I have a feeling that really isn't the department anyone wants to be at - given that one fundamental change of Brexit is that we need to make our welfare less appealing for the freedom of movement compromise to work...
Have some misgivings about the sweeping changes the new PM is making. It really feels like she wants to make a very clean break with the Cameron/Osborne et al regime she was a part of, and if that is allied to a noticeable departure from the Cameron/Osborne policy programme, and indeed, the Tory 2015 Manifesto on which she and all the others in Government were elected on, then I think she is storing up trouble - without the endorsement of a GE win on this programme, where is the mandate, where is the legitimacy, what is to stop the Lords refusing to pass anything it doesn't like unrestrained by convention which says anything in the Govt's manifesto should not be blocked? Moreover, it feels like she is saying that the past 6 years of Cameron-Osborne led government has been a failure, a message that seemed to come out of her speeches this week.
I also have a concern that far from being Brexit-lite, we might end up being forced into an arrangement not too dissimilar from what Leadsom might have been leading us toward and which caused so much fright in the markets last week.
Perplexing....
Not at all.
There will be a General Election in the autumn.
Good way of ensuring stability and getting on with Brexit....
I have a feeling that really isn't the department anyone wants to be at - given that one fundamental change of Brexit is that we need to make our welfare less appealing for the freedom of movement compromise to work...
Absolutely and we could have done it within the EU. We now have perfect cover though.
Really brave move to make Boris Johnson Foreign Secretary. I hope she read the riot act to him and told him to smarten himself up, which doesn't seem to have happened so far. He had better hope his media loving family keep their mouths shut.
The story that Hunt was leaving health, which floated round for a few hours this morning without contradiction, plus Villiers's statement that she was offered a role she didn't think she could fulfil, makes me wonder whether she turned down health, for some reason?
She was never putting a Leaver at Health.
They would be forever plagued about where is that £350m per week for the NHS
They have that problem regardless. I don't think it makes any difference who does the job.
No hospital can now close, no treatment can now be refused.
Not surprised at all that May beats Corbyn even when you exclude Conservative voters. Only devout Corbynites would pick Corbyn over May.
RE Crabb: you just have to shake your head. It's always the ones who go on about how they are a 'Christian' as well that you find out show a different face behind closed doors. I was embarrassed for him reading *that* story.
The third ("EEA-lite") seems attractive, as the option most likely to square the circle left by the referendum outcome. But by very clearly stepping outside the single market, I think will be the hardest to sell in Scotland and NI/ROI. So therefore risks destroying the Union, which given Theresa's statement from the steps of No 10, is obviously a non-starter.
They have two years to sell the deal to the scottish/irish voters.
Have some misgivings about the sweeping changes the new PM is making. It really feels like she wants to make a very clean break with the Cameron/Osborne et al regime she was a part of, and if that is allied to a noticeable departure from the Cameron/Osborne policy programme, and indeed, the Tory 2015 Manifesto on which she and all the others in Government were elected, then I think she is storing up trouble - without the endorsement of a GE win on this programme, where is the mandate, where is the legitimacy, what is to stop the Lords refusing to pass anything it doesn't like unrestrained by convention which says anything in the Govt's manifesto should not be blocked? Moreover, it feels like she is saying that the past 6 years of Cameron-Osborne led government has been a failure, a message that seemed to come out of her speeches this week.
I also have a concern that far from being Brexit-lite, we might end up being forced into an arrangement not too dissimilar from what Leadsom might have been leading us toward and which caused so much fright in the markets last week.
Perplexing....
Not perplexing at all.
This is a change of government and personnel but not of the Conservative manifesto, albeit the EU referendum (manifesto pledge) result ensures necessary policy changes.
Significantly, there is no mandate for any of the possibles solutions to implement Brexit. Since there is a huge difference between the options, the govt should put it's preferred route to the people before implementing it.
UK Rail Safety and Standards Board communiques via Twitter about the tragic head on train crash in Italy:
'Could Bari accident happen in GB? Unlikely due to nature of telephone block system used, but we always look to learn from overseas #aspr.'
'Sources suggest telephone block process was outlawed for passenger services in Britain in 1889.'
It'll be interesting to know how many crashes have occurred caused by the use of the telephone block system, and especially how many near-misses.
Assuming that near misses are recorded.
From what I can make out, Telephone Block in crude terms means there is not actually any signalling and the station masters of adjacent stations phone each other, decide which train can go then record this on paper and tell the train drivers whether they can go.
Cant Imagine why we banned it 127 years ago.......
Much of the Italian rail system is in the process of being privatised... If theyre lucky they can end up with the remarkable success that we have. Our biggest problem now is that we have so many people wanting to use them we dont have the capacity, having ran it down through the fifty years of state ownership.
UK Rail Safety and Standards Board communiques via Twitter about the tragic head on train crash in Italy:
'Could Bari accident happen in GB? Unlikely due to nature of telephone block system used, but we always look to learn from overseas #aspr.'
'Sources suggest telephone block process was outlawed for passenger services in Britain in 1889.'
It'll be interesting to know how many crashes have occurred caused by the use of the telephone block system, and especially how many near-misses.
Assuming that near misses are recorded.
From what I can make out, Telephone Block in crude terms means there is not actually any signalling and the station masters of adjacent stations phone each other, decide which train can go then record this on paper and tell the train drivers whether they can go.
Cant Imagine why we banned it 127 years ago.......
Indeed. One of the great things the railway inspection board did, and does, is make the reporting of near-misses obligatory. Then they can investigate if they want.
Hence every SPAD (signal passed a danger) is recorded, even if it does not result in a crash. They can then find common reasons (e.g. vegetation blocking sight lines, tiredness, confusion with other signals) and not only fix them, but look for other places on the network that they might occur.
It's a bureaucracy, but it keeps the passengers safer.
I have a feeling that really isn't the department anyone wants to be at - given that one fundamental change of Brexit is that we need to make our welfare less appealing for the freedom of movement compromise to work...
Absolutely and we could have done it within the EU. We now have perfect cover though.
A Tory Government couldn't do it without that cover. Even then I really pity the person who is given the task - has Gove been officially fired yet.... otherwise IDS is back...
Work & Pensions is a big problem, isn't it? Of all the government departments, except perhaps Health, it's the one with the biggest managerial challenge. It needs someone who can not only grasp the complex detail, but actually make a huge department like that actually operate a big computer and human project.
Have some misgivings about the sweeping changes the new PM is making. It really feels like she wants to make a very clean break with the Cameron/Osborne et al regime she was a part of, and if that is allied to a noticeable departure from the Cameron/Osborne policy programme, and indeed, the Tory 2015 Manifesto on which she and all the others in Government were elected, then I think she is storing up trouble - without the endorsement of a GE win on this programme, where is the mandate, where is the legitimacy, what is to stop the Lords refusing to pass anything it doesn't like unrestrained by convention which says anything in the Govt's manifesto should not be blocked? Moreover, it feels like she is saying that the past 6 years of Cameron-Osborne led government has been a failure, a message that seemed to come out of her speeches this week.
I also have a concern that far from being Brexit-lite, we might end up being forced into an arrangement not too dissimilar from what Leadsom might have been leading us toward and which caused so much fright in the markets last week.
Perplexing....
Not perplexing at all.
This is a change of government and personnel but not of the Conservative manifesto, albeit the EU referendum (manifesto pledge) result ensures necessary policy changes.
Significantly, there is no mandate for any of the possibles solutions to implement Brexit. Since there is a huge difference between the options, the govt should put it's preferred route to the people before implementing it.
Why? The people voted for out with no definition of what out means. Out is also subject to negotiation with other countries so you can't really define what you will get merely what you hope for...
As such apart from kicking Labour when they are down what would be the point of an election.
I was disappointed that Philip Hammond got CoE. He's such a dry old stick and I don't want a "safe pair of hands" I want someone who is dynamic and full of new ideas.
Have no sympathy at all for Osborne and Gove. If they have any sense they will learn their lessons and desist from plotting but not hopeful on that score.
UK Rail Safety and Standards Board communiques via Twitter about the tragic head on train crash in Italy:
'Could Bari accident happen in GB? Unlikely due to nature of telephone block system used, but we always look to learn from overseas #aspr.'
'Sources suggest telephone block process was outlawed for passenger services in Britain in 1889.'
It'll be interesting to know how many crashes have occurred caused by the use of the telephone block system, and especially how many near-misses.
Assuming that near misses are recorded.
From what I can make out, Telephone Block in crude terms means there is not actually any signalling and the station masters of adjacent stations phone each other, decide which train can go then record this on paper and tell the train drivers whether they can go.
Cant Imagine why we banned it 127 years ago.......
Much of the Italian rail system is in the process of being privatised... If theyre lucky they can end up with the remarkable success that we have. Our biggest problem now is that we have so many people wanting to use them we dont have the capacity, having ran it down through the fifty years of state ownership.
IMO it has little to do with ownership structures (nationalised or privatised): it's more about a safety culture.
Here's a prediction: within twenty years there will be a crash on a preserved railway that will kill three or more people. I hope I'm wrong, but speeds and traffic is increasing, and trains and infrastructure are still mostly run by volunteers.
Work & Pensions is a big problem, isn't it? Of all the government departments, except perhaps Health, it's the one with the biggest managerial challenge. It needs someone who can not only grasp the complex detail, but actually make a huge department like that actually operate a big computer and human project.
Have some misgivings about the sweeping changes the new PM is making. It really feels like she wants to make a very clean break with the Cameron/Osborne et al regime she was a part of, and if that is allied to a noticeable departure from the Cameron/Osborne policy programme, and indeed, the Tory 2015 Manifesto on which she and all the others in Government were elected, then I think she is storing up trouble - without the endorsement of a GE win on this programme, where is the mandate, where is the legitimacy, what is to stop the Lords refusing to pass anything it doesn't like unrestrained by convention which says anything in the Govt's manifesto should not be blocked? Moreover, it feels like she is saying that the past 6 years of Cameron-Osborne led government has been a failure, a message that seemed to come out of her speeches this week.
I also have a concern that far from being Brexit-lite, we might end up being forced into an arrangement not too dissimilar from what Leadsom might have been leading us toward and which caused so much fright in the markets last week.
Perplexing....
Not perplexing at all.
This is a change of government and personnel but not of the Conservative manifesto, albeit the EU referendum (manifesto pledge) result ensures necessary policy changes.
Significantly, there is no mandate for any of the possibles solutions to implement Brexit. Since there is a huge difference between the options, the govt should put it's preferred route to the people before implementing it.
It looks like that is probably right. The Davis solution (Canada but with no-tarrif access to Single Market) looks like the stuff of fantasy I'm afraid. But I stand to be corrected.
UK Rail Safety and Standards Board communiques via Twitter about the tragic head on train crash in Italy:
'Could Bari accident happen in GB? Unlikely due to nature of telephone block system used, but we always look to learn from overseas #aspr.'
'Sources suggest telephone block process was outlawed for passenger services in Britain in 1889.'
It'll be interesting to know how many crashes have occurred caused by the use of the telephone block system, and especially how many near-misses.
Assuming that near misses are recorded.
From what I can make out, Telephone Block in crude terms means there is not actually any signalling and the station masters of adjacent stations phone each other, decide which train can go then record this on paper and tell the train drivers whether they can go.
Cant Imagine why we banned it 127 years ago.......
Indeed. One of the great things the railway inspection board did, and does, is make the reporting of near-misses obligatory. Then they can investigate if they want.
Hence every SPAD (signal passed a danger) is recorded, even if it does not result in a crash. They can then find common reasons (e.g. vegetation blocking sight lines, tiredness, confusion with other signals) and not only fix them, but look for other places on the network that they might occur.
It's a bureaucracy, but it keeps the passengers safer.
Yep, same as in aviation. If you keep a close eye on what causes minor incidents and what makes them turn into major incidents, then you have a fighting chance of preventing the major incident from turning into an accident, and a minor accident into a major one. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_cheese_model
A mere three weeks ago, I had just cast my vote in the Referendum.
Three weeks, and a political age...
David Laws wrote a book about the days re the Coalition negotiations - we'd have a whole shelf full to cover these last 21.
Three weeks ago I had no idea:
LEAVE would even make it close to REMAIN, let alone win! Dave would resign within 24 hours of polls closing George would be out Gove would be out May would be PM Boris would be a cabinet minister
Work & Pensions is a big problem, isn't it? Of all the government departments, except perhaps Health, it's the one with the biggest managerial challenge. It needs someone who can not only grasp the complex detail, but actually make a huge department like that actually operate a big computer and human project.
A mere three weeks ago, I had just cast my vote in the Referendum.
Three weeks, and a political age...
David Laws wrote a book about the days re the Coalition negotiations - we'd have a whole shelf full to cover these last 21.
Three weeks ago I had no idea:
LEAVE would even make it close to REMAIN, let alone win! Dave would resign within 24 hours of polls closing George would be out Gove would be out May would be PM Boris would be a cabinet minister
A mere three weeks ago, I had just cast my vote in the Referendum.
Three weeks, and a political age...
David Laws wrote a book about the days re the Coalition negotiations - we'd have a whole shelf full to cover these last 21.
Three weeks ago I had no idea:
LEAVE would even make it close to REMAIN, let alone win! Dave would resign within 24 hours of polls closing George would be out Gove would be out May would be PM Boris would be a cabinet minister
UK Rail Safety and Standards Board communiques via Twitter about the tragic head on train crash in Italy:
'Could Bari accident happen in GB? Unlikely due to nature of telephone block system used, but we always look to learn from overseas #aspr.'
'Sources suggest telephone block process was outlawed for passenger services in Britain in 1889.'
It'll be interesting to know how many crashes have occurred caused by the use of the telephone block system, and especially how many near-misses.
Assuming that near misses are recorded.
From what I can make out, Telephone Block in crude terms means there is not actually any signalling and the station masters of adjacent stations phone each other, decide which train can go then record this on paper and tell the train drivers whether they can go.
Cant Imagine why we banned it 127 years ago.......
Much of the Italian rail system is in the process of being privatised... If theyre lucky they can end up with the remarkable success that we have. Our biggest problem now is that we have so many people wanting to use them we dont have the capacity, having ran it down through the fifty years of state ownership.
IMO it has little to do with ownership structures (nationalised or privatised): it's more about a safety culture.
Here's a prediction: within twenty years there will be a crash on a preserved railway that will kill three or more people. I hope I'm wrong, but speeds and traffic is increasing, and trains and infrastructure are still mostly run by volunteers.
Hopefully they're cracking down enough on the safety culture of steam / heritage excursions on the mainline network after the Wootton Bassett near miss. Should ensure anything that might happen off-network would be a lower speed incident.
He oversells the first two options (WTO and what he calls Super Canada, but is just the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement recast for the UK). Incidentally CETA doesn't actually exist yet, which could be a key issue if we are going for a quick deal. His third option, (EEA-lite) is pure Castles in the Air. A single market that isn't THE Single Market where we delete the bits we don't like.
A mere three weeks ago, I had just cast my vote in the Referendum.
Three weeks, and a political age...
David Laws wrote a book about the days re the Coalition negotiations - we'd have a whole shelf full to cover these last 21.
Three weeks ago I had no idea:
LEAVE would even make it close to REMAIN, let alone win! Dave would resign within 24 hours of polls closing George would be out Gove would be out May would be PM Boris would be a cabinet minister
Wow!
And Labour?
Who or what are "Labour"?
Sunil, much as it pains me to say it I think you know and I know who are the only party that can beat Labour in Ilford North now.
Work & Pensions is a big problem, isn't it? Of all the government departments, except perhaps Health, it's the one with the biggest managerial challenge. It needs someone who can not only grasp the complex detail, but actually make a huge department like that actually operate a big computer and human project.
Was just thinking the same. W&P and Health have replaced Home and Transport in recent times as the most likely departments to cause a political scandal. Anyone wanting to head those departments has to have a clear vision of what he wants and how to get there, as did IDS over a decade as shadow and SoS for W&P. It's going to be a lot of hours and hard work every day to get stuff done, always with the possibility of a cock-up just around the corner.
Work & Pensions is a big problem, isn't it? Of all the government departments, except perhaps Health, it's the one with the biggest managerial challenge. It needs someone who can not only grasp the complex detail, but actually make a huge department like that actually operate a big computer and human project.
The biggest change that the DWP needs is a fundamental rethink of how it assesses sickness and disability. It needs to develop a fact/hard evidence based system.
The longstanding systems that go back decades are too focused on the opinions of individual medical practitioners and it is consequently fraught with disagreement.
UK Rail Safety and Standards Board communiques via Twitter about the tragic head on train crash in Italy:
'Could Bari accident happen in GB? Unlikely due to nature of telephone block system used, but we always look to learn from overseas #aspr.'
'Sources suggest telephone block process was outlawed for passenger services in Britain in 1889.'
It'll be interesting to know how many crashes have occurred caused by the use of the telephone block system, and especially how many near-misses.
Assuming that near misses are recorded.
From what I can make out, Telephone Block in crude terms means there is not actually any signalling and the station masters of adjacent stations phone each other, decide which train can go then record this on paper and tell the train drivers whether they can go.
Cant Imagine why we banned it 127 years ago.......
Indeed. One of the great things the railway inspection board did, and does, is make the reporting of near-misses obligatory. Then they can investigate if they want.
Hence every SPAD (signal passed a danger) is recorded, even if it does not result in a crash. They can then find common reasons (e.g. vegetation blocking sight lines, tiredness, confusion with other signals) and not only fix them, but look for other places on the network that they might occur.
It's a bureaucracy, but it keeps the passengers safer.
Indeed.
I'm just staggered that on a line only built in 1965 and since electrified at great cost, it was not considered necessary to invest in some basic signalling - it is not as if a few token machines would cost much.
Apparently this system or a variant is used extensively in Portugal too and probably other European countries.
One other good thing about Brexit is that the EUs plan to replace national rail safety bureacracies like HMRI with an EU wide one will no longer affect us thank heavens.
Although Boris is an odd choice for FS, if they are remodeling the way the department works then they need a strong character to do so and he is a big beast in that aspect. After seeing the photos of his arrival I'm not sure who else would command a room like that, and with a lot of work before them having a leader with that charisma might be needed.
Gove out - Boris must be the happiest bloke in the UK right now!
No. The happiest person is Liz Truss . It was Gove that gave her the bum steer to back Boris with all sorts of blandishments and promises only to leave her high and dry when he ran himself.
Revenge is a meal best eaten cold. But in this case, it is also sweet. She's taken Gove's job as well as buried him.
Beth Rigby on SKY (she sounds like a female Robert Peston) checking her phone saying some of her "civil servant contacts" have been tweeting her. Hope Theresa May wasn't listening. Whitehall is just one big gossip shop, no wonder Theresa May kept herself apart from it and it's paid off in a big way.
UK Rail Safety and Standards Board communiques via Twitter about the tragic head on train crash in Italy:
'Could Bari accident happen in GB? Unlikely due to nature of telephone block system used, but we always look to learn from overseas #aspr.'
'Sources suggest telephone block process was outlawed for passenger services in Britain in 1889.'
It'll be interesting to know how many crashes have occurred caused by the use of the telephone block system, and especially how many near-misses.
Assuming that near misses are recorded.
From what I can make out, Telephone Block in crude terms means there is not actually any signalling and the station masters of adjacent stations phone each other, decide which train can go then record this on paper and tell the train drivers whether they can go.
Cant Imagine why we banned it 127 years ago.......
Indeed. One of the great things the railway inspection board did, and does, is make the reporting of near-misses obligatory. Then they can investigate if they want.
Hence every SPAD (signal passed a danger) is recorded, even if it does not result in a crash. They can then find common reasons (e.g. vegetation blocking sight lines, tiredness, confusion with other signals) and not only fix them, but look for other places on the network that they might occur.
It's a bureaucracy, but it keeps the passengers safer.
Indeed.
I'm just staggered that on a line only built in 1965 and since electrified at great cost, it was not considered necessary to invest in some basic signalling - it is not as if a few token machines would cost much.
Apparently this system or a variant is used extensively in Portugal too and probably other European countries.
One other good thing about Brexit is that the EUs plan to replace national rail safety bureacracies like HMRI with an EU wide one will no longer affect us thank heavens.
Was I the only one here wot watched Trainspotting Live?
Significantly, there is no mandate for any of the possibles solutions to implement Brexit. Since there is a huge difference between the options, the govt should put it's preferred route to the people before implementing it.
The "mandate" from the people is to LEAVE the EU. The government will effect this decision. No other referendum is required.
A mere three weeks ago, I had just cast my vote in the Referendum.
Three weeks, and a political age...
David Laws wrote a book about the days re the Coalition negotiations - we'd have a whole shelf full to cover these last 21.
Three weeks ago I had no idea:
LEAVE would even make it close to REMAIN, let alone win! Dave would resign within 24 hours of polls closing George would be out Gove would be out May would be PM Boris would be a cabinet minister
Wow!
And Labour?
Who or what are "Labour"?
Sunil, much as it pains me to say it I think you know and I know who are the only party that can beat Labour in Ilford North now.
UK Rail Safety and Standards Board communiques via Twitter about the tragic head on train crash in Italy:
'Could Bari accident happen in GB? Unlikely due to nature of telephone block system used, but we always look to learn from overseas #aspr.'
'Sources suggest telephone block process was outlawed for passenger services in Britain in 1889.'
It'll be interesting to know how many crashes have occurred caused by the use of the telephone block system, and especially how many near-misses.
Assuming that near misses are recorded.
From what I can make out, Telephone Block in crude terms means there is not actually any signalling and the station masters of adjacent stations phone each other, decide which train can go then record this on paper and tell the train drivers whether they can go.
Cant Imagine why we banned it 127 years ago.......
Indeed. One of the great things the railway inspection board did, and does, is make the reporting of near-misses obligatory. Then they can investigate if they want.
Hence every SPAD (signal passed a danger) is recorded, even if it does not result in a crash. They can then find common reasons (e.g. vegetation blocking sight lines, tiredness, confusion with other signals) and not only fix them, but look for other places on the network that they might occur.
It's a bureaucracy, but it keeps the passengers safer.
Indeed.
I'm just staggered that on a line only built in 1965 and since electrified at great cost, it was not considered necessary to invest in some basic signalling - it is not as if a few token machines would cost much.
Apparently this system or a variant is used extensively in Portugal too and probably other European countries.
One other good thing about Brexit is that the EUs plan to replace national rail safety bureacracies like HMRI with an EU wide one will no longer affect us thank heavens.
I think the European Railway Agency is part of the EU, and the new signalling system of ERTMS is under their control. It'll be interesting to see how withdrawal alters Network Rail's plans for ERTMS rollout.
There's a chance we might 'buy in' to the ERA anyway, although interoperability with other EU countries is less important for us than other countries, as there is only one link to them.
Edit: in fact, isn't this just one example of where Brexit may cause hassles in every department?
Already disliked, that wouldn't be a major negative.
My guess is May's going to want somebody cuddly. The DWP is the Nasty Department, and May will want that to change.
David Cameron for DWP it is then?
It was under his tenure the DWP got its reputation for emotionally torturing people, starving them and driving them to suicide. At best we can assume Dave didn't much care about what IDS turned it into.
UK Rail Safety and Standards Board communiques via Twitter about the tragic head on train crash in Italy:
'Could Bari accident happen in GB? Unlikely due to nature of telephone block system used, but we always look to learn from overseas #aspr.'
'Sources suggest telephone block process 1889.'
It'll be interesting to know how many crashes have occurred caused by the use of the telephone block system, and especially how many near-misses.
Assuming that near misses are recorded.
From what I can make out, Telephone Block in crude terms means there is not actually any signalling and the station masters of adjacent stations phone each other, decide which train can go then record this on paper and tell the train drivers whether they can go.
Cant Imagine why we banned it 127 years ago.......
Indeed. One of the great things the railway inspection board did, and does, is make the reporting of near-misses obligatory. Then they can investigate if they want.
Hence every SPAD (signal passed a danger) is recorded, even if it does not result in a crash. They can then find common reasons (e.g. vegetation blocking sight lines, tiredness, confusion with other signals) and not only fix them, but look for other places on the network that they might occur.
It's a bureaucracy, but it keeps the passengers safer.
Indeed.
I'm just staggered that on a line only built in 1965 and since electrified at great cost, it was not considered necessary to invest in some basic signalling - it is not as if a few token machines would cost much.
Apparently this system or a variant is used extensively in Portugal too and probably other European countries.
One other good thing about Brexit is that the EUs plan to replace national rail safety bureacracies like HMRI with an EU wide one will no longer affect us thank heavens.
I think the European Railway Agency is part of the EU, and the new signalling system of ERTMS is under their control. It'll be interesting to see how withdrawal alters Network Rail's plans for ERTMS rollout.
There's a chance we might 'buy in' to the ERA anyway, although interoperability with other EU countries is less important for us than other countries, as there is only one link to them.
Doesn't buying 'of the shelf' trains become a benefit if our systems align to those that are used on the continent?
Sure I've read the budget for HS2 trains is massively pessimistic as Alstom and others build trains that can run on European really networks for fair less than is budgeted for
If we use the same tech the there must be economies of scale savings surely
@christopherhope: Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, Department for Energy and Climate Change and Department for Transport are set to be closed.
Christopher Hope Ex-Culture secretary John Whittingdale on his plans for the rest of the day. "We are going to get drunk," he tells me. #CabinetReshuffle
UK Rail Safety and Standards Board communiques via Twitter about the tragic head on train crash in Italy:
'Could Bari accident happen in GB? Unlikely due to nature of telephone block system used, but we always look to learn from overseas #aspr.'
'Sources suggest telephone block process was outlawed for passenger services in Britain in 1889.'
It'll be interesting to know how many crashes have occurred caused by the use of the telephone block system, and especially how many near-misses.
Assuming that near misses are recorded.
From what I can make out, Telephone Block in crude terms means there is not actually any signalling and the station masters of adjacent stations phone each other, decide which train can go then record this on paper and tell the train drivers whether they can go.
Cant Imagine why we banned it 127 years ago.......
Indeed. One of the great things the railway inspection board did, and does, is make the reporting of near-misses obligatory. Then they can investigate if they want.
Hence every SPAD (signal passed a danger) is recorded, even if it does not result in a crash. They can then find common reasons (e.g. vegetation blocking sight lines, tiredness, confusion with other signals) and not only fix them, but look for other places on the network that they might occur.
It's a bureaucracy, but it keeps the passengers safer.
Indeed.
I'm just staggered that on a line only built in 1965 and since electrified at great cost, it was not considered necessary to invest in some basic signalling - it is not as if a few token machines would cost much.
Apparently this system or a variant is used extensively in Portugal too and probably other European countries.
One other good thing about Brexit is that the EUs plan to replace national rail safety bureacracies like HMRI with an EU wide one will no longer affect us thank heavens.
I think the European Railway Agency is part of the EU, and the new signalling system of ERTMS is under their control. It'll be interesting to see how withdrawal alters Network Rail's plans for ERTMS rollout.
There's a chance we might 'buy in' to the ERA anyway, although interoperability with other EU countries is less important for us than other countries, as there is only one link to them.
Edit: in fact, isn't this just one example of where Brexit may cause hassles in every department?
Christopher Hope Ex-Culture secretary John Whittingdale on his plans for the rest of the day. "We are going to get drunk," he tells me. #CabinetReshuffle
Christopher Hope Ex-Culture secretary John Whittingdale on his plans for the rest of the day. "We are going to get drunk," he tells me. #CabinetReshuffle
Sky saying Crabb was offered chance to stay at DWP.
It was a poisoned chalice before Brexit added the need to fundamentally change how it works. Crabb did what anyone sane would do given the option and made a break for freedom...
Christopher Hope Ex-Culture secretary John Whittingdale on his plans for the rest of the day. "We are going to get drunk," he tells me. #CabinetReshuffle
I trust that the journalist promptly arranged to meet up with him a bit later, when the gossip would flow more freely.
Christopher Hope Ex-Culture secretary John Whittingdale on his plans for the rest of the day. "We are going to get drunk," he tells me. #CabinetReshuffle
This is different to a normal day in Culture and Media in what way?
Christopher Hope Ex-Culture secretary John Whittingdale on his plans for the rest of the day. "We are going to get drunk," he tells me. #CabinetReshuffle
This is different to a normal day in Culture and Media in what way?
I don't think Grayling would be happy being second choice for DWP - I am pretty certain that Department for Investment in Britain would be what he is after
I know this is a bit off topic but I’m consumed with rage over a letter I received this morning from my Constituency Labour Party: Suspension of meetings: our AGM will no longer take place on 21 July. View this email in your browser
(Name Redacted)
(Name Redacted)
We have received instructions from the Scottish Labour Party that all local meetings, except those called explicitly and solely to agree nominations for the upcoming leadership election, are to be suspended until after the leadership election is completed.
This means that regrettably our AGM scheduled for 21 July will no longer be taking place.
Full details of the leadership election process should be released shortly. Apologies on behalf of your CLP Executive for this further postponement, which is outwith our control. We will continue to keep you informed on developments.
Best wishes,
Duncan Hothersall Chair, Edinburgh Southern CLP Margaret Graham Secretary, Edinburgh Southern CLP
SLAB shutting down possible dissent?
I think they want to stop the death threats. Reasonably enough.
More like they don't like democracy breaking out and are stamping on it , imagine the plebs actually thinking their votes mattered.
Sky saying Crabb was offered chance to stay at DWP.
This is where life starts to get difficult for the PM. She may have had a whole cabinet written down or in her head, but when people start declining the roles offered to them...
@christopherhope: Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, Department for Energy and Climate Change and Department for Transport are set to be closed.
Already disliked, that wouldn't be a major negative.
My guess is May's going to want somebody cuddly. The DWP is the Nasty Department, and May will want that to change.
David Cameron for DWP it is then?
It was under his tenure the DWP got its reputation for emotionally torturing people, starving them and driving them to suicide. At best we can assume Dave didn't much care about what IDS turned it into.
You credit Cameron too much; the DWP/DSS/DHSS has always had that reputation.
He oversells the first two options (WTO and what he calls Super Canada, but is just the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement recast for the UK). Incidentally CETA doesn't actually exist yet, which could be a key issue if we are going for a quick deal. His third option, (EEA-lite) is pure Castles in the Air. A single market that isn't THE Single Market where we delete the bits we don't like.
He completely ignores what the rest of the EU will actually be willing to negotiate. Any option that says we will have 3/4 freedoms is garbage. 4/4 or 0/4. Perhaps some fluff over FoM in return for higher membership fees, at best.
Doesn't buying 'of the shelf' trains become a benefit if our systems align to those that are used on the continent?
Sure I've read the budget for HS2 trains is massively pessimistic as Alstom and others build trains that can run on European really networks for fair less than is budgeted for
If we use the same tech the there must be economies of scale savings surely
Our loading gauge is different: they have to set up new lines to construct the trains to whichever of our loading gauges is applicable. Besides, signalling hardware is only very small part of the cost of a new train.
In the meantime, rollout of ERTMS is proving fairly expensive.
The idea is to allow trains to operate anywhere in Europe: so instead of having only a few trains crossing (say) between France and Spain, a Romanian operator could choose to run a service from Warsaw to Bilbao if they wanted, without having to change locomotives as often happens at the moment. It's the same reason the EU wanted operations to be split from infrastructure.
But we're a bit of a special case, as we have a rather restrictive loading gauge and only one fixed link.
I'm suspicious about all the leaks about the shortlist coming out of Team Trump. He's a showman, he'll want to pull a surprise. My hunch is that it won't be any of the names being bandied around.
Already disliked, that wouldn't be a major negative.
My guess is May's going to want somebody cuddly. The DWP is the Nasty Department, and May will want that to change.
David Cameron for DWP it is then?
It was under his tenure the DWP got its reputation for emotionally torturing people, starving them and driving them to suicide. At best we can assume Dave didn't much care about what IDS turned it into.
You credit Cameron too much; the DWP/DSS/DHSS has always had that reputation.
While its entered folklore, folklore misses out that the entire Atos Origin disability test system was instigated and designed under Labour....
I also think May might ease the wounds a bit by inviting Gove to head up a policy unit outside of the cabinet / government. He'd be awesome at that and wouldn't get a chance to scare the horses.
I'm suspicious about all the leaks about the shortlist coming out of Team Trump. He's a showman, he'll want to pull a surprise. My hunch is that it won't be any of the names being bandied around.
If we had a universal basic income run through the treasury, we would have no need of a DWP.
This is one of the clusterf**** I was referring to moments ago. Some fall guy has to clear up IDS's mess and Crabb has turned it down after spending 100 days smelling it.
Andrew Lilico If one had needed an illustration of how poor markets are at anticipating political decisions, this wld do the job. https://t.co/cXfeH2WwQF
UK Rail Safety and Standards Board communiques via Twitter about the tragic head on train crash in Italy:
'Could Bari accident happen in GB? Unlikely due to nature of telephone block system used, but we always look to learn from overseas #aspr.'
'Sources suggest telephone block process was outlawed for passenger services in Britain in 1889.'
It'll be interesting to know how many crashes have occurred caused by the use of the telephone block system, and especially how many near-misses.
Assuming that near misses are recorded.
From what I can make out, Telephone Block in crude terms means there is not actually any signalling and the station masters of adjacent stations phone each other, decide which train can go then record this on paper and tell the train drivers whether they can go.
Cant Imagine why we banned it 127 years ago.......
Indeed. One of the great things the railway inspection board did, and does, is make the reporting of near-misses obligatory. Then they can investigate if they want.
Hence every SPAD (signal passed a danger) is recorded, even if it does not result in a crash. They can then find common reasons (e.g. vegetation blocking sight lines, tiredness, confusion with other signals) and not only fix them, but look for other places on the network that they might occur.
It's a bureaucracy, but it keeps the passengers safer.
Indeed.
I'm just staggered that on a line only built in 1965 and since electrified at great cost, it was not considered necessary to invest in some basic signalling - it is not as if a few token machines would cost much.
Apparently this system or a variant is used extensively in Portugal too and probably other European countries.
One other good thing about Brexit is that the EUs plan to replace national rail safety bureacracies like HMRI with an EU wide one will no longer affect us thank heavens.
I think the European Railway Agency is part of the EU, and the new signalling system of ERTMS is under their control. It'll be interesting to see how withdrawal alters Network Rail's plans for ERTMS rollout.
There's a chance we might 'buy in' to the ERA anyway, although interoperability with other EU countries is less important for us than other countries, as there is only one link to them.
Edit: in fact, isn't this just one example of where Brexit may cause hassles in every department?
Opportunities, not hassles.
No. Short- and medium-term hassles; potential medium- and long-term opportunities.
Comments
Hm. Can't see it.
I'll get my coat.
RE Crabb: you just have to shake your head. It's always the ones who go on about how they are a 'Christian' as well that you find out show a different face behind closed doors. I was embarrassed for him reading *that* story.
Hence every SPAD (signal passed a danger) is recorded, even if it does not result in a crash. They can then find common reasons (e.g. vegetation blocking sight lines, tiredness, confusion with other signals) and not only fix them, but look for other places on the network that they might occur.
It's a bureaucracy, but it keeps the passengers safer.
Stephen Crabb has resigned as work and pensions secretary
Stephen Crabb has resigned as work and pensions secretary, saying it is “in the best interests of my family”.
This is clearly a reference to a Times story at the weekend revealing that Crabb had sent sexual text messages to a woman who was not his wife.
It's like having the pieces to a puzzle, but they are all sky at the moment.
As such apart from kicking Labour when they are down what would be the point of an election.
Have no sympathy at all for Osborne and Gove. If they have any sense they will learn their lessons and desist from plotting but not hopeful on that score.
Here's a prediction: within twenty years there will be a crash on a preserved railway that will kill three or more people. I hope I'm wrong, but speeds and traffic is increasing, and trains and infrastructure are still mostly run by volunteers.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_cheese_model
LEAVE would even make it close to REMAIN, let alone win!
Dave would resign within 24 hours of polls closing
George would be out
Gove would be out
May would be PM
Boris would be a cabinet minister
Wow!
https://twitter.com/NadineDorriesMP/status/753301771028664321
https://twitter.com/NadineDorriesMP/status/753523556059840512
In this, she's remarkably like Labour: their posh boys and gals are fine; Conservative ones are EVIL.
Already disliked, that wouldn't be a major negative.
Well at least Mad nad doesn't get anything.. or at least I hope she doesn't!
The longstanding systems that go back decades are too focused on the opinions of individual medical practitioners and it is consequently fraught with disagreement.
I'm just staggered that on a line only built in 1965 and since electrified at great cost, it was not considered necessary to invest in some basic signalling - it is not as if a few token machines would cost much.
Apparently this system or a variant is used extensively in Portugal too and probably other European countries.
One other good thing about Brexit is that the EUs plan to replace national rail safety bureacracies like HMRI with an EU wide one will no longer affect us thank heavens.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/three-reasons-why-removing-the-reformers-is-a-big-mistake-gv3smwv6b
After seeing the photos of his arrival I'm not sure who else would command a room like that, and with a lot of work before them having a leader with that charisma might be needed.
Revenge is a meal best eaten cold. But in this case, it is also sweet. She's taken Gove's job as well as buried him.
Mint!
Bunnco Your Man on the Spot
https://twitter.com/Sunil_P2/status/753289495693422594
There's a chance we might 'buy in' to the ERA anyway, although interoperability with other EU countries is less important for us than other countries, as there is only one link to them.
Edit: in fact, isn't this just one example of where Brexit may cause hassles in every department?
I prefer Phil Collins era Genesis to Peter Gabriel era Genesis.
Sure I've read the budget for HS2 trains is massively pessimistic as Alstom and others build trains that can run on European really networks for fair less than is budgeted for
If we use the same tech the there must be economies of scale savings surely
Crabb in post for 119 days - only 62 days by Leslie Hore-Belisha (as Minister of Social Insurance) & RA Butler (as Minister of Labour)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0qBaBb1Y-U
Innovation and Skills, Department for Energy and Climate Change and Department for Transport are set to be closed.
Ex-Culture secretary John Whittingdale on his plans for the rest of the day. "We are going to get drunk," he tells me. #CabinetReshuffle
Opportunities, not hassles.
"You've been a good boy, Chris. Which department would you like?"
"ALL OF THEM"
@Rodcrosby reckons it might be Martha McSally (He is profitable to pay attention to) though I haven't backed anyone myself.
Not Christie I think.
No idea with HRC.
Prescott Superdepartment MK II
In the meantime, rollout of ERTMS is proving fairly expensive.
The idea is to allow trains to operate anywhere in Europe: so instead of having only a few trains crossing (say) between France and Spain, a Romanian operator could choose to run a service from Warsaw to Bilbao if they wanted, without having to change locomotives as often happens at the moment. It's the same reason the EU wanted operations to be split from infrastructure.
But we're a bit of a special case, as we have a rather restrictive loading gauge and only one fixed link.
While its entered folklore, folklore misses out that the entire Atos Origin disability test system was instigated and designed under Labour....
If one had needed an illustration of how poor markets are at anticipating political decisions, this wld do the job. https://t.co/cXfeH2WwQF
At best.