Many of you may have seen and engaged with me in England's Lane when shooting my film "Time-Lapse Belsize" on March 9th 2014.
1 Day, 1 Junction, 3855 photographs, 1 film and 1 Independent.
A Day at the central hub of Belsize life, which will if HS2 goes ahead could be devastated for up to 10 years, with all Adelaide (main road) traffic being re-routed around this already busy junction.
Please join me on my venture and support me to become the first ever "true" Independent councillor in Belsize, Camden representing the area which is my home for more than 45 years.
The film has started to be widely seen and has earned a lot of hits on my YouTube channel. Which was the whole point to help raise awareness in and out of Belsize of the beauty of Belsize and to set the scene of allowing people to imagine the whole of Adelaide Road traffic being diverted through one of the hearts and souls of Belsize. We may not be able to enjoy a cafe late post 2016 / 17 with 100s of juggernauts driving in the area and diverted traffic past constantly.
It is highly expected that the Sulphur Dioxide SO2 and nitrate pollutants known to be responsible for thousands of premature deaths each year and countless asthma bronchial related diseases from vehicular construction and re-routed traffic will actually force many of these business to have to close there doors and have installed air filter scrubbers to purify the air to meet the "strict" European Health and Safety standard for air quality.
The so-called wise politicians of the Conservative and Liberal Democrats parties "fail" to fully comprehend either the health risk associated with heavy re-construction in built up London areas namely Camden, or simply don't care. Other "No 2 HS2" campaigners like me are scattered up and down the whole planned route from Euston to Birmingham.
I am all for improvements to essential infrastructure in my country and to build for the future but at what cost? This "white elephant" of a project is in the view of Conservative Boris Johnson Mayor is quoted as saying;
HS2 'will cost over £70billion', says Boris Johnson
The cost of building the high speed HS2 line will cost around double the planed official estimates, according to Mayor Boris Johnson.
I would venture further, in my analysis of any very large government infrastructure project the start estimate always goes up by three to four times. Why? you may well ask, its because the scope of the project uses a linear planning model, it does not have a time line dependent and non dependent modular "Sand Boxed" build concept as is used by large multi nationals like Microsoft, Apple or Google. I should know, I have worked for multi nationals as a project manager for many years and have actual "real-world" experience at project delivery.
Does CEO of Apple Tim Cook give out a blank cheque no off course not, but it appears the UK government does! Not in name but in practice. Once the HS2 tunnels core boring starts, does it stop no it goes on until finished, it can't stop. Any problems or snags on route will have to be reprogrammed into the project plan - called project creep, also known as "Cost PLUS" Cost PLUS was actually used by the UK government in project procurement, especially the Ministry of Defence projects back in the 70 and 80s. Later it became the favoured modus operandi for the Thatcher (last term of office for Conservatives) and even through the Blair and Brown Labour Government. But under a new name PPP (Public-Private Partnership) better known as PFI.
The commercial risks are still present but deflected away from the public body (Government) to private investors. But then as I have said above does a project like HS2 stop half way between Euston and Birmingham, no off course not. Again Cost PLUS and the TAX Payer pays the meal at the end of the banquet!
Oh did I write that the private Investor taking the risk is ultimately the British TAX payer, well it is each one of us will be footing the final bill one way or another for many years to come.
Will the HS2 "white elaphant" project truly create British jobs for British people, well no, why should it? Private enterprise will use thousands of contractors to deliver against the aggressive delivery schedules. Personnel will be brought-in, in ways that is completely out-side of Government's control.
The workforce will come from accross Europe all the way from North America and Canada, specialist workers with special advanced skills sets. It is expected that workers will come mostly from Europe, where the skill to wage ratio is at a premium currently in the construction industry.
An old adage. It is not the flow of the worker from deprived and unemployed UK to deliver but it is the flow of the cheapest wage ratio to employment market work force that will dominate. It is not expected that the UK jobs for British workers will feature as an overriding concern of the private investment companies wanting to bring in the project on-time and in-budget, especially where fixed delivery contracts are in force.
Copyright (C) 2104 Nigel Rumble
