SevenRivers Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 The government have done another u-turn this morning, announcing that "civil servants got their sums wrong" on the West Coast Mainline. More like the government made a very unpopular decision by selecting First and now they're going to wriggle out of it and hang the bad decision on the civil service. Jeez this government is incompetent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Belle* Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 So, threatened with a judicial review, the government decides to throw all the hats back into the ring. It appears there were 'flaws' in the decision process. Yes, I bet there were... Quote from BBC piece: "Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin described the mistakes made by his department as "deeply regrettable and completely unacceptable". And in the meantime:"......ministers will be forced into the humiliating position of asking Virgin to keep the trains going while they sort out this mess." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoatwobbler Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Wow. I'm lost for words about this. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19809717 The decision to award the West Coast Main Line rail franchise to FirstGroup has been scrapped and the government says the bidding process must be rerun. Ministers say there were "significant technical flaws" in the way the risks for each bid were calculated. They have also ordered two independent reviews into what happened. FirstGroup, which beat current operator Virgin Trains to win the 13-year deal, said it had submitted its bid correctly and was "disappointed" at the news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchresearch Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 I'm not surprised in the least if the years of my watching "Yes Minister" is anything to go by. No, minister! Senior civil servants deliberately block policy, says Francis Maude Britain’s most senior civil servants are deliberately blocking Government policies they do not agree with, a senior minister will say. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19797736 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9580069/No-minister-Senior-civil-servants-deliberately-block-policy-says-Francis-Maude.html Even if it is civil service incompetence, the Tory haters on here won't believe it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithy266 Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 So was Mr Branson right after all...? I have this great idea: why don't all the rail companies become one big company, they could call themselves British Rail, it could be state owned, and buying tickets could be made so much easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudbeer Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Always thought there was something wrong here the figures just did not add up. Does make you wonder what else they have got wrong and something tells me there is more to this than they are letting on. Virgin have done a good job on the trains and Firsts's record is far from great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMoon Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 West Coast Mainline say they can increase passenger numbers by ten per cent every year. All the experts that I have heard say this is impossible. Tories say they have done the 'sums' and they all add up. But as everything the Tories have 'added up' in the last two years have been wrong these are more than likely to be wrong as well. Just as I predicted, no need to thank me http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2212069/West-Coast-Main-Line--Government-scraps-rail-deal-High-Court-challenge-Sir-Richard-Branson.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudbeer Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 You can just imagine what happened after Virgin anounced they were taking legal action. MP's says to department of transport right we need to check every t is croosed and every I dotted,they then unearth a bag of worms..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMoon Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 You can just imagine what happened after Virgin anounced they were taking legal action. MP's says to department of transport right we need to check every t is croosed and every I dotted,they then unearth a bag of worms..... And if Branson hadn't taken legal action this bunch of unelected multi millionnaires in Downing St would yet again have wasted millions of pounds of our money on an ill thought out scheme which the next Labour government would have had to sort out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
websters gue Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 'The estimated cost of reimbursing four companies for the cost of their bids will be £40m, Patrick McLoughlin said'. Which the state will pay for. Isn't the free market wonderfully efficient? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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