What happened on 26th June 2023 - with your comments in the Web

On Monday, the week started with plans of closure most UK railway station ticket offices to start ‘in weeks’.

Almost 1,000 offices are believed to be targeted for closure under government proposals to cut costs and “modernise” the railway, although ministers have for months shied away from spelling out the extent of the plans, in the face of concern from their own MPs as well as unions and passenger groups.

However, an announcement of public consultations, the first stage in the formal process, will come in early July, according to rail sources quoted by the Association of British Commuters, a campaign group. Unions and campaigners have warned that cutting ticket offices will make it harder for vulnerable passengers and people with disabilities to travel by rail.

With only about one in eight tickets now bought at a ticket office, the industry argues the public would be better served by moving staff from offices to broader roles on station concourses. The Department for Transport did not comment on the timing, while the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, said staff would be informed before any public announcement.

 That occurred to be quite a problem for many Brits.

"if I only have cash then I am physically unable to buy a ticket as the machines only take cards. If I want a ranger/rover then again, I was physically unable to purchase my desired ticket. I’m demonstrating by immediately finding the guard that I’m willing to pay, but couldn’t because they closed the ticket office."

"Trains are under no obligation to let you ride if you refuse to pay with anything other than cash. It's not a debt, so the fact that it's legal tender is irrelevant.

So your ability to pay will mean nothing."

"The ticket machines are so slow and flaky on my line that it’s faster to join a queue of 10 people to buy from the window. If everyone had to queue for the 2 machines it would take hours to get through in the mornings.

No exaggeration."

"I live on a main line into London. The operator doesn't allow e-tickets - you either need a Smart Card that they'll supply, and needs to be topped up from a ticket machine, or a paper ticket. Yes, you can buy the paper tickets in advance, but you still need to pick them up from the machines. The machines that are already insanely busy and are hit with errors at least once a month.

I don't mind this idea, but I do want more machines and a minimum guaranteed service level on them."

On that day too, a Labour frontbencher has triggered furious row as Rishi Sunak accused of weaponising trans debate to win votes.

Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said the prime minister was using equality “as a ‘wedge issue’ in an ugly culture war”. But a senior Tory hit back at the “surprising” attack and said that Mr Sunak was simply trying to ensure the protection of children. 

It comes after a week in which leaked footage saw the PM making transphobic jokes and No 10 wading into a bizarre row about identity politics in schools.

Writing for The Independent to mark Pride month, Mr Streeting said: “We have a government, and a prime minister, who see an opportunity to use LGBT+ equality as a ‘wedge issue’ in an ugly culture war. Meanwhile, hate crimes against LGBT+ people are on the rise once again.

Yet, it indicates that transgender issue has become rather acute.

 "My mum reads the Daily Mail (I've tried) and when I flick through the paper, it's unbelievable how many stories are about the "trans issue".

It obviously tests well as a way to rile up their base, and is perceived as an issue where the Tories are on the "sensible" side, according to the DM readership."

"That’s because there’s been a huge increase in people identifying as transgender in that time period.

For example, 72 children were referred to GIDS in 2010, but over 5,000 in 2021."

"I'm 30 and came out last year.

I kind of knew what I was in my teens, the late 00's. Back then you had Little Britain on TV, my classmates talking about lgbt people like they were mentally ill and diseased and absolutely no support or positive messaging.

One of my friends came out as gay towards the end of year 9. He was bullied and physically assaulted almost daily for weeks before he just stopped coming to school. Just existing through my teen years seeing that shit all around me was emotionally scarring, to the point it took me over a decade to come out."

 "They can't win the economic argument so they have to manufacture a battleground to fight on and create an enemy to fight. These awful pricks have been at it for as long as I can remember."

Also on Monday, the Home Office told that government scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda will cost £169,000 per person.

In a written ministerial statement announcing the publication of the impact assessment, Suella Braverman, the home secretary, says that these costs must be considered alongside the benefits of irregular immigration being discouraged. She says:

The economic impact assessment clearly shows that doing nothing is not an option, as the volumes and costs associated with illegal migration and the asylum system have risen significantly over recent years, driven by the rise in small boat arrivals. This increase of pressure on the UK asylum system, public sector spending, public service and accommodation capacity, and local communities, is unsustainable. That is why we are changing our laws and taking action to stop the boats.

In 2022/23, the current system cost the UK an estimated £3.6bn in asylum support costs alone and we are spending £6m a day on hotel accommodations. Unless we take action to stop the boats, these and other costs will continue to rise …

The economic impact assessment forecasts a monetised benefit of over £100,000 for every illegal migrant deterred by the bill. The impact assessment also considers non monetised benefits that would result from stopping the boats, including: fewer individuals undertaking hazardous and unnecessary journeys crossing the Channel; reduced pressures on public services and housing markets; and other wider asylum system benefits from fewer migrants being supported in the system.

Those numbers infuriated Brits.

"£169,000 per person is absolutely fucking mental.

That is such an enormous amount of money - especially compared to the cost of processing asylum claims quickly and then giving refugees who have had their claims accepted short term support until they can start working and start supporting themsleves.

Right wingers claim to be worried about refugees stealing our jobs, but if the alternative is taxing us £169,000 so that they can spend the money on forcibly sending them to Rwanda against their will the it's difficult to believe that it's an economic choice.

It's all about the cruelty. They're prepared to tax us £169,000 or to take £169,000 away from schools, hospitals or schemes to support other needy people so that they can spend £169,000 on being cruel for absolutely no fucking reason.

If you still support this scheme, are you prepared to pay the extra tax so that you can be needlessly and expensively cruel to people who are fleeing war and persecution? Or do you expect the rest of us to chip in for this colossal waste of money as well?" - "I'm sorry to correct you, but Tories are not doing it just to be cruel, it's because this way they can pocket a good chunk of it via their friends in the Rwandan government, Rwandan lawyers and Rwandan Civil Service"

"The fundamental missing step is in the belief that this will even happen at all.

How anti-immigration folks are still swallowing the lies being shoved down their throat by a political movement that very obviously is laughing in their face I will never understand. They've stolen £150m of our money for a PR stunt. And the saddest part about it is just how well it still works on these rubes and useful idiots."

"At £169k a pop, why not just give them a visa that requires them to train and work in sectors we struggle to recruit in for 5, 10, whatever years. They are then contributing to the economy, actually solving some of our issues, and even better - not costing a penny." - "Because that doesn’t appease the racist, nor does it make the Tori politician richer. Tories aren’t about morality or making our economy better, it’s about cruelty and causing pain on to others to appease old hags that’ll croak in the next ten years, whilst making themselves richer.