As The Labour Party once again abandons its roots with its announcement of its plans to allow state and private sector bidders to compete for rail franchises as they come up for renewal, Green Party national spokeswoman for local transport and Islington Councillor Caroline Russell wrote in the Guardian to put forward the Green Party’s alternative approach. She also reacted to the announcement that HS2 bosses will receive massive salaries whilst public sector workers are forced to take pay freezes or just 1% increases.
Cllr Russell wrote: “For the 70% of the public who back the renationalisation of the railways, the two announcements made regarding the future of the railway network will have come as a blow. We heard from the Labour party that far from pledging to renationalise the network as many had hoped, it will instead allow public companies to join the bidding process – despite the fact that competitive bidding for rail franchises has been proven to lead to a race to a bottom and undercut services.
“Then we heard from Sir David Higgins, the boss of HS2, that as many as 30 people in charge of delivering the high-speed rail network will be paid over £140,000 (HS2 salaries in excess of PM’s pay are justified, says transport secretary, 4 July). The Green Party wants to restore the sense of pride and honour that comes with delivering a service run for the public good and we don’t believe that paying extortionate wages is the way to improve service provision.
“With 70% backing our calls for renationalisation, Labour’s announcement is a disappointing one. We know that there is an alternative to the current system for managing the country’s railways – one that will put the interests of the public above the private purse. Together with the public and the other campaigns that back re-nationalisation, we can work together to deliver this change.”
The full article can be read on the Guardian’s website here.
