HS2 to be scrapped

[the other bob wilson]

Ten years ago the new government were picking the country up off the bones of its arse thanks to the previous 13 years of self induced financial mismanagement.

Government policy in the last ten years has got nothing to with the Labour Party, they have not been in a position to do anything which could change it because they haven't been in Government during that period. The only party which has been able to influence things in the last decade other than the Conservatives is the Lib Dems who were very much the junior partners in a coalition. That Government inherited a situation which they decided to tackle by policies which were about as far away from "big infrastructure projects" as you can get - policies which were subsequently carried on by the Conservative administrations which followed.

The early weeks of the current Government suggested a different approach where there would be those infrastructure projects and I can understand the thinking which says the pre Covid 19 world was different from the one the coalition faced in May 2010, but the talk this week has been about the worst recession in living memory because of the effects of the virus.

Therefore, I would assume that the current situation is regarded as being worse than the one in 2010. So, why would the Conservative Party opt for a completely changed view of public spending to the one they chose in 2010? I just don't see it happening myself and wouldn't be surprised at all to see HS2 scrapped.

[lisvaneblue]

Government policy in the last ten years has got nothing to with the Labour Party, they have not been in a position to do anything which could change it because they haven't been in Government during that period. The only party which has been able to influence things in the last decade other than the Conservatives is the Lib Dems who were very much the junior partners in a coalition. That Government inherited a situation which they decided to tackle by policies which were about as far away from "big infrastructure projects" as you can get - policies which were subsequently carried on by the Conservative administrations which followed.

The early weeks of the current Government suggested a different approach where there would be those infrastructure projects and I can understand the thinking which says the pre Covid 19 world was different from the one the coalition faced in May 2010, but the talk this week has been about the worst recession in living memory because of the effects of the virus.

Therefore, I would assume that the current situation is regarded as being worse than the one in 2010. So, why would the Conservative Party opt for a completely changed view of public spending to the one they chose in 2010? I just don't see it happening myself and wouldn't be surprised at all to see HS2 scrapped.

I think it was Liam Byrne, secretary to the Treasury that in 2010 left the note for new PM David Cameron to say there was no money left. So it certainly set the scene following Gordon Browns financial mismanagement

[the other bob wilson]

I think it was Liam Byrne, secretary to the Treasury that in 2010 left the note for new PM David Cameron to say there was no money left. So it certainly set the scene following Gordon Browns financial mismanagement

The incoming Government were faced with a situation in 2010 and chose a certain way to deal with it. The party that were the dominant influence in that administration are still in power today and I find it hard to believe they would opt for a completely different approach when faced with what we are told is a financially similar, but worse, situation today - that's all I'm saying, I'm not being party political this time.