Off Track
THE Government must stop militant rail unions grinding Britain to a halt.
Fresh from causing untold misery to passengers on Southern Rail, the hardline RMT union has announced strikes on the Eurostar and Virgin East Coast line in August.
The Eurostar walkout is even callously timed for the Bank Holiday to cause maximum pain to Brit holidaymakers.
The RMT claim members’ jobs are at risk — despite guarantees of no compulsory redundancies — and moan about the “work/life balance”. Diddums
In reality this is a group of overpaid union barons holding the rail operators to ransom and crippling Britain’s economy in the process.
The Government can’t stay out of this dispute any longer. They must back the train companies — and use every power in their arsenal to force the unions back to work.
If they fail we can expect crippling strikes across every rail network in the country.
That cannot be allowed to happen.
NHS crush
BRITAIN’S swamped health service is now on the verge of collapse.
A trust in Lincolnshire say they’re at “crisis point” and may have to reduce A&E opening hours, while St Helens is pausing “non-vital” operations.
Despite billions being poured in and thousands of new doctors trained, there are simply too many patients for the NHS to keep pace.
It’s more important than ever the Government puts an end to health tourism and concentrates resources on vital services like A&Es and doctors’ surgeries.
Without a real drive to reduce numbers and a smarter use of cash, the NHS won’t be around much longer.
All rise
IS this the answer to over-priced, silent football stadiums?
A report out today says safe-standing areas at Premier League grounds could halve ticket prices and lift subdued atmospheres.
It’s been a success in Europe — particularly Borussia Dortmund’s gobsmacking Yellow Wall — and is being trialled at Scottish champs Celtic.
With proper care and policing it could be just the boost the big club football libraries need.
Duke of dosh
BRITAIN has just got its first billionaire under 30.
Party-loving Hugh Grosvenor is set to become the country’s most eligible bachelor after inheriting his dad the Duke of Westminster’s £9billion estate.
Form an orderly queue, ladies.