Transport

Philip Hammond has an article on Total Politics entitled "Keeping our transport system on track" - an article which is an illustration of the deceit and lying that passes for honesty in the field of present-day politics.

"The coalition government’s vision is for a transport system that generates growth and spreads prosperity. We want one that empowers local communities and supports social mobility and is a cleaner, greener gateway to a better quality of life.
If our transport networks are to achieve all these ambitious goals, then they have to be genuinely sustainable – economically, socially and environmentally. Transport sustainability is therefore at the heart of government policy. [.....] Transport occupies a unique position in our national landscape, impacting on our environment and shaping our society. But transport also provides the foundation on which we can build a sustained economic recovery and long term prosperity. It offers direct employment and economic opportunities through the development, manufacture and application of new technologies and the construction and maintenance of infrastructure. It delivers indirect benefits because it provides the arteries of commerce and trade in Britain, moving people to jobs and goods to the marketplace."

There can't be many of the readers of this blog that are not aware transport is a shared competence with the European Union -Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union(TFEU) Article 4 (g) - and therefore if we then look at Trans European Network - Transport (TEN-T) and their transport infrastructure page, we learn:

"Establishing an efficient trans-European transport network (TEN-T) is a key element in the relaunched Lisbon strategy for competitiveness and employment in Europe. If Europe is to fulfil its economic and social potential, it is essential to build the missing links and remove the bottlenecks in our transport infrastructure, as well as to ensure the sustainability of our transport networks into the future. Furthermore, it integrates environmental protection requirements with a view to promoting sustainable development."

In fact, referring to this map (Priority axes and projects) it is possible to see already 'outlined'  Eurostar and HS2 (and it looks as if there will be a further line from Harwich to Birmingham) with HS2 showing the further links to Manchester and Leeds.

Further reference to the Trans European Network Executive Network homepage reinforces the fact that Philip Hammond is guilty of the aforementioned deceit by not mentioning that the Coalition's transport policies are no more than implementation of EU transport policies.

According to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary deceit is defined as: "the act or process of deceiving or misleading, esp. by concealing the truth"; and lying (from the word lie) is: "an intentionally false statement". Philip Hammond thus joins others who have lied during the past two days. Obviously when Cameron and Clegg, in the foreward to "Coalition: Our Programme For Government", wrote:

"So we will extend transparency to every area of public life."

true to political form, they had no intention of keeping that promise either!

Politicians wonder why they are held in such low regard? Sheesh!