>https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2024/01/eu-stun.html>In part it's how the railways are - the current government hates railways and loathes long term investment - but the railways are just part of it.It's been going wrong for decades, a prolonged squeeze on public services across the board diminishing the things we need, an insistence on value for money that's resulted in paring back rather than enhancement, a grim determination to tighten the purse strings, a long-term policy of 'austerity' used simply as cover for cuts, a mindset that instinctively steps back instead of offering support, a selfishness that stems from the very top of politics, a blinkered drive to reduce taxes at all costs, an expectation that commercial interests will fund necessities, an earnest willingness to withdraw what the private sector could provide, an insidious rightward shift in the Overton window, the Eric Pickles-ation of public finance, forever kowtowing to what business wants, the abdication of society, a relentless drive towards Trumpian uplands, an obsession with cutting taxes because you think that's all the electorate will tolerate, an attitude so entrenched that even the opposition can't escape it, a narrowing of optimism in favour of petty penny pinching, a meathead urge to scrimp now and leave the future for others to tidy up, a deeply depressing abdication of community, a prolonged ideological constriction because voters think they want more money in their pockets, a ruling party left free to shrivel public services to the point where not even the most committed alternative could patch them up, a succession of budgetary shrinkers, a cabal of corrupt politicians letting shareholders off the hook, a philosophy of spend less and stuff the consequences, a decade and a half of I'm alright Jack, a creeping economic dystopia, a society off balance, a Tory government in power for far too long, an electoral error we need to put right.
