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Listening to The Minister

Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2009-10-05 02:13:29 - Graham Ellis

You've got to admire the guy - Paul Clark MP, Undersecretary of State, arrived at Saturday's TravelWatch South West meeting during the chairman's introduction. And he was the first speaker. Without visual aids - with just his name and role projected all the time - he spoke for 30 minutes without any of the gaffs we have seen at these meeting from previous ministerial visitors. His speech was long on statistics and impressive on all the money the government had spent on transport. And he talked about results, with many lines now having far better services that those they had a few years ago. And he talked too about planning journeys as a whole, across modes and bus rail interchanges. Of course, these latter rang very hollow indeed to those of us who had travelled from Melksham, which has had its train service reduced to 2 a day each way, and where the evening bus from Chippenham leaves the railway station at 20:24, just as you see the 20:25 train drawing in.

Paul then took three questions from the audience. He promised to "take on board" the request to relook at the growth rates used in the GWRUS, he sympathised with Torbay Council over their funding problems with concessionary bus passes, and he also confirmed that Cate Mack had an excellent point with regard to a huge increase in parking at an expanding Bristol Airport at a time that we should be looking to encourage greener ways of getting to the airport.

Then he took around of applause and dashed out for his train back to London to connect with a flight to Copenhagen.

As I say, you have to admire the guy. His stamina, his delivery, his clever handling of the questions such he didn't really answer anything but got in many more of his points. But I'm not terribly sure what I came away with. Well - I didn't write it down, but I know that 36 hours later I still remember that he represents Gillingham, has a majority there of 257, and joked about knowing every one of them personally.


Picture - Paul Clark fields Kate Mack's question.