Please sign the petition to keep East Coast public here.

cepheus

East Coast has been a success in public hands. This is a decision based on political dogma, not good sense. Please sign

Just one in five voters (20 per cent) are in favour of re-privatising the East Coast Mainline, according to new polling published today.

A poll carried out by Survation for new campaign group We Own It – shows that nearly-three fifths (58 per cent) of the general public oppose government plans to hand the route back to private train operators. A further one in five (21 per cent) say they are unconvinced about the proposals.

The poll also shows that far more Conservative voters are against (47 per cent) taking the East Coast out of public ownership than are in favour of it (28 per cent).

cheeseontoastwithham

cepheus wrote: »

East Coast has been a success in public hands. This is a decision based on political dogma, not good sense. Please sign

No, in my view East Coast should be sold off - all the other rail companies are privately owned and seem to be operating efficiently. I think it is fair to shift the cost from the taxpayer to the user - what is unfair is the price rises on fares always hit the same people - commuters into London. It is London and the financial services industy which makes Britain a success - that is its biggest asset.

cepheus

cheeseontoastwithham wrote: »

No, in my view East Coast should be sold off - all the other rail companies are privately owned and seem to be operating efficiently. I think it is fair to shift the cost from the taxpayer to the user - what is unfair is the price rises on fares always hit the same people - commuters into London. It is London and the financial services industy which makes Britain a success - that is its biggest asset.

It costs taxpayers more in private hands. Rail is not self supporting. The taxpayer has no business paying shareholders.

It was London and much of the financial sector which created the crisis and had to be bailed out by the taxpayer. It was also responsible for the subsequent pernicious effects of quantitative easing, except on assets owned mainly by themselves which did quite well. The financial sector certainly benefit themselves.

cheeseontoastwithham

cepheus wrote: »

It was London and much of the financial sector which created the crisis and had to be bailed out by the taxpayer. It was also responsible for the subsequent pernicious effects of quantitative easing, except on assets owned mainly by themselves which did quite well. The financial sector certainly benefit themselves.

That's not strictly true, small segments of the banking sector were responsible as well as the Labour government but it isn't right to tarnish all commuters with the same brush.

patman99

The ECML actually generates £800M+ for the Govt. (and this is increasing). So by keeping it in public hands, it will be of greater benefit to the UK economy over the 15 year span of the franchise than selling it.

Mind you, The Tories don't have much of a business brain so it's no wonder they sell-off money-makers and keep loss-makers.

cepheus

cheeseontoastwithham wrote: »

That's not strictly true, small segments of the banking sector were responsible as well as the Labour government but it isn't right to tarnish all commuters with the same brush.

Small segments? Weren't nearly all the big banks caught out though not holding sufficient capital reserves to remain solvent in a downturn? I also think most of them held derivatives in the US housing market. Also name me one large British bank who has not been prosecuted for selling deceptive financial products?

Yes Blair and Brown turned a blind eye to regulation, as would have any Tory government. All the more reason why they need tough regulation and a proper Socialist government to oversee it.