Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 22:15 28 Mar 2024
* Bus plunges off South Africa bridge, killing 45
* Easter getaways hit by travel disruption
- Where Baltimore bridge investigation goes now
- How do I renew my UK passport and what is the 10-year rule?
- Family anger at sentence on fatal crash driver, 19
- Easter travel warning as millions set to hit roads
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
28th Mar (1988)
Woman found murdered on Orpington to London train (*)

Train RunningCancelled
19:35 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
20:54 Reading to Gatwick Airport
20:56 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington
21:30 Shalford to Reading
21:53 Newbury to Bedwyn
22:25 Bedwyn to Newbury
22:30 Gatwick Airport to Reading
22:47 Newbury to Bedwyn
Short Run
17:03 London Paddington to Penzance
18:03 London Paddington to Penzance
19:04 Paignton to London Paddington
20:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
21:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
22:10 Severn Beach to Bristol Temple Meads
23:04 Reading to Bedwyn
23:17 Bedwyn to Reading
Delayed
Additional 17:26 Castle Cary to Penzance
19:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
21:30 Gatwick Airport to Reading
21:45 Penzance to London Paddington
23:45 London Paddington to Penzance
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 28, 2024, 22:21:50 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[104] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[103] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[78] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[56] If not HS2 to Manchester, how will traffic be carried?
[41] Return of the BRUTE?
[25] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
 
News: A forum for passengers ... with input from rail professionals welcomed too
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: 1 2 3 [4] 5
  Print  
Author Topic: Transport secretary - on subjects beyond transport  (Read 25460 times)
TonyK
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 6435


The artist formerly known as Four Track, Now!


View Profile
« Reply #45 on: January 22, 2019, 22:22:33 »

OTC = onthecushions.

Regards
BNM

I used to be FT, N! back in the day.
Logged

Now, please!
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40690



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #46 on: January 31, 2019, 20:59:22 »

At a risk of stirring. From the Huffington Post

Quote
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling Explains Why He Thinks People Want Him To Resign
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40690



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #47 on: January 31, 2019, 23:05:50 »

At a risk of stirring. From the Huffington Post

Quote
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling Explains Why He Thinks People Want Him To Resign

Looks like the interview has been widely published - from The Mirror

Quote
Chris Grayling has blamed the criticism he receives on the prominent rail union RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) and his support for Brexit .

The Transport Secretary, who oversaw a chaotic train timetable upgrade which caused misery for thousands, insisted he gets attacked because of the tough decisions he makes.


Passengers in the north and south-east of England suffered delays and cancellations for several weeks after train timetables were changed on May 20.

Commuters have also had to contend with rising fares and other problems.

But Mr Grayling blamed the flak he receives on the RMT union who he says "regards Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party as too right wing to affiliate to".

He told the House magazine: "The railways need to modernise. So, inevitably, from an organised left-wing trade union, you're going to get some missiles fired. But I'm going to do what I think is right."
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
CyclingSid
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 1918


Hockley viaduct


View Profile
« Reply #48 on: February 11, 2019, 13:14:11 »

Another not exactly glowing commendation:
 https://inews.co.uk/opinion/chris-grayling-ferry-contract-brexit-failing/
but I am sure the ship will sail on. Probably like one I had when much younger, with wheels on the bottom (preferably not train wheels). I suppose if it has wheels it is unsinkable?
Logged
TonyK
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 6435


The artist formerly known as Four Track, Now!


View Profile
« Reply #49 on: February 11, 2019, 14:07:08 »

Our Fayling man took a lot of recent flak when the Courts' computer system went town, leaving barristers all mouth and no briefs. This was his major project before heading to transport to sort out the problems there. Not my usual chip-wrapper, but Yasmin Qureshi, admittedly less than impartial, the New Statesman was less than complimentary, and she was certainly not alone. The BBC» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) News at One had an interview with a barrister who laid the blame squarely at Mr Grayling's door.

Quote
Chris Grayling’s court reforms have brought our justice system to its knees
Recent technological failures underline the disastrous consequences of the government’s misguided modernisation drive.

BY YASMIN QURESHI

Phones disconnected. Computers offline. Probation officers forced to write letters to prisoners by hand. This was the reality of life in England and Wales’ dysfunctional courts system last week, with the Ministry of Justice crippled by its ageing IT system.

Thousands of cases were disrupted across England and Wales as the court service’s main computer network repeatedly crashed. Staff were left in the dark about when defendants were due to appear, which led to prosecutions being adjourned in a number of cases. Phones, computers, printers and emails stopped functioning.

These issues caused a near total breakdown in the functioning of our courts. Laptops were passed around courtrooms, connected to the internet via mobile phone data. In country that has historically made claims to being a world leader in the provision of justice, such total ineptitude is unacceptable.

With the government pushing ahead with its £1.2bn courts modernisation programme, introduced by Chris Grayling in 2014 – in which digitisation is used to justify closures across the country – this breakdown is particularly worrying. Though attempts to keep our justice system up to date with greater use of digital systems and developing technologies are not without merit, this, clearly, is not what is happening.

Instead, last week’s breakdown is indicative of an approach that cuts corners and leaves basic resources underdeveloped. My strong impression from visiting Crown Courts and speaking to staff across the country is that of underpaid workers enduring poor conditions and an IT system that is simply not fit for purpose.

For anyone involved in the justice system, last week’s events are not the first evidence that the government’s reforms are unlikely to succeed. Expensive public consultations on court closures are routinely ignored when citizens make clear they want to keep them local and genuinely accessible. More cuts are expected to staffing numbers and will cause even greater problems, with over 5,000 people predicted to lose their jobs by 2023. It is incredible that these cuts are planned when we have already reached the point where the chair of the Criminal Bar Association has described our courts system as “on its knees”, blaming “savage cuts to the MoJ budget”.

It is clear then that to really understand what has taken place over the last week we need to place these events in a longer history. Our justice system has been mauled by savage cuts which by 2020 will amount to a 40 per cent reduction since 2010. Around a third of our courts have been sold since then, and legal aid has been mercilessly cut.

As is so often the case with the government’s ideological mania to reduce spending, the issue is not only that it hits the most vulnerable hardest and cuts holes in a safety net that this country spent decades developing. It is that it fails on its own terms. Poorly planned measures designed to reduce short-term costs will inevitably lead to long-term problems. Some will be overt, like the systemic failure of an under-resourced IT system. Others will be less obvious but even more profound, as our social fabric is torn by rising inequalities in access to justice.

Last week’s breakdown shone an overdue spotlight on our courts. What we can see is not pretty. These problems are not one-offs. Rather, they are symptomatic of a very deep rot. That decay will not stop once the wifi is back. The Association of District Judges recently called for courts closures to be stopped until “fully functioning IT systems are demonstrated to be up and running successfully”. That is the very least that should happen. Huge sums have been paid to private contractors including Atos and Microsoft to manage systems that are functioning poorly. They too must face close scrutiny.

But for this country to have a truly fair, sustainable and effective courts and tribunals system we must go beyond immediate measures. We need a government that will ensure that any digital upgrade goes hand-in-hand with a genuine commitment to equal access to justice. To do that, we need to face up to the fact that a decent justice system requires long-term planning and proper, sustainable funding.

Yasmin Qureshi is Labour MP (Member of Parliament) for Bolton South East and a shadow justice minister.

I have said elsewhere that Mr Grayling is unlikely to survive in cabinet once his use as a loyal supporter of the Prime Minister passes.



Logged

Now, please!
TaplowGreen
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 7746



View Profile
« Reply #50 on: February 11, 2019, 17:30:35 »

Our Fayling man took a lot of recent flak when the Courts' computer system went town, leaving barristers all mouth and no briefs. This was his major project before heading to transport to sort out the problems there. Not my usual chip-wrapper, but Yasmin Qureshi, admittedly less than impartial, the New Statesman was less than complimentary, and she was certainly not alone. The BBC» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) News at One had an interview with a barrister who laid the blame squarely at Mr Grayling's door.

Quote
Chris Grayling’s court reforms have brought our justice system to its knees
Recent technological failures underline the disastrous consequences of the government’s misguided modernisation drive.

BY YASMIN QURESHI

Phones disconnected. Computers offline. Probation officers forced to write letters to prisoners by hand. This was the reality of life in England and Wales’ dysfunctional courts system last week, with the Ministry of Justice crippled by its ageing IT system.

Thousands of cases were disrupted across England and Wales as the court service’s main computer network repeatedly crashed. Staff were left in the dark about when defendants were due to appear, which led to prosecutions being adjourned in a number of cases. Phones, computers, printers and emails stopped functioning.

These issues caused a near total breakdown in the functioning of our courts. Laptops were passed around courtrooms, connected to the internet via mobile phone data. In country that has historically made claims to being a world leader in the provision of justice, such total ineptitude is unacceptable.

With the government pushing ahead with its £1.2bn courts modernisation programme, introduced by Chris Grayling in 2014 – in which digitisation is used to justify closures across the country – this breakdown is particularly worrying. Though attempts to keep our justice system up to date with greater use of digital systems and developing technologies are not without merit, this, clearly, is not what is happening.

Instead, last week’s breakdown is indicative of an approach that cuts corners and leaves basic resources underdeveloped. My strong impression from visiting Crown Courts and speaking to staff across the country is that of underpaid workers enduring poor conditions and an IT system that is simply not fit for purpose.

For anyone involved in the justice system, last week’s events are not the first evidence that the government’s reforms are unlikely to succeed. Expensive public consultations on court closures are routinely ignored when citizens make clear they want to keep them local and genuinely accessible. More cuts are expected to staffing numbers and will cause even greater problems, with over 5,000 people predicted to lose their jobs by 2023. It is incredible that these cuts are planned when we have already reached the point where the chair of the Criminal Bar Association has described our courts system as “on its knees”, blaming “savage cuts to the MoJ budget”.

It is clear then that to really understand what has taken place over the last week we need to place these events in a longer history. Our justice system has been mauled by savage cuts which by 2020 will amount to a 40 per cent reduction since 2010. Around a third of our courts have been sold since then, and legal aid has been mercilessly cut.

As is so often the case with the government’s ideological mania to reduce spending, the issue is not only that it hits the most vulnerable hardest and cuts holes in a safety net that this country spent decades developing. It is that it fails on its own terms. Poorly planned measures designed to reduce short-term costs will inevitably lead to long-term problems. Some will be overt, like the systemic failure of an under-resourced IT system. Others will be less obvious but even more profound, as our social fabric is torn by rising inequalities in access to justice.

Last week’s breakdown shone an overdue spotlight on our courts. What we can see is not pretty. These problems are not one-offs. Rather, they are symptomatic of a very deep rot. That decay will not stop once the wifi is back. The Association of District Judges recently called for courts closures to be stopped until “fully functioning IT systems are demonstrated to be up and running successfully”. That is the very least that should happen. Huge sums have been paid to private contractors including Atos and Microsoft to manage systems that are functioning poorly. They too must face close scrutiny.

But for this country to have a truly fair, sustainable and effective courts and tribunals system we must go beyond immediate measures. We need a government that will ensure that any digital upgrade goes hand-in-hand with a genuine commitment to equal access to justice. To do that, we need to face up to the fact that a decent justice system requires long-term planning and proper, sustainable funding.

Yasmin Qureshi is Labour MP (Member of Parliament) for Bolton South East and a shadow justice minister.

I have said elsewhere that Mr Grayling is unlikely to survive in cabinet once his use as a loyal supporter of the Prime Minister passes.





…………...can you tell me the winner of this year's Grand National please?  Wink
Logged
JayMac
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 18894



View Profile
« Reply #51 on: February 11, 2019, 17:41:23 »

The bookies.
Logged

"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

- Sir Terry Pratchett.
TonyK
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 6435


The artist formerly known as Four Track, Now!


View Profile
« Reply #52 on: February 11, 2019, 18:33:36 »

Morten Morland caught the mood with his cartoon today in The Times.

« Last Edit: February 12, 2019, 11:58:36 by Tony (Ex FT, N!) » Logged

Now, please!
chuffed
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1499


View Profile
« Reply #53 on: February 15, 2019, 13:40:43 »

Chris Grayling 'probably most incompetent minister of all time' says Michael Portillo.
That wouldn't be a case of 'kettle calling pot, black' would it, Mr P ?
Logged
TonyK
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 6435


The artist formerly known as Four Track, Now!


View Profile
« Reply #54 on: February 15, 2019, 14:35:08 »

Chris Grayling 'probably most incompetent minister of all time' says Michael Portillo.
That wouldn't be a case of 'kettle calling pot, black' would it, Mr P ?

Now Mr P was my minister at one time, and didn't do a bad job at all. He caused far less damage than some before and since, which in the Civil Service is a compliment.
Logged

Now, please!
JayMac
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 18894



View Profile
« Reply #55 on: March 01, 2019, 10:37:34 »

https://newsthump.com/2019/03/01/huge-fire-engulfs-department-of-transport-after-chris-grayling-tries-to-use-stapler/

"The human question mark"

Made I laff.  Grin
Logged

"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

- Sir Terry Pratchett.
rogerw
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1336



View Profile
« Reply #56 on: March 01, 2019, 11:31:42 »

Yes.Yet another damning report about his actions when in charge of Justice
Logged

I like to travel.  It lets me feel I'm getting somewhere.
TonyK
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 6435


The artist formerly known as Four Track, Now!


View Profile
« Reply #57 on: March 01, 2019, 12:02:25 »


#MeToo
Logged

Now, please!
JayMac
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 18894



View Profile
« Reply #58 on: March 02, 2019, 14:35:49 »

I suppose Chris Grayling can't be personally blamed for all the poor decisions of the DfT» (Department for Transport - about) under his charge. He's signing off on poorly thought out plans, I doubt he's thinking them all up himself. I suspect he doesn't have the nous or creativity.

It's more like a lunatic running the asylum.
Logged

"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

- Sir Terry Pratchett.
CyclingSid
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 1918


Hockley viaduct


View Profile
« Reply #59 on: March 02, 2019, 16:06:14 »

It is sometimes difficult to work out who should be wearing the white coats.
Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: 1 2 3 [4] 5
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page