The fall of the Tory party

Calm down, Jeremy Hunt is going make everything right that's wrong;
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jan/26/hunt-chancellor-promote-low-tax-private-sector-re-tooling-industry

Blaming the EU three years after leaving has all the credibility of claiming 'big boys did it'.

The headline is a factual summary of what the HMRC boss told the Public Accounts Committee.

Oh I agree. I'd just have expected it to be washed over with a "HMRC head testifies to PAC" or something similarly uninspiring.

HS2 continues to make no sense, but not reaching central London really makes no sense.

Blaming the EU three years after leaving has all the credibility of claiming 'big boys did it'.

Well, they are still generally blaming the last Labour govt for the state of [insert any thing].

This compounds the original error of not making it a through service through the Eurostar terminal at Kings Cross/St. Pancras.

I actually don't know where it was going to end originally. Presumably the last miles in central London would be the most expensive part of the whole project?

Apparently HS2 was meant to cut Birmingham -> London times by 28 minutes... that'll easily be put back on with a change and commute into town from West London.

What percentage of the population can afford to travel on HS2 anyway?

If you talk to people who live in Dover, there is a lot of bitterness over ticket prices for the high speed train to London.

Hunt also asked if he'd ever paid a penalty to HMRC and says he won't talk about personal affairs. That is so thick (assuming he hasn't). Same with Sunak - spent days saying they wouldn't comment before saying no eventually. Just say no the first time FFS.
Not that I care really, dig yourselves deeper you bunch of cunts.

What? Where is it going to finish?

Old Oak Common, North Acton

Haha - that's fucking insane.

They have already done a shit load of work around Euston though, wonder what would happen with that.

I think the journey time, although what is being used as the selling point, is secondary to increasing capacity which is the big issue.

Euston was the original Central London terminus.
(the HS2 terminal has already been downgraded for the number of platforms).

That'll make the Liz line absolutely rammed. 10 minute walk to North Acton central line as well.

Wonder what's changed to cause them to give up on central London?

The spiralling costs.

They can sell off the land they’ve compulsory purchased too, to recoup some costs.

The whole scheme is a folly, the money would’ve been much better spent upgrading rail capacity across the country.

Jesus, I assumed that was a joke

If you talk to people who live in Dover, there is a lot of bitterness over ticket prices for the high speed train to London.

Yes, but the non-high speed line is cheaper than equivalent journeys on lines that don't have high speed. I used to go to see family in Faversham at the weekend and always opted out of high speed to save cash.

More capacity is always good, even for those not directly using the new capacity.

Well obviously the land will be sold to Tory party donors for pennies on the pound to develop into flats.

The Conservatives are the anti nanny state party, all about personal responsibility. Yet they take responsibility for nothing, bar if something goes well and then it is all about them even if others have done the heavy lifting.

Who do they blame? The last Labour government (after 14 years that is absolutely risible), the EU, immigrants, Jeremy Corbin, the unions, the workshy poor and Lorraine Kelly (the last may be made up but Scottish so they it’s really only a matter of time).

Latest is the EU and, obviously, strikes. Many are from sectors that have never been on strike before (from clapping for nurses to suggesting they will have blood in their hands if anyone dies, disgusting) and efforts to blame Labour are struggling, not least because many of the unions involved are not affiliated to any political party. And the “look what it would be like under Labour” is just plain daft - it’s happening on your watch!!!

And that just leads into the cost of living crisis - sure, exacerbated by covid and the war in Ukraine (and Brexit!) but with wages having stagnated for more than a decade this was a long time in the making but they will expend all their energy on blaming others, it’s the Tory way.

Yeah, looking for people to blame for shit? =

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I live in Faversham, the train prices are completely ridiculous, unless your commuting 5 days a week, you are stuck buying one off tickets at a cost of 50 quid a day.

The non high-speed goes to the other side of london and takes 30 minutes longer.

Must be a reason our esteemed MP doesn't get the train to Westminster but claims (or was claiming) 3.6k a month rent for a flat despite living 50 miles from London.

The non high-speed goes to the other side of london and takes 30 minutes longer.

Sounds like I am years out of date but BITD the Faversham slow tickets were about 20% cheaper than a similar length journey I used to do down to Hampshire.

Victoria worked for me versus (IIRC) St Pancras but obviously not for everyone.

EDIT: I just looked this up and Faversham (fast) is about the same price as Petersfield for a weekday anytime ticket, whereas Faversham (slow) is 15% cheaper for a 10 minute longer journey than Petersfield. I think the suggestion is broadly correct.

That lot are unable to tell anything straight, how Hunt is still is bewildering he's a noted liar and like Humza up here has been moved to every job as he's failed at every one.