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Your Views

Ternan Macnamara, Thirsk

4th November 2013 | Your Views

The first experiment in private management of transport in this country ran for 100years – the turnpike system. It ended because it was useless and expensive.

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Your Views

  • It’s blindingly obvious that if you have several dozen private companies running all parts of the rail system, a large chunk of income will be lost.

    Gerald Milward-Oliver, Bradford-on-Avon

  • Reverse this ridiculous example of Tory dogma as soon as possible. The Railtrack fiasco proved how poorly thought out it all was.

    John Campbell, Manchester

  • The East Coast line has been amazing since it went back into public ownership. Why change something that is working so well.

    Jane Geraghty, Newark

  • Fares too high, fare structure incomprehensible, need to invest if we want public to be greener and use the railways before the car, need to be as efficient as Europe.

    Linden Ross, Dunbar

  • Why stop at British Rail? Why not bring back the CEGB? Have you looked at your electricity bills of late and they have the brass neck to tell us the lights are failing.

    Robert Ferguson, Wakefield

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Bring Back British Rail
14 hours ago

Please take action before Weds 3 June! ๐Ÿ‘‡ @top fans
๐Ÿ“ง weownit.org.uk/act-now/protect-passengers-rights๐ŸšจThe Railways Bill comes back to parliament on 3rd June

This bill was supposed to "put people at the heart of our railway" - but it does not

We've worked with MPs on amendments to ensure the bill puts passengers before profit

Ask your MP to back these key amendments: weownit.org.uk/act-now/protect-passengers-rights ... See MoreSee Less

Please take action b
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Bring Back British Rail
1 month ago

It was great to support We Own It's Tug of War: Passengers vs Profiteers event outside Parliament this week ๐Ÿ‘ We're raising awareness for the issues with the #RailwaysBill ๐Ÿš†๐Ÿ’ธ Please email your MP to ask whose side they're on ๐Ÿ‘‡ @top fans
๐Ÿ“จ weownit.org.uk/passengers-not-profit ... See MoreSee Less

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Bring Back British Rail and We Own It
2 months ago

๐Ÿ“ฃ Last chance to email your MP before our Tug of War: Passengers vs Profiteers event this Weds ๐Ÿ‘‡
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TUG OF WAR: Ask your MP to make sure the Railways Bill delivers for passengers, not profit

weownit.org.uk

We are organising a tug of war on Parliament Square next Wednesday 15th April and weโ€™d love your MP to be there.
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Bring Back British Rail and We Own It โ€” attending an event.
2 months ago

Want a railway run for people not profit? ๐Ÿš† Join the Tug of War: Passengers vs Profiteers in Parliament Square this ๐—ช๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐˜€ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฑ ๐—”๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—น, ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฎ:๐Ÿฐ๐Ÿฑ โœŠ We're raising awareness for the key problems with the #RailwaysBill & promoting the amendments aimed at resolving them ๐Ÿ“œ ๐—ช๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐— ๐—ฃ ๐Ÿ‘‡ @top fans
... See MoreSee Less

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TUG OF WAR: Ask your MP to make sure the Railways Bill delivers for passengers, not profit

weownit.org.uk

We are organising a tug of war on Parliament Square next Wednesday 15th April and weโ€™d love your MP to be there.
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Bring Back British Rail
4 months ago

We welcome West Midlands Railway being brought back into public ownership today ๐Ÿฅณ But, if control over these lines is devolved to the Mayor of the West Midlands in the future, there is nothing in the current #RailwaysBill to prevent re-privatisation ๐Ÿšจ Heidi Alexander for Swindon South and Keir Mather MP must sort this! @top fans ... See MoreSee Less

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    Our Supporters

    • Taking our railways back from private profiteers will mean better services, fairer rail fares and more than ยฃ1 billion a year in savings for the public purse.

      Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP

    • There is no good excuse left for rail privatisation beyond enriching wealthy elites. Public ownership delivers for social and environmental needs over private profit.

      Professor Andrew Cumbers, University of Glasgow

    • The UK public wants a publicly owned railway, and so do we. Lush calls for an end to the failed experiment of privatising essential services.

      Tamsin Omond, Lush Campaigns

    • Privatisation has delivered… a system in which train operators and energy firms compete not on service โ€“ but on how many tariffs they can bamboozle customers with.

      Aditya Chakrabortty, The Guardian

    • The privatisation of the railways was a scandal that created an unworkable and expensive structure which should be replaced with a national unified network.

      Christian Wolmar, transport commentator

    • Let’s make the case for democratic social ownership, fit for the 21st century, ensuring our railways are run in the interests of passengers, not profiteers.

      Owen Jones, writer

    • A good public transport system should be the foundation of a fair, just, happy, low-carbon world.

      Ellie Harrison, campaign founder

    • At its heart privatisation in Britain was never about selling public networks but about selling the rights to tax those who are obliged to use them.

      James Meek, writer

    • Privatisation of the railways has failed. Its time to make a virtue of public ownership, and the public service provided by state employees.

      Charles Secrett, The ACT! Alliance

    • To be able to reduce C02 emissions, by persuading people to leave cars at home, we need a fast, efficient subsidised railway system that’s run for people not profit!

      Ellie Harrison, campaign founder

    • Research into privatisation… boils down to one key finding: the only way Branson and the vast majority of train barons make their profits is through handouts from the taxpayer.

      Aditya Chakrabortty, The Guardian

    • Transport is an essential public service and ought to be publicly owned and publicly controlled. We need an enormous expansion in the investment in our railways and that is the best way of achieving it.

      Tony Benn, politician

    • If the private companies that took over the national railways are cutting back and eroding services at a time when the climate crisis demands expanded low-carbon transportation alternatives to keep more of us out of planes, then these services too must be reclaimed.

      Naomi Klein, writer

    • Something as important and necessary (and enjoyable) as train travel should be in the hands of the people, be affordable and safe, not making money for shareholders.

      Nina Power, writer

    • Now is the moment to re-nationalise the railways and it has never been cheaper or more possible.

      Andrew Gilligan, journalist

    • Only a publicly owned railway can deliver affordable fares, good services, high customer satisfaction, properly staffed stations and a profitable return to the public purse.

      Charles Secrett, The ACT! Alliance

    • East Coast shows us that publicly owned rail works better for passengers and taxpayers. We need a railway fit for the future – it’s got to be in public hands.

      Cat Hobbs, We Own It

    • In 1948 Labour nationalised rail to rebuild Britain after a world war. Today bankers and speculators use privatised trains for tax scams. Time to bring back British Rail.

      Alex Gordon, former RMT President

    • Privatisation is only progress, if you mean progressing towards an apocalypse of injustice. Bring back British Rail!

      Josie Long, comedian

    • Like most people in Britain, I think that a railway is a natural function of the state, and so ought to be run by the state – for the sake of coherence, transparency, continuity, accountability and national pride.

      Andrew Martin, writer

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