Quote:
Originally Posted by pip08456
The problem with rail in this country was a direct result of the second world war. Rather than performing regular maintanence the rail companies were reduced to running on a shoestring just to keep services running as best they could and repairing the callosal damage inflicted.
After the war the government had to spend money on getting German infrastructure up and running as an occuping force so no money was available to compensate the rail companies.
Nationalisation of the rail came into effect rather than the rail companies going into recievership and we having no rail services.
Comparing rail in this country, lacking in investment is like chalk and cheese if you compare it with Europe.
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Yes it is and that's why we are where we are. To develop what we've got to the standard of the best in Europe having taken the network back into public ownership would cost many billions and necessitate the tax rises nobody will vote for. Catch 22.
---------- Post added at 11:44 ---------- Previous post was at 11:24 ----------
So Farron's big idea is to legalise cannabis. He reckons it'll solves all sorts of problems, generate loads of revenue and put the drug dealers out of business.
Hmmm. If I were a drug dealer I think I'd just produce a stronger version and undercut the price of the official stuff. It'd take time but and yes there'd be a proportion of people who'd prefer to rely on the officially supplied gear but there'd be a great many who'd simply want to try something cheaper and stronger. This is exactly what's happening with Spice now isn't it? It's also the reason out sea and airports are flooded with cheap and all too often dodgy cigarettes which people choose to buy knowing all the risks of, for example, product contamination and lack of quality control, because they're cheaper.
Yep HMG could reduce the prices it charges for the official cannabis but where does that leave the predicted revenue stream?
Also if they legalise small scale home cultivation how are they intending to protect neighbours from the pungent aroma these plants generate or are non drug users just going to have to live with that?