Sunday, October 09, 2005

Musical pockets

So Network Rail have been fined £3.5m for their culpability in the Hatfield rail crash. But wait a minute - aren't Network Rail a nationalised concern (or whatever the current expression is), meaning that Network Rail's money is government money? And where does the fine go? Well presumably, either directly or indirectly, to the Treasury. So if I'm right, the effect will be that the government will take £3.5m out of one pocket, marked "Network Rail" and transfer it to another pocket labelled "Treasury". As Jimmy Greaves used to say (and probably still does) "It's a funny old game"!

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