Joining forces to get our national rail back
5:16pm Tuesday 31st January 2012 in Your Say
I was grateful to the Adver for printing my letter on January 10, ‘National Rail Network, was better for us all’, which was in response to a previous article concerning people’s opinions on the latest eye watering hikes in fares, by First Great Western and other franchised operators.
Readers may be interested to know that there are many people that share the view their railways were better run, and more accountable, to the public under the British Rail nationalised fully integrated network – and that an online petition to HM Government was started on the August 4, 2011 by a person called Owen Bartholomew.
I am happy to report,the petition has gained well over 5,000 to date in such a short period of time.
There is a dedicated website, outlining the reasoning behind the petition which can be found at www.bringbackbritishrail.org, and the HM Government petition may be signed at website www.farefail.org, or via Twitter@bringbackBR.
Many people that use the railways, including myself, were horrified to see the breakup of the network into so many fragmented, franchised operators, who have only one thing in mind which is the maximisation of profits for the minimum of investment, whilst still accepting taxpayer’s subsidies in any case.
The situation has recently been made worse by the Cameron coalition Government who has shifted the subsidy of fares from the taxpayer onto the fare paying public.
For FGW’s long suffering passengers, they now have the chance to do something about their continuing concerns about rocketing price hikes, overcrowding, and unaccountability.
Who knows what can happen if enough people demand their national railway back, by putting at least 100,000 signatures to Owen Bartholomew’s petition, thus triggering a debate in the House of Commons.
The closing date for the petition is the August 4, 2012, and so I would ask all those that are interested to sign.
Graham Woodward Nelson Street Swindon
A bumpy ride
Can I ask Councillor Heenan if he thinks that only a certain type of vehicle should travel down Covingham Drive, and all others go down Oxford Road and Dorcan Way, that the people who live on those roads, are not accountable for, and he has no regard for how they feel about the extra traffic volumes on those roads?
Can he explain how certain roads get the special treatment and others do not?
Have a ride around the Pinehurst area and feel the road bumps and tables, yet none at all in the Covingham area.
Do they not speed down those roads?
Perhaps they pay a special council tax for the non bump situation.
As we approach the next election, I am sure we will now see someone from those other areas asking for them to be truck free.
T Reynolds Wheeler Avenue Swindon
No free speech
After years of broadcasting in the UK on Sky satellite (Channel 515) the media watchdog Ofcom, decided last Friday, January 20 to take away the licence of Press TV, the English language arm of Iran’s state broadcaster.
Ofcom said it was because Press TV has the wrong licence to be broadcasting in the UK. Why has it taken Ofcom nine years to realise they had the wrong licence?
We think otherwise. Press TV holds alternative views (left-wing) to the UK Government and has been highly critical of the UK’s military involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan and, more recently, Libya.
The UK Government have sent forces into these three countries to bring democracy and free speech but by closing down Press TV it seems that free speech is only acceptable if it favours the present Government.
With tension running high between the governments of the UK, America and Israel over Iran’s nuclear programme and the talk of military action against Iran, and particularly President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s regime, the decision to shut down Press TV seems to us to be a political one.
Democracy? More like hypocrisy!
Martin and Mark Webb Swindon Road Swindon
