On Jan 31, 2:42*pm, allantracy wrote:
Crossrail, GW electrification and IEP aren’t going to happen.

The only thing that’s keeping all those projects alive is an impending
election.

If the public finances are as bad as the government is admitting then
there’s simply no money to pay for them (and please don’t mention off
balance sheet that’s bound to have been one highly dubious practice
too many, flogged to death already).

Also, considering the unprecedented way the government cancelled this
year’s public spending review, until after the election, the public
finances are almost certainly a lot worse than they’re letting on.

It’s already been leaked that forty thousand nurses posts are going,
starting as early as next year, now that’s usually the cut of last
resort so what chances those of first?

Then add into to this joyless concoction that all of Darling’s
spending plans for next year have been based on growth that’s failing
to materialise and that our existing debt is no longer attracting a
triple A credit rating interest rate and it doesn’t portend well for
things like railway spending.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, which is accurate, I believe cancelling
CrossRail would be a mistake. London needs new transportation
infrastructure.