Van Dammer Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 I suppose it's apt that I'm asking this, but in what way is HS2 a worthwhile project? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rey_Piste Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Never mind the actual financial boost it will bring in jobs, not only for the construction of the line, but the rolling stock as well as staff for it once it's fully up and running. The idea is to start with London to Birmingham, eventually making it's way up to Manchester then onto Edinburgh. Having a hig speed rail system as the spine of the country is a great idea, the problem is how well it actually goes once it's gotten up and running, since this country doesn't have the best record when it comes to rail travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Galt Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 See, when it's said like that, it sounds much better. Neither the for or against on the news channels or in the papers have really made it seem like anything outside of a vanity project; the connection to Europe that Loki mentioned hasn't been played up at all and the language used made it sound like a case of keeping up avec les Joneses. My main concern was that, as someone who makes the hideous trek through Preston station like 4 times a week, twice a day, I see enough problems in the system coming from the north that just altering the south wouldn't look like it would make such a difference but if it is such an important line, then they really need to be pushing that angle instead of pushing the 30 minute time savings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rey_Piste Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 The thing is it's 30 odd billion as the projected budget and that's just for stage one. So I do see the London to Birmingham getting completed in 15 years and it will go massively over budget as well as being late, it's the British way. Though the idea that you could get on a train in Edinburgh and when you leave the train you're in France is a great idea, never mind all the freight that could be sent abroad on the line as well. So I'm all for it in principle, just I know it's going to put together by a load of incompetent cowboys looking for a way to make an easy buck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Galt Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 That is my underlying concern too. This is England after all so I don't really expect any kind of quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members JNLister Posted January 13, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted January 13, 2012 Newt Gingrich anti-Romney ad makes UKIP look positively multicultural. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted January 17, 2012 Author Share Posted January 17, 2012 Michael Gove is a bit of a prat, isn't he? Â Downing Street has moved swiftly to torpedo a proposal from the education secretary, Michael Gove, that the public should donate a Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Anyone been keeping up with the Republican nomination campaign? The particular highlight at the moment being Stephen Colbert, a political satirist's mocking of the Super PAC system. Here's where he created the Super PAC: http://www.videobb.com/watch_video.php?v=ImTy0P4giPSd   Then he had this interview on ABC News, which was very funny:  Also here's a very funny political advert by the Colbert group labelling Mitt Romney a serial killer:   On a more serious and scary note, here's Newt "Ladies Man" Gingrich's latest political ad, slating Romney purely on the basis he can speak French: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyFaWhygzjQ...eature=youtu.be  Hope you enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) Anyone been keeping up with the Republican nomination campaign? The particular highlight at the moment being Stephen Colbert, a political satirist's mocking of the Super PAC system. Here's where he created the Super PAC: http://www.videobb.com/watch_video.php?v=ImTy0P4giPSd  Then he had this interview on ABC News, which was very funny:  Also here's a very funny political advert by the Colbert group labelling Mitt Romney a serial killer:   On a more serious and scary note, here's Newt "Ladies Man" Gingrich's latest political ad, slating Romney purely on the basis he can speak French: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyFaWhygzjQ...eature=youtu.be  Hope you enjoy.  American politics is such a circus, especially the GOP. I think Romney's going to be the nominee despite how much the Republican base don't really want him, but he's the only one who's electable (the rest are either batshit insane or utterly dislikeable, besides Ron Paul really), and the Republican base seem to want Obama out badly (I wonder why...).  For liberals, though, Obama's been a big disappointment, hasn't he? Not closing Gitmo, not supporting gay marriage enough, assassinations, drone attacks, indefinite detention (now of American citizens too) and poor negotiation on tax cuts and other issues. Voting for/supporting Obama is just the lesser of two evils because things would be even worse if the country was the in the hands of conservatives.  I'm a massive fan of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Stewart and Colbert are doing a grand job of sending up election campaigns, the rhetoric and Super PACs. Here's to Colbert doing well in the South Carolina primary! Edited January 19, 2012 by Vice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Well Vice, he's too late to actually run, so the polling list has shut down a couple of weeks back. Instead Colbert is asking all his fans to vote for Herman Cain, who still remains on the ballot list despite withdrawing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Well Vice, he's too late to actually run, so the polling list has shut down a couple of weeks back. Instead Colbert is asking all his fans to vote for Herman Cain, who still remains on the ballot list despite withdrawing. Yep, I've been following  Colbert Super PAC Releases Ad Attacking Stephen Colbert: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/19/c...kusaolp00000009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patiirc Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I wasnt really paying attention, but was Germaine Greer getting ripped a new one on QT again? Anyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbins Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Germaine couldn't even be bothered to say anything controversial. It was basically Sayeeda Warsi farting on about the Queen's yacht for hours and being completely economically illiterate, while Caroline Lucas destroyed the useless Blairite Twigg and imperial throwback Torygraph toff with a bit of Keynes. Â Warsi thought that a "grown-up debate" about airport expansion could ignore the teeny factor of carbon emissions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Houchen Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I'm amazed that the Tories still think letting Warsi go on tv is a good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members nfc90210 Posted January 20, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 This is not a particularly astute political comment, but I just found out that Mitt Romney is sixty-four years old. He looks well on it. I had him pegged as being in his early to mid fifties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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