Earlier today I
posted a story about the new rail deal announced by Geoff Hoon today. The Today Programme swallowed the line that it was all about 12,500 new British jobs. I smelled a rat.
Lobbydog has posted the truth. And that is that it's not 12,500 new jobs. It is 500. Spin, spin, spin.
you were wondering earlier, Iain, what Mandelson was doing......seems like we`ve found out now....
ReplyDeleteHow is that spin and not an outright lie?
ReplyDeleteThe line peddled changed thru the day from create 12,500 jobs to safeguard them.
How can you tell if Geoff Hoon is lying? His lips move. Tosser.
"Labour politician tells lie" is a news story in the same category as "bear has dump in woods" in my book.
ReplyDeleteIain, can you please change your blog entry so that he's called Geoffrey The Hoon instead? It would truly make my day. ;-)
As always with NuLab - read the small print.
ReplyDeleteSounds about right. For New labour.
ReplyDeleteBBC News pulled one of the most impressive reverse-ferrets in ages on this story over the course of the day. All morning they were peddling the government "great news for British jobs" line; by 6pm it was "British firms lose out as contract goes to Hitachi".
ReplyDeletewv: biles
Trains would be needed eventually so there are no real 'extra' jobs in building or maintaining replacements.
ReplyDeleteBy outsourcing all that is relevant the result is in effect that the Government are destroying Britain's own train building business.
Its not just Today. The same spin and rejoice rejoice line was used on the World at One and PM.
ReplyDeleteThe BBC should hang its head in shame.
My darling wife - gawd bless her - has just come out with this pearl of wisdom;
ReplyDelete"Why are they saying its a government order when we have separate train companies?"
Err.. yes darling I said.
Meantime the only thing guaranteed to be built in Britain are the wheels.
Given that wheels are regularly coming off government policies I don't hold out much hope.
An opportunity for Britain to start making things again
ReplyDeleteHoon gives it to Japan
Un be lieve able
(fill in the gaps yourselves)
Oh yes, the steam train BBC seems to have caught up now...
ReplyDeletehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7886766.stm
Not sure about the link, so trying again:
ReplyDeletehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/
1/hi/uk/7886766.stm
I'm confused, are the Tories now saying they'll can competitive tendering outside the UK?
ReplyDeleteThis is Gordon's fiscal stimulus policy:
ReplyDeleteHitachi workers paying japanese taxes, stimulating the japanese economy, japanese steel workers paying taxes stimulating the japanese economy, japanese train electronics workers paying japanese taxes stimulating the japanese economy, from 2013, VAT on rail tickets for trains built by Hitachi at 20-30% barely stimulating the british economy
OT QT now: What the hell is Justine Greening saying "hopefully now the Dutch will prosecute him" about Geert whatever" confirming my view that she is a soundbite airhead. Monty Don was more sound. Strange non entity moslem woman suggesting that anyone claiming peaceful dissent should be allowed in and Labour party non entity laughed at by audience.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hijack this thread but
ReplyDeletea) Keith Vaz is being eviscerated on Newsnight on account of Wim Wossisname being banned - Vaz has not even seen the film in question.
Second - sorry b) it seems the 'The One' has lost his second prospective Commerce Secretary, not least because of "the President’s stimulus package"
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5721223.ece
Bit of a worry when Brown seems to think that Obama is going to be his lifeboat to salvation. At this rate 'The One' might be a bit of a tarnished brand come April 2.
And sorry to turn this into a live blog - you can tell what a sad git I am - but Newsnight is also roasting Brown over his links to bankers and a former Blair aid accused him of hubris. He also pointed out complaints made years ago by Eddie George to Blair which were overruled by Brown.
Sadly Newsnight returns to form by inviting Vince cable in as an expert.
My take is on Brown selling us out to The UAE, not Japan, in order to borrow some dosh. I've a bit more at my place. Could have (pun coming) wheels!
ReplyDeleteThe other bizarre thing about it is that the press release states the trains are for the Great Western and East Coast Main Line and also states the trains will go to Cambridge. Since when has that city been on the East Coast Main Line?
ReplyDeleteHad a good old chuckle at Steve Bell's cartoon on this at CIF...
ReplyDeleteWell the alternative was a Siemens/Bombardier design, so that's Germany and Canada covered. And the privatisation of the railways under Major stuffed the rolling stock business to such a degree that we couldn't build an all-British design here anyway, at least not in the required timescales (IC125 is over 30 years old and the IC225 is at least 20 years old).
ReplyDeleteAnd as for why it is a Government order, blame it on the absolutely stupid way the railways were privatised.
Tory Boy - 12:30. If you'd bothered to read the documentation on the DfT website, you'd realise that the order is for a mix of inter-city, inter-urban and suburban trains.
which would you chose, an all expenses paid jolly (sorry, fact finding mission) to japan (first class seats naturally) or an away day to derby ?
ReplyDeletego on you know it makes sense
British jobs for Japanese workers. Our lot will just assemble the kit trains. Thank you, the government.
ReplyDelete