Blowing £300 Million on Fripperies.

Yesterday, the Daily Telegraph published an interesting article on the £300 million spent so far on the HS2 rail project.  Yes, you read that correctly, £300 million without so much as a sleeper, or length of track being laid.  

When you look at how this has been spent, you really do begin to wonder what is going on.  £700 on iPad covers,  £128,000 on promotional videos; including versions with alternative endings - I assume this covers the eventuality where they manage to build it for £50 million and the alternative, and much more likely scenario, when the costs rise and they come back with a begging bowl to buy a few more iPad covers.   Of course, the majority of this money- some £192 million has been spent on "consultancy" so we can expect to see precious little of any practical value from that.

Sound familiar?   It reminds me of the large sums spent so far in NOT dualing the A303 west from Stonehenge.  It also brings into sharp relief the difference between HS2 and SH2 - the need to dual the A303/A30 along its entire length.  The first is unliked, unwanted and will, according to the politicians, be fully funded - despite growing concerns that the financial case is indefensible.  The second, SH2, is liked, wanted and has a strong financial case.  It makes you wonder about the arse-about-face country in which we live!