It would be a massively popular policy among the general public and rail passengers, but apparently it has been ruled out. Or has it? Darling said, delphically, that there are certain things which only governments, rather than commercial concerns, can do. It was remarkable to watch Darling admit that the structure of the railway was dysfunctional and the fragmentation inefficient.Yesterday, though, was the easy bit, a statement that changes in the structure are to be announced in the summer The difficult bit is deciding what, precisely, to do. Indeed, there was precious little content in the speech, apart from the fact that we are going to have a review. No wonder it was not leaked in advance – it was just too boring.Even the one definite thing Darling said – that he did not want to renationalise the railways – does not make sense. The railway privatisation was more than a botch – it was the disastrous fragmentation and destruction of a perfectly viable industry into a 100 disparate bits. The review will, with justification, be viewed by investors in the industry with great suspicion.
I have sat through countless meetings and press conferences at which Labour ministers have stressed that the last thing the industry needs is more upheaval To some extent, they were right. And managers in the rail industry are also concerned at the prospect of further change.But ultimately, change is inevitable. Yesterday’s announcement of a rail review marks the first step in the long march towards common sense on the railways. Ever since 1997, Labour have been under the misapprehension that the industry would sort itself out, despite the fact that they knew it was a botched privatisation.
No longer.
It is difficult to exaggerate the extent to which yesterday’s statement by Alistair Darling represents a U-turn. Nation States are here to stay, but need to cooperate more and manage their relations in a wider European framework better if they are to defend and pursue interests that are increasingly shared.If European nation states want to be stronger, they must act together.. This breaking down of borders has already affected societies and cultures in ways that go beyond economics and politics.The new situation requires a response that cannot be met within national frameworks. Economies have become transnational and the major political issues are global. When you look at Europe in a global context, it is far less easy to doubt our need for it The world is becoming increasingly interdependent. Enlargement is about to move the European Union on to a new level In May, 10 new member states will join.
In eight of them, the decision has been backed by referendums with impressive majorities in favour.
It is perhaps a paradox that although the EU may have become less popular in some of the current member states there has never been such a wave of positive political support and desire to join. But if you really think about it, is that a paradox? In my experience as President of the Commission, I have realised that Europe is often considered far more of a reality and an ambitious and necessary political project when viewed from the outside.When I went to the EU China or India summits last autumn, I could sense the great interest and high expectations the European Union has stimulated in emerging powers such as China or India. There were almost as many road deaths as usual last year.As ever, Corsicans see no reason to change their local customs. On the first occasion that I visited the “island of beauty”, I hired a car.
