The Case for Re-Nationalisation

From the Moai:

There are not many industries that function better when nationalised, but here in the UK we have one screaming example.

The total amount paid each year by passengers has doubled to £4.5 billion since privatisation a decade ago.

This is obscene. The railways are a functional monopoly. Most people who use them have little choice. The operators, aware that their franchises are finite, are bleeding their monopoly white. You suffer.

Subsidy has also soared to record levels, with the taxpayer contributing more than £6 billion this year, four times what British Rail received.

We are now paying more than we ever did under BR, and more and more middlemen are cashing in. We are subsidising private industry to the tune of eight figures. *YOU* are subsidising private wealth.

"London to Manchester: cost of a Virgin standard open return:£219"

I could buy a car on eBay for cheaper than that and drive it. I can fly for far cheaper than that.

Britain's railways must be renationalised. Rolling stock and infrastructure must be brought under the control of one entity, run not-for-profit.

No other issue impacts upon so many policy areas. Rail transport reduces CO2 output. Rail transport can move freight efficiently, freeing up road space taken up by trucks and reducing logistics costs for hard goods businesses. Timely, efficient trains move goods and people where they need to be, facilitating business and personal interaction. Timely, comfortable commuting adds immeasurably to workers' wellbeing and state of mind. Small rail lines keep small communities connected to the outside world, thereby propping up the house prices of commuters who choose to live in such places, reducing inner city overcrowding and the need for more housing stock.

If Tony Blair is to do one thing with his dying time in government, he must do this. This obscene profiteering, this endless, daily misery, must be ended. This nettle MUST be grasped. NOW.

I apologise for the relative incoherency of this post, but I find this issue so staggering obvious, and government's reluctance to address it, so mindboggling that I have a hard time dealing with it, with clarity."

The Nameless Tory:

Of course, this pre-supposes that Blair would actually do something that could be seen as vaguely left wing. Still, if he is going to spend the next few months swiging around vainly looking for a legacy other than the Iraq mess, this could be a good way of getting into the history books...