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Old January 14th 11, 02:42 PM posted to uk.transport.london
Mizter T Mizter T is offline
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First recorded activity at LondonBanter: May 2005
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Default Boris stokes it up with Tube unions with talk of automatic trains

BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12189442

Standard:
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23914025-.do

Bozza said (amongst other things): "It is a fact that anybody in this room
could in a matter of a few weeks acquire the qualifications to supervise an
Underground train."

Crow retorted: "Suggesting that drunken bankers and grandees can drive Tube
trains is a disgrace."

Leaving aside the worrying notion that the bankers may have actually been
mostly sober during the run up to the financial crises, Boris does seem
particularly keen to pour some kerosene onto the naked flame of the dispute
with the Tube unions - this isn't really the stuff of sitting down with them
and negotiating a no-strike deal as his manifesto promised!

The BBC story mentions the phrase 'driverless trains', and in the ES piece
it's a phrase used by some of those reacting to the speech - whilst I rather
suspect that was Team Boris's intention, it seems he didn't actually use the
phrase (not as such) - rather his point seems to be that in an ATO
environment, Tube train operators assume a lesser role (therefore they
should be good and stop causing trouble). Well, I don't think you're really
onto a winning strategy there Bozza, for numerous reasons.