Britain’s railways go from one extreme to another
Departing: privatisation. Destination: centralisation
When britain’s railways were nationalised for the first time, in 1948, politicians steamed. Conservative peers called it “a most ghastly mistake” and “by far the biggest measure of Socialism which had ever been proposed in the world outside Russia”. By contrast, the new government’s renationalisation programme is chugging along quietly. A bill to bring passenger-train operations into public ownership passed its second reading in the House of Commons on July 29th, following a thinly attended debate. Polls show that most people, including most Conservative voters, approve.
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Britain August 3rd 2024
- What will Great British Energy do?
- A riot in Southport shows how the British far right is changing
- How deep is Britain’s fiscal “black hole”?
- Britain’s railways go from one extreme to another
- The disease that most afflicts England’s National Health Service
- The race to become leader of Britain’s Conservatives
- Was the Bank of England right to start lowering interest rates?
- British voters care less about tax rises than politicians think
From the August 3rd 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
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The evolution of Britain’s extreme right
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Was the Bank of England right to start lowering interest rates?
Andrew Bailey takes a calculated risk
What will Great British Energy do?
The new body’s first job is to unblock private investment
The disease that most afflicts England’s National Health Service
Stopping raids on capital budgets would be a start