowly lost to Biden in 2020 and with Biden's current low approval ratings (not that his were any better and in fact generally worse)
No PM in the modern era has stayed on as Opposition leader and Boris certainly won't be the first.
Churchill did when he lost in 1945 and came back to win in 1951, so did Attlee who lost in 1935 but won in 1945 and stayed opposition leader even after losing in 1951.
Wilson too was Opposition leader after losing in 1970 and came back to win in 1974
None of them are modern. That's over half a century ago, before I [and lots of other commentators here] was born and before 24/7 news, the internet, or even Britain joining the EU.
In modern times, its never happened and its not going to.
Reading through the document now. Some absolutely ludicrous claims being made. London to Leeds now via the ECML will be 20 minutes faster. 20 minutes! If they made the entire route 140mph top speed it would save 6 minutes - and that isn't the plan. So what is the plan? Closing level crossings doesn't save 14 further minutes.
And again - making trains fun raster on existing lines reduces capacity. 140mph running means longer headways which means fewer trains.
Those 14 minutes are going to be achieved by being a direct service, so not stopping at Wakefield, Doncaster, Newark, Peterborough etc.
Until you get stuck behind the late running stopping service.
RIP The Tory “Red Wall” 2019-2021. Funeral to be held at the next general election. No flowers: donations in lieu to the Boris Johnson “Crikey, I’m going to need a new job” Slush Fund.
None of the PM's since Macmillan (Douglas-Home was already) apart from Thatcher have been ennobled. I hope Mr Johnson doesn't have ambitions in that direction!
Wilson and Callaghan were ennobled.
No PM will end up in the Lords now, the disclosure on outside interests and earnings make it impossible.
Reading through the document now. Some absolutely ludicrous claims being made. London to Leeds now via the ECML will be 20 minutes faster. 20 minutes! If they made the entire route 140mph top speed it would save 6 minutes - and that isn't the plan. So what is the plan? Closing level crossings doesn't save 14 further minutes.
And again - making trains fun raster on existing lines reduces capacity. 140mph running means longer headways which means fewer trains.
Those 14 minutes are going to be achieved by being a direct service, so not stopping at Wakefield, Doncaster, Newark, Peterborough etc.
Hmmm. So at best one headline service a day (like the Up Flying Scotsman timed to do Edinburgh - London in 3h59) which is always late because it isn't actually realistic to remove all the holdups.
If you lose your path on the southern ECML it is a trundle. This proposal add no additional paths and reduces capacity...
The NYTimes is reporting that the Iraqi and Syrian migrants that Belorussia invited in are beginning to give up on getting to Poland and are now starting to claim asylum there instead.
The Minsk government has banned all flights from the Middle East in response.
Lukashenko will no doubt eliminate them.
There are quite a few there now - probably 10-15,000.
One word. Katyń.
Most individually shot in the back of the head, up to 7000 by one man, Valery Blokhin.
It's possible, the KGB has form and can just dig out the plan and repeat.
I don't think Lukahshenko would have any qualms about doing something similar. The only question is whether he could get away with it.
Andrew Adonis @Andrew_Adonis · 28m The HS2 and northern rail cancellations are much worse than even the pre-briefing. There isn’t even now a new line between Sheffield and Leeds. Just a “study” for one
Reading through the document now. Some absolutely ludicrous claims being made. London to Leeds now via the ECML will be 20 minutes faster. 20 minutes! If they made the entire route 140mph top speed it would save 6 minutes - and that isn't the plan. So what is the plan? Closing level crossings doesn't save 14 further minutes.
And again - making trains fun raster on existing lines reduces capacity. 140mph running means longer headways which means fewer trains.
Those 14 minutes are going to be achieved by being a direct service, so not stopping at Wakefield, Doncaster, Newark, Peterborough etc.
I need the Newark stop to get to PB meets efficiently !
Surely Retford would be easier for you?
Probably, but you have to get the right train from there. Some absolute crawlers, less so out of Newark.
To summarise. These plans are crap are they? And Ministers are openly lying about them. Am I correct in thinking HS rail plans now extend no further than Sheffield? Which is North only by a generous definition?
On the new boundaries though these new Survation numbers would still give the Conservatives comfortably most seats in a hung parliament on 310 to 253 for Labour.
That would be a "be careful what you wish for" government. Maybe others can see it working well, I can't. Labour would be in office but not in power.
Minority governments or those with very small majorities are rarely successful in this country, and are often abject failures. Only the 1964-66 Wilson government is an exception to that rule.
Plus the Tory-LD coalition from 2010-2015 but then while the Tories were short of a majority, the Tories and LDs combined had a comfortable majority of 74.
On the Survation numbers though Labour + SNP or Labour + LD would still be well short of a majority even if Labour + SNP + LD would be enough to make Starmer PM
I think that might be a good outcome for the Conservatives. It would be a weak government that would collapse in perhaps 18 months and that would be enough time for the Conservatives get rid of Johnson and put the grown-ups back in charge
If Johnson stayed Leader of the Opposition, had won a majority in England and Starmer was only PM being propped up by the SNP and LDs, the Johnson Tories could be 10% ahead again within a few months.
Like Trump you needed to beat Johnson by a landslide to really put a stake in his heart, hence Trump is still a prospect for 2024 having only narrowly lost to Biden in 2020 and with Biden's current low approval ratings (not that his were any better and in fact generally worse)
No PM in the modern era has stayed on as Opposition leader and Boris certainly won't be the first.
Churchill did when he lost in 1945 and came back to win in 1951, so did Attlee who lost in 1935 but won in 1945 and stayed opposition leader even after losing in 1951.
Wilson too was Opposition leader after losing in 1970 and came back to win in 1974
None of them are modern. That's over half a century ago, before I [and lots of other commentators here] was born and before 24/7 news, the internet, or even Britain joining the EU.
In modern times, its never happened and its not going to.
It is well within the lifetimes of at least half of PBers and probably more.
Boris is still by far the most charismatic Tory figure around, if he won most seats at the next general but lost his majority and decided to stay no guarantee he would not be Leader of the Opposition.
Berlusconi, who is similar to Boris, of course even more recently had several instances of winning elections, losing, winning again and losing again in Italy
Andrew Adonis @Andrew_Adonis · 28m The HS2 and northern rail cancellations are much worse than even the pre-briefing. There isn’t even now a new line between Sheffield and Leeds. Just a “study” for one
But BigG told us we were having £96 billion spent on us.
The NYTimes is reporting that the Iraqi and Syrian migrants that Belorussia invited in are beginning to give up on getting to Poland and are now starting to claim asylum there instead.
The Minsk government has banned all flights from the Middle East in response.
Lukashenko will no doubt eliminate them.
There are quite a few there now - probably 10-15,000.
One word. Katyń.
Most individually shot in the back of the head, up to 7000 by one man, Valery Blokhin.
It's possible, the KGB has form and can just dig out the plan and repeat.
I don't think Lukahshenko would have any qualms about doing something similar. The only question is whether he could get away with it.
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own so using words lie lies and stupid do not add to the debate
You still trust these shysters, don't you ?
I do not think Shapps is lying in the figures he is providing and we seem to be in a position that HMG has cancelled HS2E which apparently is labour policy as stated by Starmer
I have been highly critical of Boris and want him removed but it does not follow that I am opposed to each and everything it proposes
The bad news for Johnson is that even a blind man on a galloping camel riding through Hartlepool now understands that for all his bonhomie he's a lying cheating crook.
The only thing standing between the Tories and oblivion is a Labour Party and leader which looks convincing.
But two, or maybe generously three, out of the last ten Labour leaders has been convincing as a PM, compared to perhaps six out of the last eight Conservative leaders in that time.
Labour has a habit of choosing duds.
Six out of the last eight convincing?
The curremt one has certainly convinced many people of quite a lot.
The NYTimes is reporting that the Iraqi and Syrian migrants that Belorussia invited in are beginning to give up on getting to Poland and are now starting to claim asylum there instead.
The Minsk government has banned all flights from the Middle East in response.
Lukashenko will no doubt eliminate them.
There are quite a few there now - probably 10-15,000.
One word. Katyń.
Most individually shot in the back of the head, up to 7000 by one man, Valery Blokhin.
It's possible, the KGB has form and can just dig out the plan and repeat.
I don't think Lukahshenko would have any qualms about doing something similar. The only question is whether he could get away with it.
We're in for prolonged bitterly cold weather starting a week from now.
I'm not sure what this has to do with politics but it's not going to help anyone or anything right now, except the Scottish ski industry.
And I do remember 1978/9.
Have you been reading the Daily Express? They predict a big freeze every winter and a heatwave every summer because it is great click bait, and every now and again they are correct!
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own so using words lie lies and stupid do not add to the debate
Shapps can't read details if he thinks York to Manchester can be done in 28 minutes (it's 70 miles and currently takes 90 minutes minimum).
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own so using words lie lies and stupid do not add to the debate
You still trust these shysters, don't you ?
I do not think Shapps is lying in the figures he is providing and we seem to be in a position that HMG has cancelled HS2E which apparently is labour policy as stated by Starmer
I have been highly critical of Boris and want him removed but it does not follow that I am opposed to each and everything it proposes
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own, so using words like lies and stupid do not add to the debate
They are blatantly lying at worst or spinning at worst. Such as shaving 20 mins off Leeds to London (but that's only if doesn't stop anywhere, which won't apply to 99% of the trains.)
York to Manchester in 28 minutes, you couldn't do that at warp speed.
You should really listen to those of us who use the trains, A LOT.
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own so using words lie lies and stupid do not add to the debate
Shapps can't read details if he thinks York to Manchester can be done in 28 minutes (it's 70 miles and currently takes 90 minutes minimum).
And that's the first example I can think of.
I thought he said 28 minutes quicker
Plenty of the media are reporting is
GS says journey times from York to Manchester will go from 55 minutes to 28 minutes.
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own, so using words like lies and stupid do not add to the debate
They are blatantly lying at worst or spinning at worst. Such as shaving 20 mins off Leeds to London (but that's only if doesn't stop anywhere, which won't apply to 99% of the trains.)
York to Manchester in 28 minutes, you couldn't do that at warp speed.
You should really listen to those of us who use the trains, A LOT.
I assume these figures are documented and Shapps is quoting from the documents
I understood him to say York to Manchester would be 28 minutes quicker
Reading through the document now. Some absolutely ludicrous claims being made. London to Leeds now via the ECML will be 20 minutes faster. 20 minutes! If they made the entire route 140mph top speed it would save 6 minutes - and that isn't the plan. So what is the plan? Closing level crossings doesn't save 14 further minutes.
And again - making trains fun raster on existing lines reduces capacity. 140mph running means longer headways which means fewer trains.
Those 14 minutes are going to be achieved by being a direct service, so not stopping at Wakefield, Doncaster, Newark, Peterborough etc.
I need the Newark stop to get to PB meets efficiently !
Surely Retford would be easier for you?
Probably, but you have to get the right train from there. Some absolute crawlers, less so out of Newark.
Have to admit LNER are a lot cheaper than EMR and Avanti.
Next week I'm going Leeds to London (2 of us, with a Two Together Railcard) first class for £79.80.
So what is "levelling up" then in practice.? Seems to be few millions chucked at marginal seats for a ludicrous Town Fund. Which is mostly prettification. And a few freeports which have been tried before with little success.
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own so using words lie lies and stupid do not add to the debate
You still trust these shysters, don't you ?
I do not think Shapps is lying in the figures he is providing and we seem to be in a position that HMG has cancelled HS2E which apparently is labour policy as stated by Starmer
I have been highly critical of Boris and want him removed but it does not follow that I am opposed to each and everything it proposes
BigG, Mr Shapps' figures are saying, as eek points out, that York to Manchester is 70 miles - doing that in 28 minutes as Mr Shapps says implies an average speed of 150mph. And that is average, without any allowance for acceleration or deceleration, curves, etc.
At varioius levels from Mr Shapp downwards within the DfT, that means lying, incompetence, innumeracy, and even more frightening carelessness, or some combination thereof.
Mike McCulloch @memcculloch This is the problem. I can't mention this without being fired, but here goes: I've just been sent emails re decolonising our curriculum. I object to this 100%. It's racist & sexist (anti white male) & a twisting of factual subjects for emotional reasons. It's anti science!
Mike McCulloch @memcculloch Physicist/PhD/Lecturer/author/artist/proud father. I've proposed new physics that gets rid of dark matter, allows a new engine. Based. XY. Opinions r mine alone Devon, UKphysicsfromtheedge.blogspot.co.uk
The substance of his complaint is that there will be a conference for non-white physicists and this will cost him money.
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own, so using words like lies and stupid do not add to the debate
They are blatantly lying at worst or spinning at worst. Such as shaving 20 mins off Leeds to London (but that's only if doesn't stop anywhere, which won't apply to 99% of the trains.)
York to Manchester in 28 minutes, you couldn't do that at warp speed.
You should really listen to those of us who use the trains, A LOT.
I assume these figures are documented and Shapps is quoting from the documents
I understood him to say York to Manchester would be 28 minutes quicker
Still not possible - there isn't enough improvements remaining on the route to do that...
On the new boundaries though these new Survation numbers would still give the Conservatives comfortably most seats in a hung parliament on 310 to 253 for Labour.
That would be a "be careful what you wish for" government. Maybe others can see it working well, I can't. Labour would be in office but not in power.
Minority governments or those with very small majorities are rarely successful in this country, and are often abject failures. Only the 1964-66 Wilson government is an exception to that rule.
Plus the Tory-LD coalition from 2010-2015 but then while the Tories were short of a majority, the Tories and LDs combined had a comfortable majority of 74.
On the Survation numbers though Labour + SNP or Labour + LD would still be well short of a majority even if Labour + SNP + LD would be enough to make Starmer PM
I think that might be a good outcome for the Conservatives. It would be a weak government that would collapse in perhaps 18 months and that would be enough time for the Conservatives get rid of Johnson and put the grown-ups back in charge
If Johnson stayed Leader of the Opposition, had won a majority in England and Starmer was only PM being propped up by the SNP and LDs, the Johnson Tories could be 10% ahead again within a few months.
Like Trump you needed to beat Johnson by a landslide to really put a stake in his heart, hence Trump is still a prospect for 2024 having only narrowly lost to Biden in 2020 and with Biden's current low approval ratings (not that his were any better and in fact generally worse)
No PM in the modern era has stayed on as Opposition leader and Boris certainly won't be the first.
Churchill did when he lost in 1945 and came back to win in 1951, so did Attlee who lost in 1935 but won in 1945 and stayed opposition leader even after losing in 1951.
Wilson too was Opposition leader after losing in 1970 and came back to win in 1974
None of them are modern. That's over half a century ago, before I [and lots of other commentators here] was born and before 24/7 news, the internet, or even Britain joining the EU.
In modern times, its never happened and its not going to.
It is well within the lifetimes of at least half of PBers and probably more.
Boris is still by far the most charismatic Tory figure around, if he won most seats at the next general but lost his majority and decided to stay no guarantee he would not be Leader of the Opposition.
Berlusconi, who is similar to Boris, of course even more recently had several instances of winning elections, losing, winning again and losing again in Italy
Once again you seem to suggest that the only important aspect of a politician is to win elections. It is not a game. They have to be able to govern. People are beginning to realise what a lot of us have known for ages: Johnson is an empty suit -and a pretty crumpled idiotic one at that.
All the charisma in the world will not cover up that incompetence for ever. You can fool some of the people some of the time...etc etc.
So what is "levelling up" then in practice.? Seems to be few millions chucked at marginal seats for a ludicrous Town Fund. Which is mostly prettification. And a few freeports which have been tried before with little success.
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own so using words lie lies and stupid do not add to the debate
Shapps can't read details if he thinks York to Manchester can be done in 28 minutes (it's 70 miles and currently takes 90 minutes minimum).
And that's the first example I can think of.
I thought he said 28 minutes quicker
Plenty of the media are reporting is
GS says journey times from York to Manchester will go from 55 minutes to 28 minutes.
Mike McCulloch @memcculloch This is the problem. I can't mention this without being fired, but here goes: I've just been sent emails re decolonising our curriculum. I object to this 100%. It's racist & sexist (anti white male) & a twisting of factual subjects for emotional reasons. It's anti science!
Mike McCulloch @memcculloch Physicist/PhD/Lecturer/author/artist/proud father. I've proposed new physics that gets rid of dark matter, allows a new engine. Based. XY. Opinions r mine alone Devon, UKphysicsfromtheedge.blogspot.co.uk
The substance of his complaint is that there will be a conference for non-white physicists and this will cost him money.
Not seeing this as a woke outrage to be honest.
He's now blocked me for politely disagreeing with him.
Reading through the document now. Some absolutely ludicrous claims being made. London to Leeds now via the ECML will be 20 minutes faster. 20 minutes! If they made the entire route 140mph top speed it would save 6 minutes - and that isn't the plan. So what is the plan? Closing level crossings doesn't save 14 further minutes.
And again - making trains fun raster on existing lines reduces capacity. 140mph running means longer headways which means fewer trains.
Those 14 minutes are going to be achieved by being a direct service, so not stopping at Wakefield, Doncaster, Newark, Peterborough etc.
I need the Newark stop to get to PB meets efficiently !
Surely Retford would be easier for you?
Probably, but you have to get the right train from there. Some absolute crawlers, less so out of Newark.
Have to admit LNER are a lot cheaper than EMR and Avanti.
Next week I'm going Leeds to London (2 of us, with a Two Together Railcard) first class for £79.80.
Via Avanti it was over £150 and EMR was similar.
That's due to the competition.
Currently it would be cheaper for me to buy 2 single tickets to Newcastle and returns from Newcastle than it is to get tickets from Darlington to London (there is competition on the Newcastle to London route but not on the Darlington to London route).
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own so using words lie lies and stupid do not add to the debate
Shapps can't read details if he thinks York to Manchester can be done in 28 minutes (it's 70 miles and currently takes 90 minutes minimum).
And that's the first example I can think of.
I thought he said 28 minutes quicker
Plenty of the media are reporting is
GS says journey times from York to Manchester will go from 55 minutes to 28 minutes.
So what is "levelling up" then in practice.? Seems to be few millions chucked at marginal seats for a ludicrous Town Fund. Which is mostly prettification. And a few freeports which have been tried before with little success.
You forgot cutting UC by £20 a week.
Cutting tapering is more important than UC base rate.
Lower tapering is lower real tax rates on those on UC and anyone working full time is better off with the lower taper rate than the UC base rate being £20 higher. Anyone who isn't working . . . well they should.
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own so using words lie lies and stupid do not add to the debate
Shapps can't read details if he thinks York to Manchester can be done in 28 minutes (it's 70 miles and currently takes 90 minutes minimum).
And that's the first example I can think of.
I thought he said 28 minutes quicker
Plenty of the media are reporting is
GS says journey times from York to Manchester will go from 55 minutes to 28 minutes.
The NYTimes is reporting that the Iraqi and Syrian migrants that Belorussia invited in are beginning to give up on getting to Poland and are now starting to claim asylum there instead.
The Minsk government has banned all flights from the Middle East in response.
Lukashenko will no doubt eliminate them.
There are quite a few there now - probably 10-15,000.
One word. Katyń.
Most individually shot in the back of the head, up to 7000 by one man, Valery Blokhin.
It's possible, the KGB has form and can just dig out the plan and repeat.
For a moment I thought that meant 7000 bullets in one man's head and thought that's a bit overkill can't have been much of a head left by the end.
Er no. It meant a butcher's apron, a suitcase of Walther Model 9s, and all-night shift
He came up as part of the research I did on my trip to Poland, Ukraine and Georgia in 2018. Somehow even more chilling than the wholesale slaughter at Auschwitz-Birkenau (which was a cold, grim place even in a warm September).
Although the worst place I have been in is probably the execution room in the basement of the former KGB (and Gestapo) HQ in Vilnius. (was the Genocide Museum although now renamed the Museum of Occupations and Resistance)
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own so using words lie lies and stupid do not add to the debate
Shapps can't read details if he thinks York to Manchester can be done in 28 minutes (it's 70 miles and currently takes 90 minutes minimum).
And that's the first example I can think of.
I thought he said 28 minutes quicker
Plenty of the media are reporting is
GS says journey times from York to Manchester will go from 55 minutes to 28 minutes.
We're in for prolonged bitterly cold weather starting a week from now.
I'm not sure what this has to do with politics but it's not going to help anyone or anything right now, except the Scottish ski industry.
And I do remember 1978/9.
Have you been reading the Daily Express? They predict a big freeze every winter and a heatwave every summer because it is great click bait, and every now and again they are correct!
Germany in a cold snap with their Russian gas problems and a massive covid surge and no fully functioning new government is going to get interesting.
To summarise. These plans are crap are they? And Ministers are openly lying about them. Am I correct in thinking HS rail plans now extend no further than Sheffield? Which is North only by a generous definition?
Not even that, depending what you mean by "plans".
So what is "levelling up" then in practice.? Seems to be few millions chucked at marginal seats for a ludicrous Town Fund. Which is mostly prettification. And a few freeports which have been tried before with little success.
You forgot cutting UC by £20 a week.
Or, temporarily increasing it by £20 a week during the pandemic, which is what actually happened
Lukashenko and Merkel discussed the creation of a humanitarian corridor between Belarus and Germany for the 2,000 migrants currently in a border camp, in exchange Belarus agreed to send the remaining 5,000 migrants back home, Lukashenko's spokesperson says.
Remarkable nose dive in the Government's prospects just recently.
Reminds me of the Sicilian expedition the Athenians undertook during the Peloponnesian War.
This line in the Wiki entry gave me some hope: "the expedition's primary proponent, Alcibiades, was recalled from command to stand trial before the fleet even reached Sicily."
The Government's plan for #NorthernPowerhouseRail. There is some new track, going about half way across the Pennines. (This also shows, as expected, that HS2 will go to Manchester)
Chris Doidge @BBCChrisD Critical to homeowners and businesses in places like Long Eaton:
"the government does not intend to lift safeguarding on the previously proposed HS2 route at this time."
i.e. this might not mean an end to property blight for those on the original route
Is Long Eaton a disease of horrible consequence and inverse to Long Covid that causes you become delirious, politically incoherent and believe that you are capable of things that you were incapable of previously?
Lukashenko and Merkel discussed the creation of a humanitarian corridor between Belarus and Germany for the 2,000 migrants currently in a border camp, in exchange Belarus agreed to send the remaining 5,000 migrants back home, Lukashenko's spokesperson says.
What incentive do the 5000 have to go home when 2000 will get a life of luxury in Germany? They'll just wait it out, same as the Calais migrants do in France.
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own so using words lie lies and stupid do not add to the debate
You still trust these shysters, don't you ?
I do not think Shapps is lying in the figures he is providing and we seem to be in a position that HMG has cancelled HS2E which apparently is labour policy as stated by Starmer
I have been highly critical of Boris and want him removed but it does not follow that I am opposed to each and everything it proposes
NPR was not only a repeated manifesto commitment, but re-promised over fifty times. The amended plans are a mess, and Shapps is pretending otherwise.
Reading through the document now. Some absolutely ludicrous claims being made. London to Leeds now via the ECML will be 20 minutes faster. 20 minutes! If they made the entire route 140mph top speed it would save 6 minutes - and that isn't the plan. So what is the plan? Closing level crossings doesn't save 14 further minutes.
And again - making trains fun raster on existing lines reduces capacity. 140mph running means longer headways which means fewer trains.
Those 14 minutes are going to be achieved by being a direct service, so not stopping at Wakefield, Doncaster, Newark, Peterborough etc.
Hmmm. So at best one headline service a day (like the Up Flying Scotsman timed to do Edinburgh - London in 3h59) which is always late because it isn't actually realistic to remove all the holdups.
If you lose your path on the southern ECML it is a trundle. This proposal add no additional paths and reduces capacity...
And the bottleneck there is the viaduct at Welwyn, which has to have Flying Scotsmen, Cambridge Cruisers and commuter stoppers going over it. There's no space for more trains. The whole point of HS2 is to get intercity trains off tracks like that.
As you'd expect the MP for Welwyn (one G Shapps) to know.
Mr. Foremain, *reverses the polarity of the neutron flow*
Are you a qualified quantum mechanic? If so, can you do anything about the danger to the PB meetup from the possible attendance of all the SeanTs, and the resultant danger of the mass of egos collapsing into a black hole?
Reading through the document now. Some absolutely ludicrous claims being made. London to Leeds now via the ECML will be 20 minutes faster. 20 minutes! If they made the entire route 140mph top speed it would save 6 minutes - and that isn't the plan. So what is the plan? Closing level crossings doesn't save 14 further minutes.
And again - making trains fun raster on existing lines reduces capacity. 140mph running means longer headways which means fewer trains.
Those 14 minutes are going to be achieved by being a direct service, so not stopping at Wakefield, Doncaster, Newark, Peterborough etc.
I need the Newark stop to get to PB meets efficiently !
Surely Retford would be easier for you?
Probably, but you have to get the right train from there. Some absolute crawlers, less so out of Newark.
Have to admit LNER are a lot cheaper than EMR and Avanti.
Next week I'm going Leeds to London (2 of us, with a Two Together Railcard) first class for £79.80.
Via Avanti it was over £150 and EMR was similar.
That's due to the competition.
Currently it would be cheaper for me to buy 2 single tickets to Newcastle and returns from Newcastle than it is to get tickets from Darlington to London (there is competition on the Newcastle to London route but not on the Darlington to London route).
Indeed. If you live almost anywhere in the NE you can get quickly and conveniently and relatively cheaply to London from Newcastle. The fact that it takes an age to get to Newcastle and is expensive isn't a factor of course. Because hey, NE is Newcastle isn't it? And why would you want to go anywhere other than London?
I'm intrigued how Bradford to Leeds in 12 minutes is achieved without NPR.
It isn't. Its 9.36 miles between Leeds and Bradford Interchange. With several miles of complex and slow junctions and curves out of Leeds, then a two-track railway with two stations. Sticking wires up for faster acceleration is ok but doesn't half the journey time.
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
Shapps keeps referring to recommendations and all the details must be available in those documents with explanations detailing the engineering studies and calculations
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own so using words lie lies and stupid do not add to the debate
Shapps can't read details if he thinks York to Manchester can be done in 28 minutes (it's 70 miles and currently takes 90 minutes minimum).
And that's the first example I can think of.
I thought he said 28 minutes quicker
Plenty of the media are reporting is
GS says journey times from York to Manchester will go from 55 minutes to 28 minutes.
Comments
Its a lie. Because they think you are stupid. A Tory MP has just raised this point and been batted away by Shapps
So Shapps has to get the Brum train from Birmingham city centre to Parkway in 14mins.
I'm not sure what this has to do with politics but it's not going to help anyone or anything right now, except the Scottish ski industry.
And I do remember 1978/9.
All these projects will die in the feasibility reviews.
You do come from a very anti government standpoint and of course the figures quoted by Shapps are not his own, so using words like lies and stupid do not add to the debate
Like Trump you needed to beat Johnson by a landslide to really put a stake in his heart, hence Trump is still a prospect for 2024 having only narrowly lost to Biden in 2020 and with Biden's current low approval ratings (not that his were any better and in fact generally worse).
Similarly in France Sarkozy having narrowly lost his re election bid to Hollande in 2012 would probably have comfortably beaten Hollande in 2017. It was only Macron replacing Hollande as the main candidate of the liberal left that ended the Sarkozy comeback and Sarkozy supporters drifted to Fillon
And that's the first example I can think of.
If people wish to wear masks thats up to them. But yes, generally with the mass vaccination complete and boosters rolling out, I am at the not needed stage. Others will clearly disagree.
https://unherd.com/2021/11/this-is-how-civilisations-collapse/?tl_inbound=1&tl_groups[0]=18743&tl_period_type=3&mc_cid=7c4e768f15&mc_eid=836634e34b
Most individually shot in the back of the head, up to 7000 by one man, Valery Blokhin.
It's possible, the KGB has form and can just dig out the plan and repeat.
As I said before it's almost like these plans have been made without paying attention to capacity.
York to Manchester in 28 minutes, you couldn't do that at warp speed.
You should really listen to those of us who use the trains, A LOT.
Wilson too was Opposition leader after losing power in 1970 and came back to win again in 1974
You cannot sprint out of Leeds onto the stanningly route to Bradford. A series of comlpex junctions and tight curves. Once you clear Leeds its at best 7 miles of double track railway - with two intermediate stations which will have stopping services on it. Then you run down a steep hill with a very tight curve on it into Bradford Interchange.
Like the just claimed 28 minutes between York and Manchester Piccadilly it is simply impossible. Wrong. Not True. Either Shapps doesn't know what he is talking about - stupid. Or he knows what he is talking about and is lying.
In modern times, its never happened and its not going to.
No PM will end up in the Lords now, the disclosure on outside interests and earnings make it impossible.
If you lose your path on the southern ECML it is a trundle. This proposal add no additional paths and reduces capacity...
@Andrew_Adonis
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28m
The HS2 and northern rail cancellations are much worse than even the pre-briefing. There isn’t even now a new line between Sheffield and Leeds. Just a “study” for one
And Ministers are openly lying about them.
Am I correct in thinking HS rail plans now extend no further than Sheffield? Which is North only by a generous definition?
Boris is still by far the most charismatic Tory figure around, if he won most seats at the next general but lost his majority and decided to stay no guarantee he would not be Leader of the Opposition.
Berlusconi, who is similar to Boris, of course even more recently had several instances of winning elections, losing, winning again and losing again in Italy
I have been highly critical of Boris and want him removed but it does not follow that I am opposed to each and everything it proposes
Documents says 55 as far as I can see.
GS says journey times from York to Manchester will go from 55 minutes to 28 minutes.
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/live-government-reveals-long-delayed-22199389
The 12:05 entry.
I understood him to say York to Manchester would be 28 minutes quicker
@BBCChrisD
Critical to homeowners and businesses in places like Long Eaton:
"the government does not intend to lift safeguarding on the previously proposed HS2 route at this time."
i.e. this might not mean an end to property blight for those on the original route
Next week I'm going Leeds to London (2 of us, with a Two Together Railcard) first class for £79.80.
Via Avanti it was over £150 and EMR was similar.
Seems to be few millions chucked at marginal seats for a ludicrous Town Fund. Which is mostly prettification. And a few freeports which have been tried before with little success.
At varioius levels from Mr Shapp downwards within the DfT, that means lying, incompetence, innumeracy, and even more frightening carelessness, or some combination thereof.
Not seeing this as a woke outrage to be honest.
All the charisma in the world will not cover up that incompetence for ever. You can fool some of the people some of the time...etc etc.
Reminds me of the Sicilian expedition the Athenians undertook during the Peloponnesian War.
What bizarre behaviour.
Currently it would be cheaper for me to buy 2 single tickets to Newcastle and returns from Newcastle than it is to get tickets from Darlington to London (there is competition on the Newcastle to London route but not on the Darlington to London route).
Lower tapering is lower real tax rates on those on UC and anyone working full time is better off with the lower taper rate than the UC base rate being £20 higher. Anyone who isn't working . . . well they should.
If I have a meeting in Manchester I schedule to arrive 90 minutes early because it's probably needed.
He came up as part of the research I did on my trip to Poland, Ukraine and Georgia in 2018. Somehow even more chilling than the wholesale slaughter at Auschwitz-Birkenau (which was a cold, grim place even in a warm September).
Although the worst place I have been in is probably the execution room in the basement of the former KGB (and Gestapo) HQ in Vilnius. (was the Genocide Museum although now renamed the Museum of Occupations and Resistance)
Actual new rail stops at E Mids Parkway.
Rest is mythical upgrades.
https://twitter.com/TadeuszGiczan/status/1461309594727337988?s=20
Midlands Parkway, Nottingham Remembrance Way, and his 27 minute claim will be true!!
https://twitter.com/jonwalker121/status/1461300460313362435?s=20
https://twitter.com/washheights44/status/1461157634665500673?t=vbklCaeZgYOoS8JvKZWe1Q&s=19
The amended plans are a mess, and Shapps is pretending otherwise.
This stuff is simply insulting.
As you'd expect the MP for Welwyn (one G Shapps) to know.
The fact that it takes an age to get to Newcastle and is expensive isn't a factor of course. Because hey, NE is Newcastle isn't it?
And why would you want to go anywhere other than London?