A forced down fare for all?

The big 3 manifestos are nearly upon us, and each party is drip, drip, dripping out what it considers to be the highlights, the best bits.

Hence today's exciting announcement from the tired, clapped-out, not-much-longer-to-be-with-us Labour party that it will include in its manifesto 'a commitment to force rail companies to offer passengers the cheapest fare'.

Notice the use of the word 'force'. That's one of Labour's favourite words. They force us to do this, force others to do that, it's all force, force, force: for our own good, natually.

And now, they're going to force Railway companies to sell us the cheapest ticket. They're going to create yet another law, to add to the tens of thousands of others they've created.

Well hoo-fuckng-rah. That's what we need to lift us out of recession and propel us to the glorious sunlit uplands of utopia, isn't it?

Apparently, when official prodnoses, interfering busybodies and kings of unwanted junkmail Which? carried out one of their tedious 'investigations', it found that the cheapest ticket was offered on "fewer than half of occasions". Oh no!

Well that certainly doesn't tie in with CF's 20+ years, 10 different stations, railway experience, which is that the people behind the soundproof glasses will generally tap away at their keyboards and tell you what the cheapest option is quite willingly.

After all, its not like they're on fucking commission, is it? They get no more pay for selling you the 99 quid day return than the 96 quid one, so why would they?

And, in these ultra-modern times, you can .. wait for it .. actually buy a ticket from a machine, you know. And what the machine does, is - here comes the science part - display all of the possible fares to the destination you gave, with a cost next to each one. Wow.

So you, the consumer, can use the fucking eyes God gave you, and your tiny, X-factor-addled brain, to work out which is the cheapest by the technique known as fucking well looking.

So, this isn't really an area which needs extensive legislation, is it? And it's not even a subject that needs mentioning in a manifesto, really, is it?

For fuck's sake.

.

12 comments:

JohnRS said...

Try finding a lefty government that doesnt use force.

It goes with the territory 'cos once the smoke clears and the mirrors are packed away no-one in their right mind will go along with their polices unless pressured into doing so.

JuliaM said...

"And it's not even a subject that needs mentioning in a manifesto, really, is it?"

They are, essentially, telling people 'Vote for us for a free lunch'. They are only going to attract the sort of people who think there really is such a thing. In other words, natural Labour voters.

Captain Haddock said...

But CF .. you miss the point methinks ..

The whole point of "forcing" someone to do something means more work, more expense so more jobs for Liebore's core voters .. those employed in the public sector ..

People doing things on a voluntary basis or merely being helpful doesn't require legislation or expense .. so there's nowt in it for the government ..

And they can't possibly permit that to happen ..

microdave said...

Don't be silly - how can you expect the products of Nu Liebors education policy to know whether a £55 ticket is cheaper than a £99 one?

Joe Public said...

".....Labour party that it will include in its manifesto 'a commitment to force rail companies to offer passengers the cheapest fare'."

I'd prefer it if the (any) manifesto had a clause in it to force that political party to actually deliver all its promises. A legal obligation.

Captain Haddock said...

Bloody hell JP, steady on ..

You'll be suggesting next that MP's be held personally responsible for stealing Taxpayer's money ..

Anonymous said...

"fucking well looking" lol

Anonymous said...

for one type of ticket to be cheaper than another is discriminationary and thats a bad thing surely !

Anonymous said...

for one type of ticket to be cheaper than another is discriminationary and thats a bad thing surely !

Anonymous said...

CF, could it be that ALL the laws passed since 2000 were constitutionally illegal (and therefore null and void), thus voiding all future legislation until the matter is rectified?

I have no idea whether this is the case, but perhaps some constitutional scholar who reads this will seriously look into it?

Never mind what you think of the author (and he does have his detractors). What about his message? Isn't it worth the time of those with the requisite knowledge to at least spend a few days or weeks checking it out?

It might have the power to unwind the hell we've lived under for 13 years and the bitter hell we're about to experience.

Beancounter said...

Or you could even use the internet to search for a train and a cost, although from where I live in North Cornwall you have to drive for an hour to get to a station, and that assumes the A30 is clear whatever trainline sells you!

DerekP said...

Fausty,
Interesting link - the argument seems logical and consistent, so not much chance of that appearing in the MSM.