Another first for the UK

[charles_reed]

I know the UK heads the stakes in cost-of-living, compared to Europe.

I've found to my cost that we have the most expensive, uncomfortable and unrelaible public transport system in W Europe.

But now we've even got first place in air-traffic delays.

Any of you suffered at the hands of nats?

 

[Cornishman]

Welcome to the newest social group - the Meldrews

 

[DanTribe]

I want to be a member of the Meldrews, but I bet they won't let me join.

 

[colvic]

Went from Barcelona to Valencia by Euromed train, 1st. class with air conditioning, meal and video for 35 Euro's, £23. Can't get from Cambridge to London for that.

Go did get us into Stanstead on time last Saturday, but this is the 1st. time in three years. Last time going out they waited until we were at the departure gate before telling us of a 2 hour delay; our plane had been pinched as another flight was already late!!

Waeco (coolmatic fridges) won't even reply to my e-mails re a faulty fridge, so I get onto Danfoss UK who make the compressor as I've worked out the control box is faulty. £134 +VAT, but we can't export sir...Eh? we don't have the facilities to export items...Jiffy bag and first class stamp? sorry sir!! Basically they don't give a toss and I'll be sending an e-mail to the editorm with the full story.

The more I look into the UK from outside the sadder I get. Western Europe gets on with living, tries to help the population get on with its job and only drops on you when you've been caught. Over here, the attitude from Central Government seems to be one of placing as many obstacles and officials as possible ahead of you in order to make you fail, and is not there to help you, only hinder. However, if I wasn't British and was an imigrant, legal or otherwise then...............


Phil

 

[Guest]

we are feeling bilious today!

you didnt get from barcelona to valencia for £23. just looking at the capital cost of the kit involved would tell you that it was £23 plus unmentioned govt subsidies. same in the uk of course, but the subsidies are less. long may they remain so - i, for one, dont want to subsidise anyone elses' travel.

and the two companies you complained about were german (waeco) and Danish (danfoss). it may well be that danfoss uk are not allowed by parent company to sell into the territory of another subsidiary. that would be normal practise.

anyway, dont despair. there is still one thing that we are world class at.

whingeing.

 

[BrianJ]

Just read the results of a survey carried out in UK . Seems 54% of Poms want to move either to OZ or USA.. now we are going to have a survey to see if we want you....
BrianJ

 

[tyger]

<<i, for one, dont want to subsidise anyone elses' travel.>>

Just a thought - do road users pay the full cost of the infrastructure they use in the UK? If not then they are being subsidised out of general taxation. In this case would you advocate the introduction of road tolls?

 

[Jeremy_W]

Naughty, naughty

You have uttered a heresy against the great car culture!

 

[bedouin]

Quite the reverse. These days the amount of tax collected from road users far outweighs the amount spent on the road infrastructure.

 

[robp]

Where was the survey conducted - Pentonville, Holloway or Wormwood Scrubs?

 

[Jeremy_W]

Well, we've just sent you a bunch of our finest: Christine Hamilton, Nigel Benn, Tara Palmer-Tompkinson and other D-list "celebrities" too fatuous to mention in a Big Brother style contest in the Outback.
What did the Australians do to deserve this? "Two Little Boys" springs to mind.

 

[Jeremy_W]

Actually

If you take the "externalities" of road transport - the cost of deaths, injuries, noise and atmospheric pollution - then taxes on motoring would have to rise substantially to cover them. As any economist who believes in free markets would explain this will lead to the most economic use of rare resources.

 

[bedouin]

Re: Actually

Can you back up that statement?

From the figures I find, road users contribute about £32bn annually to the government coffers, in return for which the government invests only about £6bn in the road infrastructure. That is a massive difference - and even the highest estimates of the indirect costs don't put them anywhere near the £26bn difference.

Those studies I have seen are also very one-sided. The count all the hidden costs of roads without including the economic benefits as well.

 

[jimi]

In Houston today .. they have no public transport at all. 70 Dollars for a 30 minute taxi ride.

Jim

 

[Jeremy_W]

Re: Actually

I heard the figure from a Transport 2000 spokesman being interviewed on TV. I don't have the source figures, although I'll do a Google for it.

 

[ToMo]

..I want notice

when you unleash another tirade of pros and anti's!....then I can immediately tell you all that the last one out should remember to blow out the candles (the lecky will have long gone!) <G>

TôMö

 

[Guest]

Re: ..I want notice

virtually everyone is a road user, so it would be appropriate for general taxation to be used - even if it isnt.

far fewer are users of public transport. it seems particularly unreasonable to subsidise public transport in the south east out of general taxation. better economic case for s e public transport to be at full cost and hence to drive economic development to other areas.

quite what any of this has to do with boating.........