Earlier in the week OnTheWight ran the first in series of email exchanges between Nick Finney, Isle of Wight Conservative MP Andrew Turner‘s transport advisor, and David Pugh, who is connected with the Keep Island Line in Franchise (KILF) group.
As mentioned before, the Island Line franchise is a complex subject, so we feel that it’s only right that the exchanges are published unedited, so details are not missed out.
Here’s the fourth exchange that took place earlier this week. The email is from Nick Finney in response to David Pugh‘s earlier email.
Perhaps you would look at the Stagecoach 2014 annual report and accounts on Page 78 where we see that a sum of £301.3 million was received by Stagecoach in the form of revenue support from the Government.
Are you so economically illiterate that you cannot understand that the island line’s losses are ultimately paid for by the taxpayer. And are you now an expert, with your Union and socialist pals in the complexity of rail operations and finances?
Since you have opened up this dialogue in your usual conceited way I will equally now open up a full dialogue and seek out your so called Conservative credentials in your arrogant assumption of what is best for the Island. I remind you that you represent no one at the moment since you lost your council seat.
Be ready to answer in detail the questions that I will put to you about the future of broken railway businesses and who pays for them when they are unable to pay for the services themselves.
So the surplus revenue that South West may make out of the commuter services etc in their franchise should carry on paying for the collapsing Island Line? And the Island should make no attempt to seek a better way to manage the transport systems that matter to them?
I can confidently predict that you will get short shrift from the Government. As usual you are obsessively trying to use any situation you can find to restore your broken political reputation on the Island and to denigrate the long standing MP for the Island Andrew Turner.
Why don’t we have a one to one debate as one expert to another on radio – no one else there. Then we can both, from a non elected position test the truth of our respective positions and expertise.
