We are, today, enlightened by an article in the Daily Telegraph on the subject of rail fare increases, an article authored by Tom Chivers, the Telegraph's assistant comment editor and who, we are informed, writes on science, culture and anything that crosses his mind. It has to be said that when and if anything crosses Chivers' mind it must do so fleetingly, if this article is an example. Perhaps the Telegraph's assistant comment editor is in need of a research assistant, one who might have the idea of using Google and inputting, for example, the phrase: 'eu user pays'?
Whilst the idea of 'user pays' is but at this stage, a proposal, it is a proposal that will be brought into force in the future and because of that it is certain that increases in rail fares will be much greater in the future - and that the suggestion there can be a reduction in rail fares, or any transport fares in the future, is but a dream. I have posted on transport, the user pays principle and the overriding subject of the Trans European Network - Transport, many times in the past - the most recent being here.
It is extremely frustrating that journalism, especially that exhibited in the piece under discussion, appears to believe in the principle of jam today, whilst the arguments and views put forward have the structural strength of jelly.
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