Inspired by the downfall of the Nationalised banks, that old favourite of the lefties is back: Nationalising the trains! The strategy is the same: Wait until a train operator is on the brink of bankruptcy then swoop in.

To help the process along (after all, train operators might not go bankrupt on their own) the Government’s got a few tricks up it’s sleeve. Their key weapon is fuel duties, combined with Quango controlled pricing and scheduling. If the train operators can’t control their costs or prices, then to bankrupt a train operator all you need to do is make sure their costs are greater than their income and blam, ‘save’ the rail line from those greedy Capitalist bastards.

Dream come true for the hard left though. Glad someone’s happy!