From our Swindon correspondent:
From the Birmingham Mail
It has issued a notice to proceed to the companies that will build the high speed railway.
HS2 minister Andrew Stephenson said: “While the Government’s top priority is rightly to combat the spread of coronavirus, protect the NHS and save lives, we cannot delay work on our long-term plan to level up the country.
Now, at the end of this, lots of businesses that were previously reluctant to do it might reflect on it and decide that actually, this works out fine. They can cut the amount of office space they rent and people can work from laptops if they like. Maybe they can attract people from a slightly larger radius if they only have to do an hour’s commute every week.
“Following the decision earlier this year to proceed with the project, this next step provides thousands of construction workers and businesses across the country with certainty at a time when they need it, and means that work can truly begin on delivering this transformational project.”
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Presumably, when (as will inevitably be the case) this farrago is finally cancelled, we the taxpayers will be on the hook for extra billions in cancellation fees. Cui bono?
Of why not employ those construction workers to construct houses, which we are desperately and unquestionably short of?
That would solve a real problem. Real problems aren't meant to be solved. They are to be endlessly discussed, studied, analyzed and kept around as fodder for the next bunch.
Were you thinking of expropriating Taylor Wimpey, Persimmon first?
That's not a building problem, it's a planning problem.
There was something rather funny in the San Francisco paper a week ago, where everyone is under pretty stringent lockdown, though based on the traffic I observed today while riding my bike, a lot more people are on the roads today than they were last week.
But back to SF. Apparently construction work is considered essential work if for "affordable" housing and permitted but work on market rate buildings is non essential and presently not allowed.
Quite amusing. In NZ, the Wellington council wants a couple of hundred million to build a conference center as part of public works for Covid-19 'shovel ready' projects.
A conference center.
Talking about thing doesn't fix 'em, but it doesn't make 'em worse either.
We can also expect the firms that survive to increase their market share without too many new staff, and lots of firms to discover they don't need all those managers and consultants back. They will find new jobs, but who knows where? HS2 is completely non-adaptable, completely fixed in place, form, size and function. Who spends £100 billion on something like that now?
That is Boris's new nickname after all, the White Elephant.