Next Prime Minister - best for transport and environment issues?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Who would be the best next prime minister for YOU?  What agenda items have you spotted that will effect transportation - public transport in particular, and the environmantal issues and (any) changes as they effect transportation?

Choosing a new Tory leader and thus Prime Minister is a funny business

The Conservative MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post (a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London), depending on context) prefer Rishi Sunak

At the present time, it looks like the paid up members of the Conservative Party will prefer Liz Truss

A local poll conducted by our MP came out in favour of Penny Mordaunt

I would suspect that a general election next month would put Keir Starmer in Downing Street.

The choice we (oops - I am not a member of the Conservative Party so I don't have vote) are being offered is between Ms Truss and Mr Sunak and in this topsy turvey world, they were the two least popular candidates in perhaps the broadest poll I have seen in the last weeks, from Mumsnet ...



Personally, few candidates have impressed and just about the only ones who have were never in the running (even if members of that party) or were eliminated.

[TaplowGreen]

I haven't heard either of them even mention transport.

[GBM]

I haven't heard either of them even mention transport.

"Wot ee said"

Not a Conservative, but did vote for Brexit to be done.  First time I've voted Conservative (& hopefully the last).
My own thought was for Kemi as she was younger, and probably knew what ordinary people were going through.

I'd not heard any of them mention transport.

[ChrisB]

Shapps did, but then withdrew. He was going to canel EWR^▸ (East West Railway (Oxford to Bedford), or possibly East Worthing station, depending on context) phases 2 & 3

[Bob_Blakey]

On the basis of what both candidates have said about transport (=nowt) I have no idea which of them would be best. I rather think the most important event will be the early-September appointment of the (new?) DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) Secretary of State and associated Ministers. You never know, we might get one or two officials who are vaguely interested in public and/or environmentally friendly transport. 

[TaplowGreen]

Tom Tugendhat, who (IMHO^▸ ('in my humble opinion')) was comfortably the best candidate, and may well prove to be the Conservative equivalent of Labour's "choose the wrong Miliband brother" moment, did express his intention to push forward with HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) all the way to Scotland.

Despite that he was still my choice! 

[broadgage]

I suspect that general political opinion at present is at least somewhat against railways.
Electrification seemed a good idea, but in practice turned out to be an expensive fiasco and possibly a vote loser.
The hugely expensive new trains no doubt seemed a good idea, but have been an expensive failure.
The ongoing strikes wont help either.

There may therefore a view that "railways  have had their turn" and that now is the time to invest in other transport modes such as air, road, and shipping.
Concerns about the environmental costs of air and road transport may be dealt with by calling for more research.
I expect more road building/road widening, provided of course that such schemes are "green" or "smart" and with provision for trolley trucks.

The present airline and airport chaos are becoming a political issue with calls for the government to "do something"

[IndustryInsider]

Electrification seemed a good idea, but in practice turned out to be an expensive fiasco and possibly a vote loser.
The hugely expensive new trains no doubt seemed a good idea, but have been an expensive failure.

Totally irrelevant to virtually all voters IMHO^▸ ('in my humble opinion').

The ongoing strikes wont help either.

Yes, that is something that might well influence the minds of swing voters.  How the government deals, or is seen to deal, with the strikes on the railways and whoever else from the public sector lines up to join in (and it looks like there will be plenty!) will potentially hinder or help the Tories quite significantly over the coming months.

[Marlburian]

I view with despair all the candidates who offered themselves as leader (and the current incumbent). A couple who impressed have yet to experience high office, and Liz Truss is uninspiring.  Rishi Sunak would be my preferred choice, were I forced to make one, though I thought that his Eat Out to Help Out scheme was misguided.

As for who might be best-suited on transport and environment issues, I've no idea. It remains to be seen how travel-to-work patterns settle down, and I can't see how many people are going to be able to afford heat-pumps and electric cars, especially with the cost-of-living crisis likely to be around for several years.

Whichever party is in power in the next few years will have a number of near-insurmountable problems to contend with.

[ellendune]

Electrification seemed a good idea, but in practice turned out to be an expensive fiasco and possibly a vote loser.
The hugely expensive new trains no doubt seemed a good idea, but have been an expensive failure.

Totally irrelevant to virtually all voters IMHO^▸ ('in my humble opinion').

The ongoing strikes wont help either.

Yes, that is something that might well influence the minds of swing voters.  How the government deals, or is seen to deal, with the strikes on the railways and whoever else from the public sector lines up to join in (and it looks like there will be plenty!) will potentially hinder or help the Tories quite significantly over the coming months.

The shear number of strikes though will add up. Mrs Thatcher took on the miners at a time of her choosing and largely without support from other workers.  If they try and abolish workers rights as has been suggested, it will not be a time of their choosing and it may well be more resembling the general strike of 1926. 

Edit to fix quotes

[GBM]

It is said that Liz Truss is trying to be the next Margaret Thatcher.
Eventually she ran out of steam (no pun intended), and whilst she crushed the National Union of Mineworkers, she didn't really have much left to sell off to the public - share-wise.

I would hope Liz doesn't try and become a hard-liner.
I don't like either, but they are the final candidates, so one of them it will be.

I've read/seen that the Labour left are trying to put Jeremy Corbyn back into leadership, so there seems to be an apparent left/right swell going on there.

[PhilWakely]

It is said that Liz Truss is trying to be the next Margaret Thatcher.
Eventually she ran out of steam (no pun intended), and whilst she crushed the National Union of Mineworkers, she didn't really have much left to sell off to the public - share-wise.

I would hope Liz doesn't try and become a hard-liner.
I don't like either, but they are the final candidates, so one of them it will be.

I've read/seen that the Labour left are trying to put Jeremy Corbyn back into leadership, so there seems to be an apparent left/right swell going on there.

I hear that a petition has been set up [by Lord Cruddas, who was ennobled by Johnson despite objections] to persuade Johnson to rescind his resignation and resume the post of Prime Minister and this petition already has many thousand names.

[grahame]

Q: Who would be the best next prime minister for YOU on the transport agenda?

A:
Rishi Sunak   - 0
Liz Truss   - 0
Both the same on transport   - 42.1%
Not decided   - 0
Don't care   - 0
Don't know   - 57.9%

Oh dear ...   I read that as "Yes, it's important, but we really can't differentiate between the options on offer - not that I suspect that too many Coffee Shop members are amongst the electorate for our (de facto) next PM.

[CyclingSid]

Answer to the poll question:

None of the above