Getting HS2 back on track

Sir David’s task could not be greater. Already public opinion has become more sceptical towards HS2, in part because of continuing concerns about the viability of investing upwards of £42bn in a project which will take around a quarter of a century to build.

That said, Sir David’s enlightened thinking is already producing results – even though he has only been in his new role for just over a week.

He wants building work to begin in the North to counter those who believe that HS2 
is only being built for London’s benefit. He also wants an early start on the new station complex in Leeds to highlight the city’s economic potential. He 
has acknowledged the concerns in Sheffield – and the issue of whether this station should be built by Meadhowhall or in the city centre.

This positive and pragmatic approach will be crucial to keeping HS2 on track. Sir David also makes a telling point about the existing East Coast main line’s lack of robustness during inclement weather and the capacity constraints which necessitate the construction of a new North-South railway line.

Yet the engineer’s input will be counter-productive without political backbone, and two points need to be made in this regard.

First, MPs can’t complain about the duration of the construction work when it will take six years for the necessary legislation to be passed. Second, David Cameron’s commitment to accelerate the building of HS2 will only happen if the Treasury is in a position to increase the rate of funding that is available to this scheme on an annual basis.

Both are issues that need to be reconciled if Sir David is to have the best possible chance of fulfilling his remit, and will be indicative of whether all political parties are prepared to work together on this nationally important infrastructure project.

The responsibilities of parenthood

IT is not altogether surprising that half of people living in this region believe that family life is harder today than 20 years ago. Respondents are far more likely to remember their current difficulties with the cost of living rather than the challenges that they – and the country – faced in 1994 when Britain was still recovering from the last recession.

The YouGov poll, it should be pointed out, is also part of a wider attempt by the charity 4Children to persuade the Government to put in place more support for vulnerable families as well as further steps to promote the advantages of flexible working. These are noble aspirations, but they do need to be placed in wider perspective.

Those who bemoan today’s hardships are unlikely to receive much sympathy from their forebears who grew up in the age of post-war austerity. They knew how to make every penny count, a virtue that is not readily associated with those who plead poverty while subscribing to satellite television’s premium fee channels and buying the latest must-have mobile phone accessory.

That said, society is changing. After the war, it is was generally accepted that there would be one breadwinner in the family. Now there an acceptance, or expectation, that both parents will work. And this does bring a different set of challenges – issues like affordable childcare and the long-term care of elderly relatives.

Because these issues are difficult to reconcile, people are more likely to express their exasperation in opinion polls. However it is naive if families, and groups like 4Children, expect the Government to solve every set of problems.

Raising a young family involves parents accepting responsibilities of their own, a trait that became eroded by Labour’s nanny state approach to policy, and which proved to be damaging to the fabric of society.

Amazon versus local shopkeepers

THERE is a hidden irony that those people who bemoan the decline in independent bookshops, once the cornerstone of a thriving high street, are the self-same people who find it impossible to resist buying books from Amazon because of the cost – and convenience – of making an instantaneous purchase at the press of a button.

Perhaps they should consider the plight of booksellers like David Ford when they next place an order. The proud proprietor of Saltaire Bookshop, he’s actually used Facebook and other social media platforms to highlight the astonishing fact that his takings dropped to £7.50 on one dismal day recently.

The result? A significant upturn in sales, even though the long-running roadworks in Saltaire continue to be an inconvenience for many. The lesson? An appreciation of the service provided by Mr Ford. Even though it is virtually impossible for them to compete with Amazon’s business model, which sees warehouse staff work long hours on the minimum wage in order to hit delivery targets, their appreciation of literature, and willingness to help customers, cannot be matched by any online distributor.