Jeremy Corbyn Compares Brexit Delays to Northern Rail Problems

Prime Minister's Question Time has always been a knockabout affair from Margaret Thatcher and Neil Kinnock through to today with Mrs May and Mr Corbyn. This Wednesdays PMQ's as it is known or Prime Minister's Question Time was an equally Punch and Judyesque affair.

Theresa May is in an unenviable position as she faces threats from her coalition partners the DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) of Northern Ireland if she even mentions the abortion victory in the Irish Republic. Pressure from her cabinet who seem to know Theresa May is in a weak position and can bully her into getting what they want from her. Such an occasion was yesterday over Brexit when David Davis her Brexit negotiator supremo forced Mrs May to back down over some of her Brexit strategies.

Back to Wednesdays Prime Minister's Question Time, Jeremy Corbyn at the opposition dispatch box said Mrs May's Brexit strategy had more delays than Northern Rail. For those not in the know, Northern Rail is the company that controls and is responsible for British railways in the northern part of England. Right now the railway system in the north of England, particularly in the north-west, is, to say the least, somewhat shambolic. Buses have been laid on for delayed trains for passengers which seems very archaic in this day and age.

Mrs May was reputed to be publishing a white paper this month outlining her Brexit strategy but when questioned by Mr Corbyn Mrs May refused to say if the paper would be published or not now.

As was stated earlier it is not only the opposition parties like Labour, Lib Dems, and the SNP (Scottish Nationalist Party) questioning her over Brexit but also from within her own cabinet.

Since the 2017 general election, Mrs May and her government have been hanging onto power by a thread propped up by the DUP. Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn's Labour actually lost to the Conservatives but did better than expected thus delivering a shock to the May administration.

How many more woes can Theresa May keep taking but she seems to be able to take whatever punishment is dished out to her. Meanwhile, with the country going to hell in a handcart because of austerity the government is being distracted from the real issues that concern people.

1) Lack of investment.

2) When the railway system of the UK was privatised the north of the country lost out.

3) Driver shortages.

4) No growth.

5) No extra coaches for trains available.

6) Lack of diesel or electric trains.

7) Dept of Transported 'nicked' coaches from Northern Rail company to give to Chiltern railways in the south.

8) Ridiculously old trains.

9) Private companies Northern Rail and Transpennine promised much.

10) However, both rail companies promised big, delivered little.

11) Creaking infrastructure.

When and if Jeremy Corbyn enters No 10 Downing Street his attitude to industry and particularly the railways would be very different to what has gone before. Both Conservative and Labour governments in the past have favoured the privatisation of the railways. Hence you have private companies running Britain's railways right now as described in this article.

Once upon a time in the 1970's the British railway system was nationalised run by British Rail. Mr Corbyn wants to end the monopoly of private companies being responsible for our railways and return them to being nationalised. According to a recent article in The Guadian newspaper, there does seem to be a groundswell of opinion from the voting public of support for this.

Some though have questioned how Mr Corbyn would fund this massive change to the British railway system. Shami Chakrabarti a Labour Peer in the House of Lords, when asked about this by audience members on BBC1's 'Question Time' replied the nationalisation, would be done in stages.

If this is feasible will only come about if Labour wins the next general election. Meanwhile, the British system of railways and what runs on them seems to go from bad to worse particularly in the north of England.