KHOODEELAAR! Updater diagnosis of the UK Lib Dems Party’s' political, intellectual stagnation

0910 Hrs GMT
London
Wednesday 16 December 2009
Editor © Muhammad Haque
KHOODEELAAR! TOLD the UK Lib Dems to quit aping the lying 'other Parties'. They failed to pay attention.

They are thus embroiled in a confusion of their own making. A confusion of their making. A confusion among many such.

Unplugged. Crass.

The UK Lib Dems are in a state of such interminable stagnation that words cannot adequately detail their backwardness. One after another, the Lib Dems ‘leaders’ queue up; line up to show just how behind they are in thinking.

This is most clearly exposed in their confusion on Crossrail.

[To be continued]

From an external web site]


£1.6bn to axe Crossrail
19 November 2009 | By Mark Hansford
Liberal Democrat shadow transport secretary Norman Baker last week raised fears about the future of Crossrail after sounding out the cost of cancelling the £15.9bn project.

Baker had asked transport minister Sadiq Khan what abandoning the project after next year’s General Election would cost the taxpayer.
Khan said the cost of cancelling the project would exceed £1.6bn. Up to June 2010 project delivery costs, including fees paid to consultants would be £950M.
Another £700M would have been spent on land purchase costs plus the “uncertain” costs of cancelling contracts let to date. “It is not possible to produce precise estimates as to overall expenditure if the project were to be cancelled,” said Khan.
“The resolution of contractual arrangements would be a matter of economic uncertainty.”
Transport minister Sadiq Khan
“The costs associated with any cancellation would be substantial but would be contingent on a number of different factors, including contractual commitments and potential income from land no longer required.
“Naturally, the resolution of contractual arrangements would be a matter of significant commercial sensitivity and economic uncertainty.”
Liberal Democrat economic spokesman Vince Cable has already warned that the £16bn east-west rail scheme for London was unlikely to be a “key priority”, should his party have influence in the next government.
Crossrail and its parent Transport for London (TfL) are working hard to secure the funding needed to build the scheme.
Funding framework
In September TfL announced that it had agreed a £1bn loan with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to finance part of its £7.7bn contribution to the project.
The £15.9bn funding framework was put in place in October 2007 when prime minister Gordon Brown announced that Crossrail’s costs will be met by the government, TfL and London businesses. The government will contribute by means of a £5.1bn Department for Transport grant.
TfL will also contribute £2.7bn directly.
Crossrail fares will contribute £3.5bn to the repayment of project debt raised by TfL. Network Rail will put in £2.3bn.
London businesses will contribute through the Supplementary Business Rate.
There are also financial contributions from some key beneficiaries of Crossrail including City of London Corporation (£200M), BAA (£230M) and Canary Wharf. (£150M).
Canary Wharf Group is also designing and building the new station.
_. www.nce.co.uk/crossrail

READERS' COMMENTS (2)
_. John Band | 19-Nov-2009 4:23 am_You should be ashamed of this awful journalism - Cable has clearly said that his party is committed to Crossrail and the question was to find out how much money the Conservatives would waste if they cancelled it._Unsuitable or offensive?
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_. _Luke O'Rafferty | 19-Nov-2009 10:12 am_I agree with Mr Band. Also see http://www.nce.co.uk/major-projects/crossrail/lib-dems-sound-out-the-cost-of-cancelling-crossrail/5210780.article?MsgId=3531#MsgId_3531 where Mr Baker made a correction explaining this in the comments which were not reflected in the article. Please try getting your stories straight._Unsuitable or offensive?