GMITA stitched up like a kipper

Telegrammed by Ithuriel
High class weaseling in the High Court of Parliament

John Leech (Manchester, Withington, Liberal Democrat)
Transport bosses from Manchester are meeting the Minister with responsibility for rail later this afternoon to discuss their concerns about the Government reneging on their promises on the number of railway carriages for Greater Manchester. May we have an oral statement to the House to assure hon. Members about the number of railway carriages that we are getting, and about when we will get them, so that we can start dealing with congestion on our railways in Greater Manchester?

Harriet Harman (Lord Privy Seal, House of Commons; Camberwell & Peckham, Labour) I am assured by my hon. Friend the Deputy Leader of the House, who represents a seat in Greater Manchester, that there has been no reneging on any commitments on important transport infrastructure in Manchester

The background to this is that DfT Rail told GMITA that the 182 net additional vehicles allocated to Northern in DfT Rail's HLOS had been cut to 106. But please don't go public, old chap, don't want to worry the voters!

So GMITA went public and on 9 July had a meeting with Chris Mole, a very junior transport minister.

Mole cleverly listened to the whinging Mancunians and in a move of masterly ministership offered to travel to Manchester to see the overcrowding at first hand, or foot if you are standing.

So impressed that a real, live, very juinior minister was actually going to brave the main line from hell and visit t' north the GMITA delegation went away rejoicing.

Mugs.

Meanwhile look at Harriet's super weasel, probably hand crafted by the DfT Permanent Secretary himself.

Note the reference to Important transport infrastructure.

Trains are not infrastructure.

Infrastructure is what they run on.

And the way DfT Rail's accelerated DMU procurement is, or rather isn't going, that 106 already looks distinctly optimistic...

The Fact Compiler understands that Harriet Harperson proposes making discrimination against 'Northerners' a hate crime. Perhaps we now have a test case?