SouthEastern Rail Rant

Or maybe S@*tEastern rail would be more apt? For as many years as I've endured the S@*tEastern commuter service into London, there seem to have been ongoing engineering works. In a timeframe approaching that by which most former British colonies managed to establish their entire National rail systems, S@*tEastern rail have spent Sundays performing engineering works that appear to have had no tangible effect on the frequency of signalling problems. Amazingly, their performance managed to exceed the required target by 0.04% ensuring that long-suffering commuters were unbelievably ineligible for a season ticket rebate. Even more incredible was the fact that S@*tEastern rail were entitled to impose an inflation busting 12.5% fare increase onto their long-suffering commuter base. As both of these events beggar belief, one is left wondering who could possibly be responsible for such obviously partisan oversight. Perhaps our wonderful politicians possess some vested interest in keeping the profit margins of Southeastern rail topped up? I of course refer to the same honourable types of politicians who claimed porn and moat cleaning as valid expenses to be borne by the public purse. Who knows, perhaps during the great rail-privatization fiasco stake in the rail companies was also an allowable MP expense? After all, how else could the poor gravy-sucking swine commute between Westminster and their sprawling country estates?

Yet, having suffered the eye-watering, belt-tightening 12.5% rail fare hike, I still find myself writing my blog aboard a crowded and delayed train; one which has now also been diverted due to signalling problems. And from the daily news I see that one year on, bankers have returned to the same bonus culture which caused the current economic disaster in the first place. Furthermore, it would appear that not only have they not changed their evil ways, but in addition they alone find themselves completely and utterly sheltered from any form of accountability or responsibility for their actions. So while the vast majority suffer hardship and privation, the morally corrupt few are granted carte blanche to repeat the exercise.
  

So now it can only be a matter of time until history repeats and the economy collapses for a second time. Except that now that the public purse is bankrupt who will bail the system out the next time? Apparently not the bankers as they have been granted absolution for any accountability for their actions. I try not to think of the future as I can't imagine one that exists.