On 09/01/2018 16:17, Recliner wrote:
wrote:
On Tue, 9 Jan 2018 04:46:14 -0800 (PST)
Paul Corfield wrote:
On Monday, 8 January 2018 20:31:13 UTC, Recliner wrote:
So, despite the quickly-withdrawn mistakenly tweeted announcement of a mo=
ve
to party chairman, Chris Grayling survives as Transport Secretary. Given
May's inability to make further large reshuffles, he could be set to stay
in that role for some time.
=20
That's probably good news for the third Heathrow runway, but not so good
for TfL; Sadiq Khan and Grayling don't work well together, and perhaps se=
e
each other as potential future rivals for the top job. It also means that
Grayling's pet plan for formal TOC/NR partnerships will probably be seen
through to completion.

Ah yes Theresa's disastrous, useless and weak reshuffle. I don't think I'v=
e witnessed such an unedifying shambles from a governing party in my lifeti=
me. All parties have their wobbles regardless of leader but this lot are ju=
st beyond useless. As I said about Mrs May during the election - "useless, =
hopeless and visionless". Every day just keeps confirming this.

Problem is , the labour side is even worse. Corbyn is an unreconstructed
Marxist, ditto McDonnell who arguably is even worse and would stick the knife
into Corbyn the minute labour got elected, Abbott is just a moron who only
got where she is through diversity box ticking, Thornberry is a cookie cutter
human rights parasite completely out of touch with the people Labour are
supposed to represent and the rest of them are just non-entities.

Osborne sums it up neatly in the Standard:
"You have to hand it to this Prime Minister: she’s given us the hat-trick
of the worst reshuffle, the worst party conference speech and the worst
manifesto in modern history.

If they were not facing one of the worst oppositions we’ve ever had, the
Tories would be finished."

https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/comment/evening-standard-comment-reshuffle-farce-shows-pm-s-essential-weakness-a3735411.html





Everything he writes is excessively flavoured by sour grapes. Even if he
was 100% correct I would not believe it...

--
Colin

On 09/01/2018 16:17, Recliner wrote:

Osborne sums it up neatly in the Standard:
"You have to hand it to this Prime Minister: she’s given us the hat-trick
of the worst reshuffle, the worst party conference speech and the worst
manifesto in modern history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MRDA_(slang) ?

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

On 09/01/18 16:17, Recliner wrote:

Osborne sums it up neatly in the Standard:
"You have to hand it to this Prime Minister: she’s given us the hat-trick
of the worst reshuffle, the worst party conference speech and the worst
manifesto in modern history.

Worst election call?

If they were not facing one of the worst oppositions we’ve ever had, the
Tories would be finished."

Well, that's true...

Roland Perry wrote:
In message
-sept
ember.org, at 15:53:15 on Tue, 9 Jan 2018, Recliner
remarked:

I'm willing to give Mr. Grayling some slack because he recognises
Network Rail's shortcomings for what they are. I particularly
like the way he is giving the East West Rail project to a separate
company.

Sort of. What he's said is that for it proceed, a separate privately
funded company needs to own the project. Apparently this counts as
giving his full support.

Isn't there a billion of state money going in, too?

Not for the bits which still need doing now (I'm unsighted as to the
amount they've spent on the bits which are by now open).

That's not what I've read.

I have the impression that the project is unofficially split in
two. The realistic part - between Bicester Village Station and
Bletchley - is now going ahead with a large dollop of taxpayers'
money. The unrealistic part - the new build between Bedford
and Cambridge - seems to be making no real progress, with
neither the route nor finance at all certain.

Robin9 wrote:

Roland Perry;164642 Wrote:
In message
nal-sept
ember.org, at 15:53:15 on Tue, 9 Jan 2018, Recliner
remarked:
---
I'm willing to give Mr. Grayling some slack because he recognises
Network Rail's shortcomings for what they are. I particularly
like the way he is giving the East West Rail project to a separate
company.-

Sort of. What he's said is that for it proceed, a separate privately
funded company needs to own the project. Apparently this counts as
giving his full support.-

Isn't there a billion of state money going in, too?-

Not for the bits which still need doing now (I'm unsighted as to the
amount they've spent on the bits which are by now open).
--
Roland Perry

I have the impression that the project is unofficially split in
two. The realistic part - between Bicester Village Station and
Bletchley - is now going ahead with a large dollop of taxpayers'
money. The unrealistic part - the new build between Bedford
and Cambridge - seems to be making no real progress, with
neither the route nor finance at all certain.

Yes, I think that's correct.

In article ,
(Robin9) wrote:

I know some railway fanatics loathe Mr. Grayling because he
does not take a negligent attitude to Network Rail's grossly
bloated costs. These demented fanatics refuse to accept that
electrifying railway routes needs to be done for a sensible price.

I'm willing to give Mr. Grayling some slack because he recognises
Network Rail's shortcomings for what they are. I particularly
like the way he is giving the East West Rail project to a separate
company.

I wouldn't mind if the abundant evidence from his previous posts (including
opposition transport when I first came across him) is that he hasn't got a
clue and everything he touches rots up.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In article ,
(Recliner) wrote:

On Tue, 9 Jan 2018 04:46:14 -0800 (PST), Paul Corfield
wrote:

On Monday, 8 January 2018 20:31:13 UTC, Recliner wrote:
So, despite the quickly-withdrawn mistakenly tweeted announcement of a
move to party chairman, Chris Grayling survives as Transport Secretary.
Given May's inability to make further large reshuffles, he could be set
to stay in that role for some time.

That's probably good news for the third Heathrow runway, but not so
good for TfL; Sadiq Khan and Grayling don't work well together, and
perhaps see each other as potential future rivals for the top job. It
also means that Grayling's pet plan for formal TOC/NR partnerships will
probably be seen through to completion.

We shall see. East Coast could hardly be less suited to the idea.

Ah yes Theresa's disastrous, useless and weak reshuffle. I don't think
I've witnessed such an unedifying shambles from a governing party in my
lifetime. All parties have their wobbles regardless of leader but this
lot are just beyond useless. As I said about Mrs May during the election
- "useless, hopeless and visionless". Every day just keeps confirming
this.

I am no fan of Grayling (he's incompetent although he probably thinks
himself a genius) but the risk with any move is that you get some other
idiot in their place. The Khan / Grayling thing is a disastrous mess but
at least both sides understand the relationship is fractious.

It looks like the current London mayor will have to develop a working
relationship with the younger brother of the previous London mayor: Jo
Johnson is now Transport Minister and Minister for London. He might be
responsible for pushing through the Heathrow expansion, against the
bitter opposition of the MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip...

Have we been told what the new ministerial responsibilities with the DfT are
yet? I wouldn't assume Johnson has London. Minister for London is usually a
non-transport role, I think.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

wrote:
In article ,
(Recliner) wrote:

On Tue, 9 Jan 2018 04:46:14 -0800 (PST), Paul Corfield
wrote:

On Monday, 8 January 2018 20:31:13 UTC, Recliner wrote:
So, despite the quickly-withdrawn mistakenly tweeted announcement of a
move to party chairman, Chris Grayling survives as Transport Secretary.
Given May's inability to make further large reshuffles, he could be set
to stay in that role for some time.

That's probably good news for the third Heathrow runway, but not so
good for TfL; Sadiq Khan and Grayling don't work well together, and
perhaps see each other as potential future rivals for the top job. It
also means that Grayling's pet plan for formal TOC/NR partnerships will
probably be seen through to completion.

We shall see. East Coast could hardly be less suited to the idea.

True, but the partnership model will be used for all the new franchises.
They won't say so, but they seem to be emulating the ScotRail model, which
is seen to be working well now.


Ah yes Theresa's disastrous, useless and weak reshuffle. I don't think
I've witnessed such an unedifying shambles from a governing party in my
lifetime. All parties have their wobbles regardless of leader but this
lot are just beyond useless. As I said about Mrs May during the election
- "useless, hopeless and visionless". Every day just keeps confirming
this.

I am no fan of Grayling (he's incompetent although he probably thinks
himself a genius) but the risk with any move is that you get some other
idiot in their place. The Khan / Grayling thing is a disastrous mess but
at least both sides understand the relationship is fractious.

It looks like the current London mayor will have to develop a working
relationship with the younger brother of the previous London mayor: Jo
Johnson is now Transport Minister and Minister for London. He might be
responsible for pushing through the Heathrow expansion, against the
bitter opposition of the MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip...

Have we been told what the new ministerial responsibilities with the DfT are
yet? I wouldn't assume Johnson has London. Minister for London is usually a
non-transport role, I think.

He does have minister for London, outside his DfT responsibilities.

wrote:
In article ,
(Recliner) wrote:

On Tue, 9 Jan 2018 04:46:14 -0800 (PST), Paul Corfield
wrote:

On Monday, 8 January 2018 20:31:13 UTC, Recliner wrote:
So, despite the quickly-withdrawn mistakenly tweeted announcement of a
move to party chairman, Chris Grayling survives as Transport Secretary.
Given May's inability to make further large reshuffles, he could be set
to stay in that role for some time.

That's probably good news for the third Heathrow runway, but not so
good for TfL; Sadiq Khan and Grayling don't work well together, and
perhaps see each other as potential future rivals for the top job. It
also means that Grayling's pet plan for formal TOC/NR partnerships will
probably be seen through to completion.

We shall see. East Coast could hardly be less suited to the idea.

Ah yes Theresa's disastrous, useless and weak reshuffle. I don't think
I've witnessed such an unedifying shambles from a governing party in my
lifetime. All parties have their wobbles regardless of leader but this
lot are just beyond useless. As I said about Mrs May during the election
- "useless, hopeless and visionless". Every day just keeps confirming
this.

I am no fan of Grayling (he's incompetent although he probably thinks
himself a genius) but the risk with any move is that you get some other
idiot in their place. The Khan / Grayling thing is a disastrous mess but
at least both sides understand the relationship is fractious.

It looks like the current London mayor will have to develop a working
relationship with the younger brother of the previous London mayor: Jo
Johnson is now Transport Minister and Minister for London. He might be
responsible for pushing through the Heathrow expansion, against the
bitter opposition of the MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip...

Have we been told what the new ministerial responsibilities with the DfT are
yet? I wouldn't assume Johnson has London. Minister for London is usually a
non-transport role, I think.


https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/jo-johnson-removed-after-clashes-with-pm-vd3tr8mz5?shareToken=a031a0715b0d99c7de53ada25c736 5a9