HPrime Minister David Cameron finally addressed an issue which we at the Brighton Journal have been vocal about for a number of weeks.
Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday saw the PM confronted by Horsham Conservative MP Jeremy Quin about the frankly appalling service which Southern passengers have been subjected to in recent weeks. Mr. Quin asked David Cameron whether he would “condemn [the service] in the strongest possible terms and help to resolve [the issues]”.
Upon this request the Prime Minister responded, stating that “transport infrastructure is a crucial part of the economy” and continued with a damning condemnation of Southern’s conduct, saying that “frankly, the performance of Southern had been unacceptable” and claimed that the furious passengers “deserve better”.
Mr. Cameron also made a promise which will be music to the ears of our readers who have expressed consistent anguish over the service when he said that “[the government] will be providing more generous compensation to passengers affected by the latest strike”. This should to some extent soften the blow to those who were subjected to ludicrously late or delayed trains along the Brighton to London services last week.
As you will know if you are a regular reader of the Brighton Journal, you will be aware how active we have been in our coverage of Southern’s incompetence. Moreover, when we went inside the demonstrations over the last couple of weeks, one protester made the point that it was all to do with the government and that they needed to stand up and be counted in this debacle.
The reaction to the Prime Minister’s comments has been mixed, given that he probably has more pressing things on his mind, but overall it seems as if justice is starting to be done. Our very own MP, Caroline Lucas, tweeted to point out that the PM’s comments have been a long time coming and something she has been “pushing the government” to do.
What are your thoughts on this? Would compensation be enough, or could more be done to sort out Southern’s poor service? Let us know!
Matt Cowdock, @MattCowdock, [email protected]
