Friday Rant - Train Tyres: A Tory Technofix
at 11:07am on Friday, 17th August 2007
John Redwood's review is published today. Except that it isn't. It's 'published' in the sense that some of it is being talked about. But it doesn't seem to exist as an actual published thing. The web site where it should be hasn't been updated since June. The glass of Tory transparency is still, it seems, frosted like the window of a Surbiton lav.
Anyway, their attempt to control the agenda has been flummoxed somewhat by today's lovely discussion of John Redwood's technofix footnote.
You'll remember that, almost exactly a year ago, the Tories announced that social problems could be solved by monorails... This silly season's social policy? John Redwood, asked to come up with a coherent centre(-ish)-right approach to competitiveness, has suggested solving congestion by putting tyres on trains. Tyres on trains. Tyres, right? On trains. Like a bus. But a train. You know, like in ultra-competitive Paris. All we need is to build a mini road alongside every single railway line in the country. The work of an afternoon.
Clutching at technological straws - the surest sign of desperation on intractable policy issues.
Anyway, their attempt to control the agenda has been flummoxed somewhat by today's lovely discussion of John Redwood's technofix footnote.
You'll remember that, almost exactly a year ago, the Tories announced that social problems could be solved by monorails... This silly season's social policy? John Redwood, asked to come up with a coherent centre(-ish)-right approach to competitiveness, has suggested solving congestion by putting tyres on trains. Tyres on trains. Tyres, right? On trains. Like a bus. But a train. You know, like in ultra-competitive Paris. All we need is to build a mini road alongside every single railway line in the country. The work of an afternoon.
Clutching at technological straws - the surest sign of desperation on intractable policy issues.
LOGIN to add comments
Comments