Author Topic: Eurostar - Another Government Farce  (Read 7862 times)

John

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Eurostar - Another Government Farce
« on: Dec 20, 2009, 11:28:35 PM »
The British part of this is government owned. 

Given the chaos of the last 48 hours and the quango
regulated rail system.

You would have expected some sort of government
involvement. Just in emergency planning terms alone.

I understand it is the week-end but shouldn't we
expect more?

Just what standards of assistance can we expect
from the emergency services to-day?

We had the farce of floods - where there was no
set lead emergency service. Just what are they
spending all that tax money on? Not Emergency
Planning...

John

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Re: Eurostar - Another Government Farce
« Reply #1 on: Dec 21, 2009, 11:23:41 AM »
It is interesting that the French Transport Minister is
questioning this farce.

The UK government just ignore it.

No interest in their interest and the people they represent.

Even Eurostar are playing down the time of year -
advising people to travel later. As it is no-one can
travel full stop.

Papaumau

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Re: Eurostar - Another Government Farce
« Reply #2 on: Dec 21, 2009, 12:38:19 PM »
An then there are the facts:

Eurostar is owned by a French/Belgian/British/German consortium and the British part is owned by a company called London Continental Railways. The British government hold only one third of the shares in this company.

Like many other things that New-labour have done this under-the-channel rail service has been split up between many companies and state-owned European entities and when British Rail was privatised this was also privatised too.

The private companies that hold the franchises for many essential services in Britain are able to pay their shareholders dividends that are subsidised by taxpayers money and this is how they are able to work in the so-called free-market system.

The German part of Eurostar is owned by Deutsche Bahn ( DB ) - a totally state-controlled entity in Europe - and they are at the moment trying hard to buy the British privatised company that runs the UK end of the service. They plan to extend the French SCNF holdings well into many more of the German cities if they do get to control the British end of this multinational entity.

NOW....to why the service failed so badly:

It appears that the design of the trains was not good enough to withstand the changes in temperature between out of the tunnel and inside the tunnel and first thoughts are that condensation formed on electronic parts that could not withstand such temerature changes.

This can not be blindly or narrowly blamed on the British government even if this might be seen by some as just another good strong stick to beat the British government with.

See this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_and_Continental_Railways

And this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurostar
Regards....

Papaumau.



Hells Granny

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Re: Eurostar - Another Government Farce
« Reply #3 on: Dec 21, 2009, 01:12:30 PM »
My son asked me why wasn't the Channel Tunnel a Road tunnel! :o I had to gently explain about Carbon Monoxide, forced draughts and other stuff that would make it difficult, not to mention a road Tunnel being easier for illegal immigrants to get here.
What do you mean, my Birth Certificate has expired?!

John

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Re: Eurostar - Another Government Farce
« Reply #4 on: Dec 21, 2009, 01:28:00 PM »
Did you see Stirling Moss driving through the tunnel?

It hit the wall a couple of times.

If he could not do it - imagine what others would be like.

===

The facts are that this government (laughingly led by Gordon the Brown)
ignored the plight of its people.

He was trying to justify Copenhagen this morning and waffle his way through that.

You would have thought the room was empty from the amount of clapping afterwards.

RIP - Gordon

John

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Re: Eurostar - Another Government Farce
« Reply #5 on: Dec 21, 2009, 01:35:31 PM »
If you really want to get your facts right.

It is London and Continental Railways

Do you really want to dissect this matter down to the
Government Guarantee Bonds that underpin them?

Whatever the outcome they are ignoring any input
on a situation that the French Government are
more concerned about.


Papaumau

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Re: Eurostar - Another Government Farce
« Reply #6 on: Dec 22, 2009, 12:52:57 PM »
Admit it John, this is just another excuse for you to get your big stick out and beat the broad back of Gordon Brown with.

The British government only own a miscule part of this monstrous private and European state-owned entity and even if they wanted to they could do NOTHING about the trains breaking down.

But I guess, then again, some people blame the government for just about everything including the onset of male-pattern baldness.

This has now become a sort of a knee-jerk reaction for some and I am sure that the same knee-jerk reaction will reappear after the Tories have been back in and have three terms under THEIR belt too. ( It did the last time ).
Regards....

Papaumau.



John

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Re: Eurostar - Another Government Farce
« Reply #7 on: Dec 23, 2009, 04:26:44 PM »
Your totally ignore ORR.

A Government Quango.

Who do you think regulates the Rail Network?

The buck stops with Gordon Brown if he not hiding or ignoring a situation (as usual).

I, nor do many need an excuse to berate him or his Party.


Papaumau

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Re: Eurostar - Another Government Farce
« Reply #8 on: Dec 24, 2009, 12:22:55 PM »
While, like you, I would love to see a TRUE "bonfire of the quangos" as was quoted once before and I have already admitted here and elsewhere that the government watchdogs are in fact toothless mutts, I realise that there is much more than just a failure of regulation at stake here.

The encumbent government  - whoever the hell they might be - always get the stick when stuff goes wrong and even if they are not directly responsible for such failures it is they and their attached leadership that have to dive for cover from the brickbats of the throwers who seem to have nothing better to do. 

If I had my way I would see ALL of the British railway systems fully nationalised - as is the case in many of the European countries - so that then if things go wrong it WOULD BE the government that would be to blame. The piecemeal privatisation that we see today is neither one thing or the other and because of this fragmentation nobody seems willing to carry the can when things DO go wrong.

Many anti-Labour types mutter the mantra that nationalisation is always wrong as "look what happened when it, ( anything ), was nationalised before", but I say that - as in Europe - nationalisation CAN be made to work if it is fully financed instead of starved of cash - as it used to be - and managed by professional people who know what they are doing.
Regards....

Papaumau.



John

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Re: Eurostar - Another Government Farce
« Reply #9 on: Jan 04, 2010, 01:54:06 AM »
That was the main problem with British Rail - It did not appear to be managed properly.

I say appear because that situation could have been engineered for pre-privatisation purposes.

No doubt millionaires where made out selling this and leasing that. It is not just a case of putting
an extra carriage on an overcrowded train, it is a matter of who owns what and paying a premium
to do that. I believe Banks are involved in this.
 
The full story is not really known by the public - they are just the mugs that keep throwing
money at the rail system to allow the Rail Companies to make suitable profit.

Papaumau

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Re: Eurostar - Another Government Farce
« Reply #10 on: Jan 04, 2010, 12:16:41 PM »
So, in fact we are in agreement for once eh ? :o

I just want it known that the idea of the privatisation of everything that moves and doesn't is basically a TORY idea that Blair and his pseudo-Tories chose to run with twelve years ago.

To me it has become self-evident that any of the essential services that are run under the profit motive always fail to provide any decent service to any area that is not profit-making. That is why the privateers that run these companies want their cake and also want to eat it too by taking the profits and getting government subsidies into the bargain.

I say, let us see proper nationalisation of the essential services - as done in Europe - where the management is professionally done and where all or any profits from the paying clients or customers is ploughed right back into the service. If subsidisation is required than so be it as then this money will also go to help to provide a better service and will not go straight into the pockets of the privateer shareholders.
Regards....

Papaumau.



John

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Re: Eurostar - Another Government Farce
« Reply #11 on: Jan 07, 2010, 11:06:54 AM »
I would comment on nationalisation in a separate thread.

If I had been a passenger struck on an airless train for hours,
I would have pushed for a proper enquiry from the rail
regulators.

As with financial matters, there is either regulation or there is
not.

These matters are very poorly supervised and directed by
this present government. Ministers appear to have little idea
and seem to get their positions based on the need to
fill the position from those in support of Brown.
(or at least allow themselves to be controlled by him).

Papaumau

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Re: Eurostar - Another Government Farce
« Reply #12 on: Jan 07, 2010, 11:59:09 AM »
I see that you continue to blame the incumbent government for just about everything including the sun going down.

I suppose that that is something to do in these dark nights and cold days if you are bored eh ?  :-X
Regards....

Papaumau.



John

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Re: Eurostar - Another Government Farce
« Reply #13 on: Jan 07, 2010, 02:32:40 PM »
Now Now

You know exactly how a democracy is supposed to work.

We are in enlightened times.

People have been patronised for a long time, mainly due
to the lack of a proper platform.

That platform has arrived in the shape of the internet.

This government are anxious to control it. The wedges
have started - a stealth tax and attacking copyright
issues that have very little to do with them.

But it gives them a way to control the ISP's.

Brown's Big Brother Britain - Vote them in again at your peril!

Papaumau

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Re: Eurostar - Another Government Farce
« Reply #14 on: Jan 08, 2010, 01:15:36 PM »
The internet will NEVER be controlled no matter how much certain political forces might like it to be.

I don't think the people of Britain would ever allow what happens in North Korea or China as they simply shut down national access to certain websites.

You work so hard at painting Brown as the Devil himself while you are unable to see that in many cases he is simply a man caught up in situations that are out of his control. Yes, he HAS made mistakes but that is no reason for vilifying such a basically decent man.
Regards....

Papaumau.