HS2
Land value and the Somebody Else’s Problem paradox
‘The Somebody Else’s Problem field can be run for years on a single torch battery. This is because it relies…
Why driving at 80mph won’t save you time
The device you see on this page is called a ‘paceometer’ and was devised by behavioural scientists Eyal Peer and…
The real scandal of HS2
As if the saga of HS2 could not get any worse, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander will reportedly announce today that,…
Portrait of the week: Sue Gray resigns and the Chagos Islands are handed back
Home Sue Gray resigned as chief of staff to Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister. She will become Sir Keir’s envoy…
Are we asking the wrong questions about HS2?
I am not sure there was much else Rishi could have done to salvage HS2. But I come bearing good…
Train wreck
The countryside where I grew up has been destroyed by HS2
Stop HS2 – I want to get off
I have two suggestions for HS2. Either stop it or make it stop. The spiralling cost and delays are reason enough…
Ministers can’t blame Putin for the disaster that is HS2
And I thought the SNP were destined to win the award for this year’s most pathetic excuse – after Scottish…
Boris’s rail betrayal is no surprise
A promise made is merely a promise waiting to be broken. If events complicate life for all governments it is…
Portrait of the Week
Home The target was achieved of vaccinating, by the middle of February, about 15 million people of 70 or over,…
Flights of fancy
Soon after the pandemic hit, the world’s airlines turned off their pricing algorithms and resumed pricing flights manually. Everything the…
Borrowed time
The nature of the Johnson government is still not clear, but has become more so with the announcement this week…
Portrait of the Week
Home The Department of Health classified the novel coronavirus (named by the World Health Organization Covid-19) as a ‘serious and imminent…
The Spectator’s Notes
How depressed should one be about the HS2 go-ahead? The cost is stupefying. The offering to the north — considered…
Central reservations
Some years ago, two British supermarket chains needed to place a large order for replacement trollies. They had to decide…
Barometer
Parliamentary motions The government floated the idea of moving the House of Lords permanently to York. Until it was found…
HS2’s completion is as likely as King Harry’s coronation
Seven years ago, when HS2 was still officially costed at £33 billion, I wrote that I was looking forward to…
There will never be a better time for Tory radicalism. Is Boris ready?
What is the point of a Conservative majority? The answer might once have been to implement Conservative policies. But now…
There is a far better option than HS2 – and it already exists
Just 48 hours before the conclusion of the Conservative leadership contest, Allan Cook, chairman of HS2, wrote to the government…
