IN your report of Downing Street’s announcement that Great British Railways will become the controlling body over track and trains, you note that the UK Government has plans for “managing infrastructure across the UK” (Scottish Government fumes at Westminster over ‘Great British Railways’ plan, thenational.scot, May 20).
As The National yet again reports, “Holyrood and Westminster are on a collision course” and the Scottish Government has found the UK Government to be “failing to respect devolved control of the railway in Scotland” with “no mention of Scotland in the details.”
This is the latest example of the UK Government ignoring the views of Scottish ministers, who have the responsibility for Scotland’s railways.
READ MORE: Scottish Government fumes at Westminster over 'Great British Railways' plan
What we are seeing is this week’s very public example of the UK Government’s strategy in action to undermine devolution and our Scottish Government and to promote the UK Union. What is less out in the open is likely to be the work in the shadows by Scottish Conservatives, the single party in Scotland’s “second government”, being consulted by their Tory colleagues at Westminster about railway developments in Scotland.
After all, the Tory leadership in Scotland would only be acting in line with their manifesto for the recent elections to the Scottish Parliament. In this manifesto they said: “We welcome the interim report of the Union Connectivity Review and will work closely with the UK Government to deliver its final recommendations, as well as those of the ongoing Williams Rail Review.” It seems likely that Scottish Tories are already working closely with the UK Government, which is simultaneously ignoring the views of Scottish ministers.
The Scottish Conservative manifesto said that “national transport infrastructure, Scotland’s roads, rail and ports, require significant ongoing investment.”
The manifesto detailed rail lines and railway stations to be reopened or improved if the Tories were elected with a majority at Holyrood. The routes and places mentioned for rail investment just happened to be in areas targeted by the Tories for electoral success. Some local Tory candidates included reference to railway infrastructure development and improvements to specified local rail stations in their election leaflets.
The UK Government is clearly now taking a more active part in the decisions of Network Rail, which will be have the responsibility not only for railway tracks in Scotland, but also Scotland’s railway stations. We are no doubt about to witness Union flags and signage for Great British Railways appearing in railway stations, including cities, towns and rural areas across Scotland.
READ MORE: ScotRail workers to strike in protest over manager promotion
As we all know, the Tories were not elected with a majority in Scotland. They did not form the Scottish Government, accountable to our Holyrood Parliament. However, it seems likely that it is the Scottish Tories who are being consulted by the UK Government. It will be the Scottish Tory manifesto infrastructure plans which are pursued and funded by the UK Government, chasing support for the Union in Scotland. Scotland did not vote for this.
An early independence referendum is essential to return full democratic control to the people who live and vote here. It’s comin’ YES for a’ that.
Andrew Reid
Comrie, Perthshire
WITH the number of UK rail operators of last resort (publicly operated) increasing – following price increases and performance and profit drops under the franchise system – it was only a matter of time until the UK Government felt required to rename the franchised system and try to make it appear different.
And then Covid-19 was allowed to persist and repeatedly access the UK, leading to remote working on an unprecedented scale which, together with the failed UK Track & Trace franchise, essentially hammered the last rail spike into the heart of the UK rail franchise arrangements.
So, currently UK-led rail franchises will now go into emergency Covid-19 transition arrangements, as the Covid-19-generated reduction in travel has now rendered the franchises a mechanism for bankruptcy for the big private operators.
Michael Matheson has now to set out Scotland’s needs for rail network improvements, rail freight requirements, personal travel, personal travel to work, integrated national timetables, ticketing, and of course international ticketing (multi-currency), and future border control issues/protocols.
The white paper for Indyref2 was never going to write itself after Covid-19 recovery had been completed, but it looks as if he will be starting his section next week, if not sooner.
Stephen Tingle
Greater Glasgow
ENGLAND’S national treasure Sir David Attenborough has been named the “people’s advocate” for the UN’s COP26 in Glasgow. A better title would surely be the “anti-people advocate”, since his documentary narration condemns humanity as “a plague on the Earth”. He argues we have despoiled our planet, much as a virus flourishes by destroying its host.
Industrial progress has lifted billions out of poverty. It has cured diseases, increased food supplies, produced clean water and centralised power plants with anti-pollution technology. Climate-related deaths have declined by 98% in the last century because of our ability to build climate-resilient infrastructure.
READ MORE: David Attenborough appointed to key role at COP26 in Glasgow
Green misanthropes see nature as a finite pie. The more some use it, the less there is for others so we must stop producing, stop transforming nature, minimise our impact and leave nature to take care of us. But hanging about “harmonising with nature” will lead to short, unpleasant, disease-ridden lives where we sit in caves getting by on a diet of lentils.
Rev Dr John Cameron
St Andrews
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