Great Western Coffee Shop

Should we be looking after the currently travelling passengers and those who want and / or need to travel?   Or should we be looking to protect useful services and lines from potential reduction and even closure in the light of currently reduced usage?  Or should we be looking to promote new schemes for enhancements to station and line infrastruture and network leading to new and improved services?

In my view - I've asked a trick question.  We should be looking in all three areas!   Current, and near future protection of what will be of use in the middle and further future, and looking ahead to the middle and far future too at elements that don't exist today - whether they are re-openings from way-back or new build.

The Coronavirus Pandemic has put an immediate shock into the system of life, and is far from over; things have changed more each month than previously they would have done each month, and we are far from at the end of that; the continution and aftermath will be with us for a long time.

Climate change and the need for us to live within the resources of our planet is a longer term issue, but one that has become increasingly clear over recent years; this need attention now, and indeed throughout our lives.

The current shock offers a series of opportunities. 
* It offers the opportunities to rebuild for a better future
* it offers the opportunities to take a breather before resuming old ways, and
* Itt offers opportunities to those in control to remove inconveniences without the normal level of community review. 
I can quote examples of all three just from the last few weeks - grants to heritage organisations being variously described as "this will let us prepare xxxx for the future" and "this will let us resume normal operation".  And, yes, current service gaps will not be fully restored in December and I have even heard of (and an querying) further reductions - a suggestion of "temporary" maybe, but worrying when you look at how long, if ever, previous temprorary withdrawals have taken to be re-instated.  Ask passengers at Barlaston or Brigg.

I celebrate that members are promoting new schemes with passion, and looking also with passion to defend the current or suspended services for which use is (or would be expected to be) thin in the short term, or which are inconvenient to operate.

I think this is probably a case of you can please all the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time.

Whichever way there are some difficult decisions to call. Do they push infrastructure in the north, levelling up? Do they push projects generally, provide a general stimulus to the economy by putting money into the system?