Letters to the Editor – 27/08 – HS2 alternatives, Foreign buyers, Best of Twitter
HS2 alternatives
Environmental opponents of the High Speed Two plans should consider the alternatives more carefully. The fact is we need more capacity, and no way of achieving this will leave the countryside entirely untouched. Some call for the widening of existing West Coast Mainline tracks, and the introduction of double-decker trains. But these options would bring an enormous amount of disruption in their own right. Tracks would have to be dug up and re-laid, bridges removed, stations renovated to accommodate bigger trains. Quite simply, there is no painless way of meeting Britain’s transport demands.
Jonathan Morris
………………..
Foreign buyers
[Re: We should be glad that foreign firms want to buy British companies, Wednesday]
The author is right to celebrate the fact that British firms are bought by foreign companies. True, some foreign buyers end up closing factories, or moving them abroad. But it is wrong to assume that those factory closures or mass redundancies would not have happened anyway – particularly if no buyer had been found. Typically, factory closures are the result of an unproductive setup. By moving labour abroad, factories can pass on cost savings to consumers, and often secure the future of the company rather than it going bust altogether.
Eric Lamont
………………..
BEST OF TWITTER
After Alistair Darling becomes latest opponent of the plans, it is now clear that Cameron must scrap HS2.
@LordAshcroft
China’s growth has slowed for 12 of last 14 quarters, pace for 2013 slowest full-year growth since 1990.
@Convertbond
Business investment rising. Money printing and inflation threat finally induces move into real assets.
@AndrewLilico
Germany manages to combine economic growth and a budget surplus.
@notayesmansecon