The government-sponsored Railtrack, the private monopoly responsible for the infrastructure of Britain's railways, has been indicted for the latest killings on the line, near Hatfield, north of London. Four people are dead.
A few days ago we subjected to the sickening sight of Gerald Corbett, the chief of Railtrack, joining mourners in a public (christian) grieving ceremony. Fine, but how come Railtrack refused to co-operate with the ongoing public enquiry into the Southall and Labroke Grove diastsers, unless granted immunity from prosecution ? How come the government accepted to be talked terms to by a public service, privatised or otherwise ? How come that almost imperceptibly, due-process and rule-of-law ( for all their feebleness) have become replaced by power bases and "Bestimmer Mich?". Truth is, civic life is adrift: nobody knows the rules anymore, or even the chain -of -command. Its dissolving in a sea of unaccountability.
It must stop now. Labour must renationalize the railways without compensation immediately.
And spare us your compassion, Mr Gerald (£400000pa + bonus) Corbett.

See also recent article: "Railtrack"