Category: Tory Party

The Troubled Journey of HS2

June 28rd 2023 / Leave Feedback / nezuppal

Now admit it. You may not like me, my writing style, or agree with my political viewpoints. But that’s a bloody good article headline.

High-Speed 2 (HS2), the ambitious railway project intended to revolutionize the UK’s transport system. It has failed. It is a failure (I can relate). But it’s still being built? Miles upon miles of clean countryside is being torn up for …

Well that’s the question. Firstly, let’s focus on the North. Having attended Leeds University for 4 years I saw the station being fully renovated (not that I got to enjoy the final product). Only for the residents of Leeds to be told that HS2 will not be going to Leeds. What a waste of money – you must be thinking. That’s not the start or the end of it.

One of the primary criticisms leveled against HS2 is its staggering cost. From its inception, the project has been dogged by financial concerns, with estimates skyrocketing over time. The initial projected cost of HS2 was approximately £55 billion. Imagine what the government could do with that money. My last article referenced the tragedy of Grenfell. I’m sure some of that money could go to the victims, their families or could be put towards better building regulation and improved infrastructure. But this is a Tory project, let’s not forget, so who cares about them? (I have no political bias. I write what I think.)

But even if you were stunned by the inital approximate cost (which you should be!) subsequent revisions have seen the budget balloon to an estimated £100 billion and beyond. One hundred. Billion. Pounds. Imagine you were on, what I consider to be a good salary, of £45,000 a year. If you get that straight into your bank account (by the way you don’t because a lot of that is going towards this monstrosity). Guess how many years you would have to work to earn that much.

22,222 years.

But it’s not just the economics of it all. After 13 years of the same government we know that economics is not the Tory Party’s strong point … if it ever was. What about the environment?

Now, let’s be clear. When it comes to climate change I am deep-rooted in my beliefs that we are past the tipping point. On a podcast, an Environmental Scientict said that there’s no point in your recycling bin, or you cycling to work. His comparison was a house (the earth) is on fire and we have just turned on the kitchen tap to try and fix it. A brilliant analogy, I believe, but just because governments’ are slowly turning that tap on (good luck with your “Net 0 by 2030!” – or was it 2050?)

I thought Climate Change was just scientific fact by now. Like Evolution. To say “I don’t believe in Climate Change” is synanymous with saying “I don’t believe the Earth is round”. Well done ‘Einstein’. We’ve moved beyond hyptheses and it is no longer a case of belief. It’s a case of when. But now that I’m down with my little rant about Climate Change and the impact HS2 has had on the environment. Let’s move to its’ many other failures.

So we have – no travel to key areas. Unbelievable costs. And the environmental impact.

What about the delays and mismangement? The project was originally scheduled for completion by 2026, but its timeline has faced repeated setbacks. One major factor contributing to these delays is changes in leadership. In case you’ve been locked in a dark room for the last 3 years we have had 3 different Prime Ministers. One of them, Liz Truss, being the shortest-serving Prime Minister in history (excluding those who died in the post). This demonstrates a clear lack of clear accountability. They can blame it on the previous, who can blame it on the previous … who can blame it on global economic forces. “Blame everyone except for the idiot 3ft from the mirror” should be their new moto.

While the vision behind HS2 aimed to enhance the UK’s transport infrastructure, the project has been plagued by a multitude of problems, ultimately leading to its failure to live up to expectations. Exorbitant costs, environmental concerns, delays, regional imbalances, and changing travel behaviors have all contributed to the skepticism surrounding HS2.

And yet … they still pump money into this joke.

Jacob Rees-Mogg (A Brief History of a Moron)

June 27th 2023 / Leave Feedback / nezuppal

“But Nez!” I hear you shouting upon mymagnificent return. There’s so many worse Tories, why not write about them? Boris? Or Suella? Or just anyone associated with them. There’s also so much going on in the international sphere (the Ukraine War, China’s manoeuvres in the South China Sea, that bloody submarine), I imagine to myself you’re screaming.

Well, if you want to read about that … go to BBC News. Or is that too left wing? Then go to Fox News. Or do they just spread lies? I don’t write about that stuff because it’s all over the news. And people watch/read the news. Furthermore, in the words of the great Denzel Washington: “don’t read the news you’re uninformed, read the news and you’re misinformed.” Thank you Mr. Washington I’ll happily stay uninformed.

Why Groggy Mogg? Ah well, why not. He may not be the worst but we must remember we’re comparing him to tax-dodgers, coke-heads and Liz Truss. Picking the worst would be near impossible – though please feel
free to leave a comment saying your worst.mogg

Back to the Groggster. While some applaud his commitment to traditional values and staunch conservatism, others have raised concerns about his actions and stances on various issues. (By “some” … even I don’t know who I’m referring to). Let’s start where this man’s evil, in politics at least, began. Grenfell.

Don’t worry if you’d forgotten about Grenfell. The government forgot as well. And it’s their job not to forget. What was a shocking national disaster, raising so many issues not just around housing but around compensation, safety and the basic living conditions in this country. We were all appalled! Rees-Mogg wasn’t. Soon after the shocking incident, in 2017, he released a statement claiming that the victims lacked “common
sense” in following fire safety advice. Let that sink in.

Trained first-responders are giving you instructions. You’re building’s on fire. But if you listen to these trained
experts then, according to Mogg, you have no common sense.

If that wasn’t enough … he starts to attack the LGBTQ+ community. Let’s not get into a heated debate about gender identity or whatever, I don’t have time for that and whatever I say about it will offend someone. But when it comes to same-sex marriage the answer seems simple. Not for Mogg. His opposition to same-sex marriage and remarks suggesting that he does not personally support same-sex adoption have been met with outrage from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups and supporters.

Grenfell. Then the homosexual community. THEN we have Rees-Mogg’s views on abortion and contraception. Rees-Mogg, a devout Catholic (since when has that mattered?), has consistently opposed abortion in
all circumstances, including cases of rape and incest. Including rape and incest …

As a likely product of generations of incestuous in-breeding I can understand why he has such a warped mind. But he is not supposed to be looking out for his own family and their in-breeding ways. He is supposed to politically support the people he represents. Those people, we must assume, are either angry about Foggy Mogg’s stance. Or their ignorant to it. Get it? Ignorance is bliss.

His position disregards women’s reproductive rights and restricts access to safe and legal abortions. Additionally, Rees-Mogg has expressed opposition to contraception, advocating for abstinence
instead.

… Is he an InCel?

In the brilliant ‘House of Cards’ a simple political principle is spelt out to the viewers. Politicians have three things to consider when they are casting votes or making speeches. Vote your conscience. Vote your party. Vote for your constituents.

Not for Mogg, however, as he is “one of a kind” … in a VERY special way. He votes his Party; then perhaps he votes his conscience (if he has one). And his constituents?

Screw them. He’s probably laughing at how stupid they were to elect him the first place!