Lib Dems get it right

There was an interesting article in the Western Mail (3rd August) reporting on a new Lib Dem policy of charging a £10 tax on domestic flights to fund a new high-speed rail network, including a high-speed service between London and Cardiff.

The Lib Dems don’t often contribute much to the wider political debate, but I think that this policy, announced by Chris Hume (theLib Dem Environment spokesperson), is a profoundly intellectual idea which will help not only reduce the UK’s carbon emissions, but will also help the economy.

Funding modern infrastructure for our Nation is of the utmost importance and will help the UK compete against other economies. It will also provide better links between the Llanelli area and the rest of the country, and will also develop greater access for tourists into Pembrokeshire.

I cannot express how frustrated I am with the time it takes to travel to London, Bristol or Cardiff by rail and I would be extremely pleased with a nice new super-shiny high-speed train service to the major southern English cities.

But what about Cardiff to West Wales? The rail network through Llanelli (including Bynea, Llangennech, Pontarddulais, Pembrey and Kidwelly stations) is extremely fragile and a great deal of money must be invested in bringing the stations up to standard and also providing faster, regular and comfortable services to the outside world. People will use the railways if the services are reliable and up to a certain quality.

Freight

The Lib Dems then go on to say that they will levy a charge on freight lorries as well. This is fundamentally flawed as the rail network is nowhere near as comprehensive as the road network and does not offer a real alternative to a large majority of freight customers.