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Yes, re-nationalise it now.

Chris Calo, Harleston, Norfolk   + Share

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Your Views

  • The service, the atmosphere, the filth and, above all, having your pants pulled down every day!

    Sam Sadjady, London
  • If they are privatised, why are they subsidised?

    Felicity Webster, Kingston-upon-Thames
  • Please keep East Coast mainline as a nationalised service and look at this model for the other lines.

    Judith Bryant, Darlington
  • No to the privatisation of public profits. No to the subsidy of private companies. No to increased fares. No to inefficient private sector maintenance contracts.

    Luke Heanue, London
  • I travel quite often on East Coast trains to London. Keep it the way it is now.

    Patricia Thornton, Gateshead

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Bring Back British Rail
2 days ago
Bring Back British Rail

Incompetent Avanti West Coast has cut our West Coast mainline timetable to the bone! πŸš‰ Meanwhile Grant Shapps is planning to award them a new 10 year contract? Let's not reward failure. It's time to #makewestcoastpublic! Sign our Petition πŸ‘‡
πŸ“ you.38degrees.org.uk/p/westcoast
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Controversy as Avanti West Coast announces timetable cuts

www.railwaygazette.com

UK: Avanti West Coast has triggered considerable anger amongst trade unions with its use of the phrase 'unofficial strike action' to describe the refusal of staff to work on their rest days.
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They must be spending huge amount on refurbishing the Pongolino trains.

Shapps is the Idiots Idiot and doesn't know his brief

Private or not there is a shortage of trained drivers

Privatise the gains and let the public carry the risk !!! A warped Tory philosophy. All contracts to be taken back into Public Ownership once they've finished.

Grant shapps wants to ban overtime for strikers while simultaneously getting angry at staff for not working overtime. Absolutely clueless about his own job.

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Bring Back British Rail
4 days ago
Bring Back British Rail

Sign the petition to stop the Department for Transport awarding the failing private company Avanti West Coast a new 10-year contract to run rail services on our West Coast Main Line until October 2032!πŸš‰ Let’s not reward failure. #makewestcoastpublictCoastPublic πŸ‘‡Sign here πŸ‘‡
you.38degrees.org.uk/p/westcoast
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Bring our West Coast rail services back into public ownership

you.38degrees.org.uk

I've just signed the petition to bring West Coast rail services back into public ownership. Join me here: you.38degrees.org.uk/org/petitions/bring-our-west-coast-rail-services-back-into-public...
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The answer to skyrocketing bills is not 'handouts" it is time to take energy (along with water and rail) into state ownership. #Wehavebeenrippedoffforlongenough.

I thought that once the franchise ran out , they were taking them back in house as Great British Railways. yet another tory government con

Avanti West Coast is not a private Co but part of the Italian state railways or the FS,so it is a state owend company just not the British state.

10 more years..... Isn't great British railways supposed to be taking over next year????

We need public consultations on rolling stock design, as these coaches vestibles have no air con, fill up, narrow gangways and inaccessible trains for mass audience participation.

As if they replaced the only good private train company (virgin) with this shower of shite 😑

They must have crossed someone's palm with you know what.

They came in with all hotter air of promises now look at the mess they made. Just like the east coast with different companies who failed. Hasn't government realise they are putting more money in now than it did before the privatisation of the railways. I've said it many times before 1923 they realise the mess of the railways and they tried to do something. John Major when privatisation there are ways he took the railways so far back we had more railway companies at one point then we had before 1923 . The managers who did the buyouts they're the ones who made the big money . The private companies have made money. Its when they realise they have to put money into it as well as take it out of it they don't want to know.

Signed and shared.

They are barely running a service in normal days.Let alone strike days.Then they are suspending ticket sales.So should people get on one of their trains without a ticket?Then use the excuse you refused to sell me one but I have to make this journey?

You’re looking for 7000 signatures? What good is that? You need a million at least. But signed anyway.

Signed.

Well, they've chosen to go ahead with a programme to refurbish the Pendolinos.

All crook's

Signed and shared

#BringBackBritishRail

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Bring Back British Rail
1 week ago
Bring Back British Rail

This great blog by the Association of British Commuters explains exactly what needs to be done to ensure #greatbritishrailways is great πŸš† There’s still time to help us demand public ownership by responding tDepartment for Transportnsport’s consultation before 11:45pm tonight πŸ‘‡ Takes 15 mins ifWe Own Itow We Own It’s guide πŸ‘‡
✏️ weownit.org.uk/gbr-consultation
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The Great British Rip-Off: Why the Williams-Shapps Plan will fail to deliver

abcommuters.com

Despite four years work on the Williams-Shapps Plan, the government has failed to come up with any credible answers for the complete market failure of the railway. Its promise that Great British Ra…
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What planet do they are on? It's a total waste of time and money. The simple answer would be the glory days of British Rail sectorisation but they haven't got a clue.

I disagree with this point from the article "Finally, the government wants to sign up to the Luxembourg Rail Protocol; a way of liberalising and globalising the Rolling Stock Companies (ROSCOs), making it easier for the big banks to get involved. However, the leasing of trains under the ROSCO system is already one of the most dysfunctional areas of the railway; as well as the biggest site of profit leakage." - the ROSCOs freed the railways from the DoT's purse strings allowing new rolling stock to come on stream there is absolutely no way that the DoT would have authorised that much expenditure as history proves.

How much will this cost the tax payer just changing the logos etc.

What's with all the hoodies in the Cabinet? I mean, Sunak can just about get away with it, but he's a tender 42 and diddy. Shapps is 53, for fuck's sake.

Latest loony idea from this moron... www.lbc.co.uk/news/brexit-bonus-plan-to-allow-motorists-to-drive-hgvs-without-extra-tests-to-help-s/

This cretin is a weapons grade wankspangle

Schapps couldn’t even run a Ponzi scheme Sums him up totally

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Bring Back British Rail
2 weeks ago
Bring Back British Rail

Help make #greatbritishrailways... great πŸš†
Demand public ownership by responding to the Department for Transport's consultation on the biggest legislative changes to our railways in 30 years πŸ‘‡
✏️ weownit.org.uk/gbr-consultation
Deadline: Thursday 4 August 2022 #gbrailways
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Help make #GreatBritishRailways... great πŸš† 
Demand public ownership by responding to the Department for Transports consultation on the biggest legislative changes to our railways in 30 years πŸ‘‡
✏️ weownit.org.uk/gbr-consultation
Deadline: Thursday 4 August 2022 #GBRailways
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Never mind the railway’s renationalise all the utilities first we are all being ripped off

If you’ve ever spent an arm, a leg and a bag of fingers on a train ticket, or faced late and cancelled trains, please say so in this consultation.. Bring the railways back into public ownership and end the absurdity of public utilities being privately owned. And please share, thanks.πŸ‘Œ

Perhaps we should bring Westminster back into public ownership as well instead of it being run by big businesses to the detriment of the country??

People, obviously, forget how much more of a shambles the railway was before privatisation. Mind you, years of dithering about the change didn't help. I'm sure, in the last 20 years lessons have been learned that should be taken on board in the development of the system, but re-nationalisation would be retrograde and damaging.

I’m old enough to remember my regular commute on British Rail. They were often late. Overpriced. The seats were filthy and tatty at best. The drivers and conductors attitudes were that you owed them a favour if they turned up at all. It was horrible. Today the rail network is much much better. Please don’t opt to go back to the days of state ownership. The unionised workforce will simply turn the rail network into something that works for them and least of all for the passenger.

I’d be happy with the whole lot owned by the country but it must be run like a commercial company. They must maintain a disciplined, productive workforce and adjust to current commercial forces like DB. Not like the old BR.

Not sure why you’d want to bring back British Rail - it was hopeless! The railways aren’t perfect, but they are far better now than they were under British Rail!

I've supported Labour all of my voting life but why when they were in power after the tories privatised the industry didn't Labour bring it back into public ownership ? It's all money money money at the expense of the travelling public. It's a public service after all

You see what it's like since covid and in government control. Under private ownership travellers get the best deals and owners are accountable. Under government control there are strikes and chaos. NO, to state run industry, apart from health and education.

Public transport is an absolute joke. Cancelled at the drop of a hat, or, just doesn't turn up. Then they go on strike, expecting support!! Absolutely not. If you can afford to strike you're already paid too much

I would rather gas/electricity and water the essential in life be brought back into public ownership than be owned by foreign investors

“Bring back British Rail”. Really? πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚. They were an absolute joke. The current set up is far from perfect, but is vastly better than anything the old British Rail could offer. All nationalised industries were just a complete shambles.

Public ownership is great , but with the current idea wanted , with current money wasting Train operating and leasing companies running it all and combining Network rail into , no way, And the current staff are bearing the blame for the later

Bring back British Rail absolutely but bring it back better. In the 1970s British Rail had an advertising slogan "its quicker by rail" the general public had an alternative "its quicker by snail". Poor management, lack of investment and infrastructure, just like now, the difference being certain individuals are making a fortune out of it now while passengers and staff suffer. so bring back a publicly owned British Rail, but invest in it and make it successful.

I remember what the railways were like under public ownership. Crappy, dirty slam door trains that were always late no thanks

Railway workers are over paid and under worked, if it went back into public ownership, the unions would make it too expensive to travel by rail with their ridiculous pay rises they demand. Bring driverless trains in and bring the fare prices down. I know, I worked on the railway and have never earnt so much money.

The headline here has great appeal - but - I suspect the people who advocate it imagine that this privatisation will be backed by a bottomless pit of money - which it will not. The only reason the then Govt put railways out to private tender was to save money ( the same reason they sold off council houses to save having to bring them up to standard ).

Obviously many are not old enough to remember British rail. The problem today is that many franchises are owned by the French, Germans, Dutch etc who use cash to subsidize their own national networks, and Blair and brown must take some of the blame! It's not widely known but Thatcher put riders on privatisation of utilities to prevent them falling into foreign hands but future governments of both colours chose to ignore them!

And the Unions will never go on strike again . Nothing will change in fact by putting the railways into one company the unions will be even more powerful they will blame the government for every dispute

Scotrail is now owned by the people of ScotlandπŸš‰

Public and government funding of the Railways will lead to zero investment and cost cutting no matter who is in power. Privatisation whether you like it or not has led to better more frequent services and investment driven by shareholders expecting a return on their investments, with no one to force the government to invest and make the railways an attractive proposition we will be at the mercy of a cost cutting government hell bent on reducing funding. We are already seeing the effects of the government controls with job losses and pay freezes. Routes and early and late trains will come next for the chop.

.might be wrong but isn't some of our railways owned by the French German and Dutch government.

I remember nationalised railways, they were terrible.

The risk is, under the Tories, that if they were to bring it under public ownership, they'd ensure that it was starved of funds. The only reason they are happy to pour money into it now, is that much of it goes directly into profits; the question is whether they would cut the budget more than the amount that is currently syphoned off into profits.

Have you all forgotten what the railways were like when under public ownership πŸ™ˆ

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Bring Back British Rail
2 weeks ago
Bring Back British Rail

Labour is being too cautious on public ownership - it’s pragmatic policy | Cat Hobbs ... See MoreSee Less

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Labour is being too cautious on public ownership - it’s pragmatic policy | Cat Hobbs

www.theguardian.com

Instead of siphoning off profits to private shareholders, state utility companies could tackle the cost of living and climate crisis, says Cat Hobbs, founder of We Own It
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I would vote for any party that took back all public utilities into public ownership. Labour needs to go back to it’s left wing roots not keep trying to be Tory Light!

Labour should be making hay while the tories are in disarray. That’s the reason boris lasted so long, the tories have nothing to fear. They will win nothing with beige Keir in charge !. No one knows what they really stand for. Then he goes and sacks his transport minister for standing on a picket line, talk about an own goal !

But i dont trust Starmer !! :/

I no longer understand what Labour stands for. The party could win an election but???

Corbyn's policies were liked, it was him that wasn't. Wake up Starmer before it is to late.

Why is it everyone knows the water companies are dumping raw sewage in our streams and waterways !( we pay to receive it and we pay to dispose of it)but know one is being prosecuted,if a farmer or small business pollutes water they are taken to court and fined quite large sums,why are they above the law

Starmer is a champagne socialist, should never have become the Labour leader

Your supposed to be labour,carry on like this and you’ll be third in the next election.You should be supporting the strikers not sacking one of your own.Disgusted to be a labour voter.

We have had nationalisation before and all that money wasted when theirs sold it off again ! Make a decision between all you parties and get it working and stick to it !

Railways nationalised? Can't see it happening even if Labour ever gets back in.

Labour are being Tories

.....if we can recall the railways under the last Labour government. It was worst but then only East Coast Main Line was brought back into public ownership and it thrived well.

they won't do it because it's what Corbyn wanted to do, and they'd rather be Tory than have anything to do with Corbyn

Labour is being too Conservative.

Don't you mean WEF ownership!

It will never happen. The Railways in the UK have been the greatest Political football, from 1948 until now. MP have shares in the Companies that supply the Railway.

Starmer needs to man up and stop being a right drip.

Tory-lite

The people who bought nationalised industries at knock-down prices have made enough. Take them back with no compensation at the price they were sold

Am I right in thinking even UKIP wanted this?

Stammer is a social democrat and he missed the boat like so many when Woy, shifty Shirl, Dr Death and the invisible Bill. We tragically didn't really get to see what a social democrat shyster John Smith was, but we got stuck with Blair and his privilege club. Let's get Labour back on course as a democratic socialist party with a commitment to nationalise where there are services that are part of the everyday needs of the nation. Water, gas, electricity rail and public transport. Social health, paliative health and trauma health all free to everyone with a egalitarian education system where money doesn't buy you a position, that is gained by merit.

I am NOT voting for them.

And how much further in debt will buying all that back make us?

If you believe that getting elected is the only way to change things then go for the lowest common denominators pander to racism and anti immigration ideas , attack anything woke and the Lbtq+ community. Try and attract Tory voters and scabs in fact become a petty Tory party and support capitalism and it’s wars and destruction of the planet .The Labour Party no longer represents working class people . Join A union fight back and even better become someone who try’s to change the whole damm system !!!

Labour want nothing to change while.pretending they're different to try and win votes

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    Our Supporters

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

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

      Andrew Gilligan, journalist
    • Taking our railways back from private profiteers will mean better services, fairer rail fares and more than Β£1 billion a year in savings for the public purse.

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

      Ellie Harrison, campaign founder
    • Privatisation has delivered… a system in which train operators and energy firms compete not on service – but on how many tariffs they can bamboozle customers with.

      Aditya Chakrabortty, The Guardian
    • 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 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

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