It’s just turned 10 o'clock on Wednesday evening and I've just arrived at Doncaster bus station to be told the next bus that will get me to Scunthorpe before rejoining the train isn't for another hour.
I’m returning twenty-four hours earlier than usual so as to visit the Lincolnshire Show and in doing so show my support for our farming community and all of those who work in the rural economy that is still an important part of the business and social part of the community in my constituency.
But I can’t help reflecting on a certain irony; this afternoon I met with the Transport Secretary Patrick McLaughlin as part of my campaign to restore a direct train service between London and Grimsby/Cleethorpes and after our 7 o'clock vote and a quick dash to King’s Cross I find my planned 19.52 service is cancelled but I have three minutes to catch the 19.33 and be in Doncaster in time for the bus and train that will get me home soon after eleven. As we pull out the guard tells us that all trains are subject to delay because of an attempted suicide at Peterborough.
I and my fellow-passengers will never know what drove this man to attempt to take his own life but it puts things into perspective; what’s an hour’s delay in comparison?
My meeting with the minister went well – there are no promises of course and we must remember that there is always a Plan B. If the main East Coast franchise doesn’t include a service to Cleethorpes there is an Open-Access Operator currently discussing providing services on the route via Scunthorpe and Doncaster with a view to starting the services during 2016.
There can be no doubt that a direct train service to London will provide a considerable boost to our local economy.
Talking of the local economy and the link with train services it’s good to note that the Hatfield landslip is well on the way to being cleared and the line between Scunthorpe and Doncaster re-opened ensuring that our main route to South Yorkshire and beyond is back in action before the school holidays allowing visitors from what has always been the main Cleethorpes market for visitors to the resort ready access.
On Wednesday the Prime Minister reported back following the G8 summit and had some positive news in respect of ensuring that multi-national companies pay their fair share of tax but the subject that generated far more questions and showed what widespread concern exists in Parliament was the potentially extremely dangerous policy of arming the Syrian rebels. As the Government has made very clear they have made no decision to do so and their aim in suggesting it as a real possibility is to bring pressure to bear, and as such to do anything other than make clear it is a possibility would undermine the threat.
It’s a perfectly logical position to take though I have to say not one that I’m persuaded by. I am one of the 81 Tory members to have signed a letter to the Prime Minister urging that whatever decision the Government come to it must be put to the vote in the House of Commons. I will certainly need a lot of convincing that we should pour yet more arms into an already highly volatile country. Indeed I find it hard to believe I could be persuaded at all.
Next week will be dominated by the Spending Review for the year 2015-16. Clearly there will have to be a further cuts, and we now know that a future Labour government would stand by the spending plans of the Coalition government. This at least is a belated recognition of reality by Labour but much too late. The economy, as always, will be the determining factor at the General Election; there are beginning to be signs of the economy picking up as indicated by many of the underlying facts and figures. The Conservatives are way ahead of Labour in the polls on their ability to manage the economy so why would anyone vote for the two Eds to become the next occupiers of 10 and 11 Downing Street? Surely the real thing is always better.
No comments:
Post a Comment