Tuesday 20 March 2012

Trans European Network (TEN-T)

 

A few years ago I visited a friend who lived high in the Spanish Sierra Nevada mountains. While I was there I drove on a brand new motorway which was being constructed to carry traffic through the Sierra Nevada's down to the southern Mediterranean coast.  It was very spectacular but the most spectacular aspect was that the European Union (us!) had paid for it.


Yesterday Mr Slippery (sorry I meant David Cameron) announced that he was considering toll roads as some crucial roads were 'not fit for purpose' and he specifically mentioned the A14. I have got to the point that whenever any of these 'modernising' politicians make an announcement I immediately suspect skulduggery.


Why the A14? Well it leads from the port of Felixstowe to the M1/M6. What is beyond Felixstowe except the EU? Now I had read recently that the High Speed Rail project had been ordered by the EU and even if most of us found it a pointless and destructive exercise they were determined to complete a high speed rail link across Europe. That is why we will spend 32 billion pounds to reach Birmingham 15 minutes quicker. 


Surely I thought...this is not another EU project? So I looked it up and there it was TEN-T (Trans European Network). So, far from being our government running our country they are once again spending our money (on top of what we send annually to the EU) to complete yet another demand from the EU. 


What are the point of our politicians? What is left for them to decide? If Spain can get the EU to pay for their transport network then why can't we get some of our money back? Mr Slippery should just wring his hands and tell us that there is nothing that he can do. At least that would be the truth.

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