Latest news with #HS2
Times
2 hours ago
- Business
- Times
Don't dismiss Elon Musk's Doge so fast: we can learn from its failure
History won't be kind to Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (Doge). As failed, expensive experiments go, it's up there with HS2 or 'Tay,' Microsoft's much-hyped AI chatbot that, within hours of launching in 2016, morphed spectacularly into a racist troll. Doge initially pledged to slice $2 trillion from federal spending — a bravado-fuelled ambition that was swiftly halved and then repeatedly whittled down until landing at a relatively underwhelming $150 billion. Even this revised sum relies on some fairly questionable assumptions and shaky accounting. Some independent commentators suggest the real savings hover close to zero, especially once the anticipated tsunami of lawsuits — or the burden of haphazardly dismantled departments limping on dysfunctionally — are factored in. The Department of Government Efficiency will, ironically, be remembered for its inefficiency. Yet, oddly enough, I remain rather enamoured with the concept. Just as high-speed rail doesn't have to degenerate into a bloated money pit bereft of trains, and AI chatbots needn't transform into spiteful bigots, the basic idea behind Musk's ill-fated initiative holds merit. The execution may have flopped, but the underlying model of applying a private sector mindset to government spending and bureaucracy deserves resurrection. History is full of promising ideas that tanked the first time around. Bubble Wrap, for example, originally intended as textured wallpaper, languished unsold until IBM adopted it in the 1960s for protecting computer components. The billions of Post-it Notes sold annually began life inauspiciously in 1968 as a glue deemed too weak for aerospace engineering, only to find new purpose in the 1980s. One of Doge's many glaring oddities was that, despite being overseen by one of the world's most successful corporate CEOs, its cost-cutting approach was remarkably un-corporate. Most jobs — even those which are poorly performed, vulnerable to automation, or submerged in bureaucratic sludge —were originally created for a valid reason. This explains why corporate belt-tightening almost always ends rather than begins with job cuts. CEOs and CFOs typically look at expenses before wielding the axe, scrutinising discretionary spending first — travel, events, equipment — and cutting back hours or trimming temporary hires. Full-time roles are usually the last domino to fall. Musk flipped that sequence, firing up the chainsaw without any evident due diligence or sober analysis. This wasn't the sort of disruption or iconoclastic thinking for which Silicon Valley has become famed, just muddled recklessness. Over here, taxpayers' money continues to be splurged on an array of baffling pursuits. This year, these have included a £99 million initiative devoted to teaching overseas families to 'cook with electricity', including in places where basic infrastructure — and electrical cooking appliances — are lacking. • Outgoing head of Reform's 'Doge' urges party to avoid Musk's mistakes Then there's the £1 million grant to the Open University, which made the news last month, funding a two-year project to encourage students to 'touch as a mole' and feel 'like a bee'. Given the same amount would pay for 20 police constables for a year, I'm fairly certain that wastefulness could be identified without requiring a Musk-style wrecking ball approach. Right now, injecting disciplined private-sector thinking into governmental budgeting feels not just sensible, but necessary. Rachel Reeves's recent spending review has dramatically opened the purse strings, with departmental budgets growing by 2.3 per cent — the neck end of an additional £200 billion allocated to daily public-sector operations. I don't find the spending itself inherently problematic. Rather, I worry about who within the current government has earned genuine credibility managing substantial sums prudently or, indeed, could be trusted to implement rigorous cost controls to offset the increased largesse. In this regard, I believe there are plenty of highly talented figures from the world of business, with proven track records, who would bring more experience, expertise and, in all likelihood, results than the government could muster. • Fraser Nelson: Elon Musk's Doge debacle has done us all a favour How about someone like Sir Terry Leahy, who streamlined Tesco? His brand of operational efficiency relied heavily on automation, data analytics, and smart technology as well as lean logistics. Or Sir Stuart Rose, under whose leadership M&S developed more prudent supply chain management, stricter inventory controls and a better ability to negotiate more favourable terms with suppliers? Perhaps once Dame Carolyn McCall steps down from ITV? Diplomatic and a good communicator, she has credentials in turning around, and modernising, businesses in the public eye. Musk might have inadvertently given efficiency a bad name but his version of Doge should be regarded as a flawed prototype rather than proof of a dud concept. Having had a helpful case study of 'how not to do it', perhaps it's time for someone to do it properly. Seema Shah is chief global strategist at Principal Asset Management
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Motorcyclist in his 40s dies after collision
A man has died following a collision between a van and a motorcycle. The crash occurred at about 08:20 BST on Wednesday near the HS2 site entrance on the A361 at Chipping Warden, Northamptonshire. It involved a white Ford Transit van and an orange Suzuki motorcycle. The rider, a man in his 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene, with police now appealing for witnesses. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Man seriously injured while getting out of car Man in his 70s dies after crash at roundabout Northamptonshire Police
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Man in his 40s dies after motorcycle crash in Chipping Warden
A man has died in a collision between a van and a crash occurred at about 08:20 BST on Wednesday near the HS2 site entrance on the A361 at Chipping Warden, Northamptonshire. It involved a white Ford Transit van and an orange Suzuki rider, a man in his 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Times
2 days ago
- Times
What happened to the homes bought by HS2?
S ome 50 family homes sit on the wooded slopes of Whitmore Heath in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, each in its own generous plot, individually designed in a dazzling array of architectural styles, from faux Arts and Crafts to stark contemporary. Many of the residents are in their seventies, eighties and nineties, having lived on Whitmore Heath for decades, raising their families here. Until HS2 came along and turned their world upside down. In 2011 the West Midlands to Crewe leg of the high-speed railway, or Phase 2a, was announced and HS2 started buying homes in the area, which locals call 'millionaires' row'. The Department for Transport now owns more than half of the homes here. This is despite the fact that Phase 2 of the project was cancelled by Rishi Sunak in 2023.
Metro
3 days ago
- Business
- Metro
End of dodgy phone signal on trains with major fibre optic boost for rail
'Sorry, I'm on a train at the moment so the call might just cut out.' It's a familiar start to a phone conversation for rail passengers up and down the UK. But a massive upgrade to connectivity on British tracks announced today could spell the end of awkward chats that ultimately need to wait until you've reached your destination. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told Metro the move would 'bring the experience of rail travel in the UK into the 21st century'. She said: 'I think we've all been there, haven't we? It's so frustrating to be sat on a train with your phone or your iPad, dropping out every time you go through a tunnel, or one of those railway cuttings. 'And I think we need to get on and tackle this problem with mobile connectivity, black spots on the trains.' The plans will mean ultra-fast fibre optic cable is deployed across 1,000km of the East Coast Main Line, parts of the West Coast Main Line and the Great Western Main Line. Ultimately, that network could stretch across 5,000km of railway, according to the Department for Transport. A total of 57 tunnels will also get access to signal, including the 4km Chipping Sodbury tunnel near Bristol. Provider Freshwave will be behind improvements to mobile signal on the railway and 4G and 5G connectivity in stations as well as in tunnels, while Neos Networks will be responsible for the fibre optic cable rollout. Alexander said: 'One of the things that people talk to me about a lot is that decent mobile connectivity on the train, if they're working, would massively improve their productivity, and would clearly be good for the economy. 'But it also improves leisure experience, doesn't it? If families are having days out, kids are watching favorite TV shows or whatever on their phone, it improves the experience all round.' The rollout is currently expected to begin next year and be completed by 2028. Alexander's announcement comes days after another boost for notoriously terribly train WiFi was included in the government's industrial strategy plans. They included a pledge of £41 million towards introducing low-earth-orbit satellite connectivity for all mainline trains, which would 'significantly improve both the availability and internet connection speeds for WiFi-connected passengers'. The Transport Secretary also recently revealed the massively over-budget HS2 rail project would be delayed yet again, with the first trains now not expected to run until after 2033. More Trending She said the same would not happen again for the big infrastructure changes she has announced. Alexander said: 'I think the lesson that we've learned from HS2 is that you need to have good people working in the organisation that is letting the contract, to start off with the appropriate skills, the appropriate technical understanding, commercial acumen. 'And I think that what we've got in Network Rail to manage this project, and we'll constantly keep it under review, is the right step for people to ensure that over the next couple of years we can get this first phase properly rolled out, and people can start to enjoy better quality journeys.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: One of London Underground's top lines is running vintage 1930s trains this summer MORE: 'Ambitious' new sleeper train will connect 100 European cities — with private rooms from £67 MORE: New train to span 745 miles linking five European countries — and tickets are £40
