On 2014-04-25 08:51, Recliner wrote:
Hils wrote:
On 2014-04-25 02:22, Aurora wrote:
September 1, this penny pinching madness will affect the rest of the
UK. Network Rail will no longer be able to borrow against its assets
like a private business. It will be subject to the availability of
funds from HM Treasury. The chancellor will have to balance railway
infrastructure improvements against funds for hospitals and schools.

We have enjoyed a period of continual improvement. Capacity has been
increased with improved junctions and enlarged facilities.

Reading may be the last hurrah. It is back to Penney pinching
decline. Single lead junctions anyone?

I wouldn't bank on there being many new hospitals or schools either. The
oligarchs don't want taxpayers money to do anything useful like build
public infrastructure when they can get it into their own pockets directly.

Those mysterious oligarchs are obviously deeply incompetent:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-23080327

Refurbishing or replacing existing schools.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-s...wales-26526380

Wales. Old Labour. :-)

http://www.theconstructionindex.co.u...-hs2-engineers

"Plans... intention..." And who needs HS2 anyway? :-)

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news...-queen-4870398

"Private Finance Initiative".

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/wy...-trust-6293381

"Private Finance Initiative". Costs were cut not by throwing out the PFI
but by reducing the size of the hospital originally planned.

http://www.papworthhospital.nhs.uk/c...worth_hospital

"PFI".

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but haven't PFIs resulted
in taxpayers paying huge amounts into hedge funds for the hire of
hospitals and schools?[*] Let me guess... the Conservative-led
coalition's PFIs will be different from New Labour's PFIs...

BTW most of the projects mentioned are replacements for existing
facilities. This may not meet everyone's idea of "new" since few
additional hospital beds or school places are likely to result.
[*] One of my friends teaches at a PFI school. If the teachers organise
any event outside strict school hours, they have to organise it well in
advance through a Japanese facilities management company. I daresay the
investors, managers and investment managers of the facilities management
company like this arrangement, but ISTM that it sucks.