WHEN around 70 per cent of the public, and even a majority of Tory voters, support full renationalisation of our railways, Ed Miliband, at the Labour Party national policy forum last weekend, came up with a fudged policy.
He told the people gathered that if Labour wins the 2015 election, he will allow public concerns to bid for franchises in competition with private companies.
This falls well short of what is needed. The Green Party believes our railways should be brought back into public ownership and this is supported by the overwhelming majority of the public.
All our privately-run system has brought is overpriced fares, a failing system, with very little investment.
Private companies’ only interest is to milk railways for every ounce of profit they can muster, then walk away from the latter stages of a contract, when larger contributions are due to the Treasury.
Labour, like the other main parties with their neo-liberal policies, are too much tied up to the City of London, and the money men.
I am afraid Labour’s half measures will not cure our ailing railways; only full public ownership will do that.
Alan Johnson, Bolton Green Party
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