Outstanding hypocrisy
Sir: The Labour Party's opposition to rail privatisation and its possible intention to reverse any such measures when (and if) it comes to power is at odds with its professed support for European Union. It demon- strates either outstanding hypocrisy or sin- gular ignorance of the policies and pro- ceedings of the supranational body to which it gives its support. EC Directive 91/440/EEC has the stated aim, 'To facilitate the adoption of the Com- munity railways to the needs of the Single Market and to increase their efficiency.' To achieve this it sets out four main compo- nents, two of which are: to ensure the man- agement independence of railway under- takings; to separate the management of railway operation and infrastructure from the provision of railway transport services.
This is precisely what Conservative policy will achieve, and it is difficult to see how Mr Blair can honestly oppose this policy or seek to return the railways to public owner- ship once it has been implemented.
Such duplicity on the part of a political party desperate for power is not hard to believe, but why does Mr Major not simply state the facts given above and burst the Labour hot-air balloon? Then again, per- haps we know why not.
R. J. Smith
Island Farm Cottage, Camp Road, Ufton Nervet, Reading, Berkshire
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