On Jul 22, 9:07*am, allantracy wrote:
First we had Foster (on the IEP) and now Mawhinney (on HS2). *Lord
alone knows how these people were chosen for these tasks.

I couldn’t agree more with everything there.

However, there is one alternative you do not mention.

Why not let the market decide what HS2 should look like?

In other words, let’s just build the most cost effective solution for
the biggest potential market.

I’m willing to bet such a solution would not only look rather
different to the current proposal for HS2 but it would be rather more
viable as well.

The current proposal is grandiose and completely OTT, almost
guaranteed to be an expensive white elephant, and what’s that going to
achieve politically for any future proposals such as Scotland, the
East Midlands or Middlesbrough?

Absolutely correct. One suspects that Forbes or Watkin would look at
the need and figure out a cost effective upgrade to the GW route to
Birmingham.