High Speed Rail 2

The rail infrastructure providers are planning a new high speed link that runs north to south. The link is to include Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and London. At £34bn it is not going to be cheap.

What are the challenges??

1. £34 billion for the route. Given current government spending commitments, public funding is going to be an issue. The banking sector will not be able to fund this easily. However, we do own the bank so we could get a better deal.
2. If we could align a route that ran relatively straight North to South, there maybe efficiencies. If we use existing routes and stations then we are likely to have problems. High speed and urban density do not work well. If the land take is excessive or compulsory purchases are necessary then we are likely to end up in a long drawn out planning and legal acquisition process.
3. The engineering is not a problem but is likely to be costly. A siginificant amount of tunnels are likely to be used when entering cities. London will almost certainly require a new terminus.
4. High speed trains require a great deal of power to function. Current consumption will almost certainly require new power plants. The most efficient high speed rail systems in the world are dependent on nuclear power. Are we ready for a nuclear Britain?
5. Revenue generation is important. High speed will run at a loss for at least 5-10 years. A phased programme may help. Fare levels have to attractive. It is currently cheaper to travel by air to London than by trains. Do we need to make airlines uncompetitive by taxing them more?
6. The political will to build a railway must be present. The Conservatives, despite current pronouncements, are still market driven and are unlikely to fund such a scheme. Labour has not shown any strong desire to drive rail travel forward. There is the Scottish Question that will raise its head.

The UK has the engineering expertise to develop a successful high speed rail service. Unfortunately, we will try to do it on the cheap and end up with a 2nd rate service. The sadness is that the UK is geographically not a large country and a world class high speed rail service will allow for a more balanced development of the country.

Public Value

Mark Moore from the Kennedy School of Government brought the concept of public value to the fore. It is starting to exercise the minds of government and think tanks on both sides of the Atlantic. Democracy according to Abe Lincoln is a government of the people, by the people, for the people. Is it then possible to have decision making by the people? How do the public value the various initiatives at the moment.

Public Value seeks to engage people in the decisions that impact their lives. It looks at how decisions are made to benefit people. Any spending or policy should maximise what people see as value to them. Most governments tend to take the view that they know what is right for people. This suggests that governments know better than us. Public value looks at how the public can become involved in the decision making process so that they understand the dilemmas facing public sector decision makers.

So why is public value gaining favour. There is a bigger push for localised and decentralised decision making. One size does not fit all. If the public gets involved in local decision making there is the option of democracy working better. Politicians and governments realise that the public does not engage with the governing process other than at elections. Get us involved and we might feel better about how our contributions to taxes etc.

Sceptics will say this is another talking shop. If Public value is to work it is more than inputs, outputs and processes. There must be discernible outcomes. A simple example might be safety and security. The input might be more police and output reduction in crime statistics. However, if people do not feel any safer then is having more police good public value? On the other hand more visible policing with the same number might make us feel safer. The public will place a higher value on this. This is going to be rolled out across much of the US and UK.

This is the next big thing in government. We wait to see how this unfolds.

Expenses, Expenses, Expenses

Expense(n) "cost incurred"
Expense(a) "costs incurred in doing a particular job"
Expensive (a) " making a hig charge /causing much expense" (oxford dictionary)

It is with great amusement that I watch the revelations of the expenses of the"great and the good". Our rulers have been taking us to the cleaners. Here are some of my favourite expense claims.

1. Mowing the lawn
2. Cleaning horse manure
3. Porn movies
4. Cleaning the swimming pool
5. New flat screen TV.
6. Servicing the AGA
7. Replacing the chandeliers
8. Sharing a cleaner
9. Having a second home that is not in your seat or London.
10. Avoiding capital gain tax schemes that you administer.
11. Cleaning your carpet.
12. Replacing the toilet
13. Cost of a new barbecue
14. Replacement lightbulbs
15. Vacuum cleaner

I think this is wonderful. I am thinking of joining a political party to get some of this action.

I look forward to the next efficiency saving coming my way. I wonder which items they are going to pay for.

Spoiling a Good Walk

It’s the start of spring. My love of fair weather it means the start of ‘spoiling a good walk’ season. Hours are spent chasing a white(luminous yellow or red) ball around green pastures, brambles, thorns and woods. There is the joy of being attacked by midges of various types. Let us not forget the sprained wrists, twisted ankles and wonky backs. Oh, to get that ball around in the shortest number of shots. The joys of golf or as some would prefer ‘spoiling a good walk’

This is not the game for a grown man. It is the grown up version of having the latest toys. That little white ball, it started as a leather pouch filled with feathers. I remember the 70s with the horrible liquid pouch at the centre. . The boffins have really got into the art of ball design. The little dimpled object has a titanium core, synthetic material from the space shuttle and every bit of aerodynamic analysis you would apply to a jet fighter. Despite all this creativity and innovation hitting it any distance is the age old challenge.

What about the weapons of choice? There is that cave man in this game. I am sure that the earliest game was how far you could hit a skull with a club. This became too easy so we reduced the size of the club and skull. The club is made of the finest material, lightweight space age and tested time after time. A finer piece of engineering and technology is a struggle to fine. The physics of swing planes and dynamics are applied. The shaft, grip and head tuned to perfection. My first shot was with a wooden niblick, and then there was the graduation to persimmon woods, steel and now a composite of titanium and carbon fibre composites. I still miss, hook, shank, pull, push, fade and draw without knowing why.

Here is to spoiling a good walk, and all the technology that goes with it.

There is the fashion or anti-fashion and that requires an entirely new post.