Jarvis goes into administration; how do we get the Politicians to listen?

[Partsky]

Jarvis, the rail maintenance group, went into administration today, with the loss of thousands of jobs, a great many of them on Merseyside. The staff knew it was coming but turned up today to be told their pay this month would be delayed (and its possible might not be paid) and their previous redundancy package reduced to statutory payments, plus a cut in their pensions. Yes, it happens all the time, I know, but this company has been systematically strangled by Network Rail and the Government, who are happy to bail out banks apparently, but not the people who support the rail infrastructure.. I know directly of two men who are effected and that is the tip of the iceberg. The Government has refused to help and the e petitions site on the Prime Ministers website is temporarily closed. This is another employer with major links to Merseyside that has gone under. Any ideas as to how I can protest or start a petition? Help

[wsteve55]

I hadn't heard about this,but looks like the recession is starting to bite!How about moving this post to one of the news sections?

[ItsaZappathing]

Jarvis, the rail maintenance group, went into administration today, with the loss of thousands of jobs, a great many of them on Merseyside. The staff knew it was coming but turned up today to be told their pay this month would be delayed (and its possible might not be paid) and their previous redundancy package reduced to statutory payments, plus a cut in their pensions. Yes, it happens all the time, I know, but this company has been systematically strangled by Network Rail and the Government, who are happy to bail out banks apparently, but not the people who support the rail infrastructure.. I know directly of two men who are effected and that is the tip of the iceberg. The Government has refused to help and the e petitions site on the Prime Ministers website is temporarily closed. This is another employer with major links to Merseyside that has gone under. Any ideas as to how I can protest or start a petition? Help

One for Waterways I think :PDT11

[GNASHER]

It' always bad to see people getting the boot but have no pity for Jarvis.They have been ripping you,me and the rest of the country,off for years.Very bad management, it's part of the reason why the rail system is so f***ed up.

[Partsky]

Gnash; I dont Pity Jarvis, the Company, per se. Just the poor Joes and Josephines who work the track, the offices etc. I know everyone contributes to a company but lets face it, its a poor show for a major company to literally not pay its workforce and with hold agreed redundancy payments and claw into the pension fund. You can bet your boots those effected most wont be at the top

[Waterways]

Land Value Taxation Can Fund Rail Infrastructure

Land Value Tax works brilliantly to fund rail infrastructure. It stops speculators walking off with windfalls. Speculators are the scourge of the capitalist system. They are generally non-productive. The values that soak into the ground because of public infrastructure can be used to build and maintain the infrastructure. That is not happening.

Rail Networks Create Economic Growth

Many have no idea what influence rail networks have on a community - they are a part of the economic growth of a community and sometimes the key aspect, as in rapid-rail in cities. Although Commuter rail can have negative impacts - it takes people on the outskirts to the centre quickly to work. It runs through inner-city districts disenfranchising them as those in the leafy outer suburbs take their jobs. Full metros are a different thing they create economic growth all around - Merseyrail can easily become a full metro network.

Real Gains From Railways is in Land Values

Look at at British rail magnet George Hudson in the early to mid 1800s. He made his money from the increased value of the land the railways created, not charging for tickets. He knew where the money was made with railways - it was was not in running them. He had his own construction company and bought up land in prime spots where his railways went. He knew before others where his railways would go and where the stations would be. He creamed it off in increased land values and charging high rents, and allowed the railways to fall into disrepair as ticket prices were not enough to maintain the network in the long run, with the government having to take it over it was so neglected. Private profit and the debts socialised with us picking up the tabs. Some foolish people say we should privatise railways - so they can cream it off again and yet again the taxpayer picks up the debts in the end. And they then blame public ownership as being useless and inefficient.

Politician, Morrison at the same time as Hudson wanted the French system of public ownership and renting the lines, or time on the lines, and use the rents to maintain the infrastructure. He was overridden by a lobby by Hudson, then the railways eventually declined to the point of being ramshackle all over the country. We are going to make all the same mistakes again.

Rapid-transit rail stations increase property prices around, and attracts investors. The Jubilee Line extension cost 3.4 billion to the taxpayer. The land values around the lines increased by 14 billion. All this value is untaxed. The cost of infrastructure can be got from Land Value Tax, which US cities are using, as is Hong Kong, Singapore, etc, to fund transport infrastructure. The most dynamic economies in the world use Land Value Tax. Ironically the British partially introduced it to Hong Kong.

The Current Tax System is Destructive - Encourages Free Riders

The difference between a highway robber and a free riders is that the free rider does not have to draw a gun to to take what belongs to others.

Railways create economic growth. This crystallizes into land values. If this was recycled back into funding the nations rail infrastructure everyone would share in the net gains. But is is not. The law dictates that is surplus income from land values is delivered as windfall gains to the landowners. Thus the transport sector is transformed into into a sophisticated mechanism for redistribution income away from low-income taxpayers who fund infrastructure to asset rich people.

This is how the trick is perform in relation to railways:

Government tax on people's wages, their effort - and sales, what they buy
Subsidies given to railways
Strategically located land rise in value because of the railway
Windfall gains pocketed by landowners
Shortfall in funds to renew rail infrastructure
Government raises rates of Taxes on Wages and Sales

The Enterprise Economy Implodes

This viscous spiral implodes the enterprise economy.

Because of income tax some people are priced out of work.
So the government increases taxes to compensate the losers, which creates even more losers

The ripples spread destruction deeper into our communities. The windfall gains to landowners from new rail or road elevates house prices beyond the reach of some people. This prevents low income "key workers" from moving into communities where they are needed to administer schools, hospitals, fire and law order.

So a transport system that supposed to enhance mobility achieves the opposite effect. It becomes and instrument for discrimination against those on the lowest incomes. Immobility is frozen into the structure of the community.

Free Riders Pillage And We Do Not Recognise It

Few people notice. Instead, the pursuit of the "unearned increment" from land becomes a national obsession. What fuels this obsession? Housing. The president of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England said "housing offers a better chance of turning a tax free profit than any other form of (taxed) personal investment". Our culture is supposed to be one of enterprise, however it is driven by a parasitism that undermines freedom. We institutionalise as "normal" the processes that create and segregate the rich from the rest who are materially, culturally and psychology impoverished.

Because this chain of events is now regarded as normal, it is invisible. We are not conscious of its influence, which is morally and materially corrosive. We celebrate the most sophisticated form of pillage because we do not recognise it as such. The free riders are free to rip-off the majority of with retribution. Most do not realise what they are doing.

[GNASHER]

Are we going to get this propaganda on every thread?

[Waterways]

Are we going to get this propaganda on every thread?

What propaganda might you be on about?

[steveb]

What propaganda might you be on about?

a bit long winded wasn't it ?.
Personaly, I don't see the need to post it, the thread is about Jarvis
didn't see them mentioned . Interesting though.

[Waterways]

a bit long winded wasn't it ?.


No. I can go on longer. If you didn't understand parts get back to me. Do not come back with know-it-all critiques without any understanding. ;)



Personaly, I don't see the need to post it, the thread is about Jarvis
didn't see them mentioned . Interesting though.

Yep, it is about Jarvis, a rail infrastructure company, who is losing business because of government cutbacks. Looking a bit deeper and the solution is there to keep the infrastructure maintenance up, not only that extending the existing rail infrastructure.

The initial post was about forming a petition. It might work, and I hope it does, but I doubt it. I fear those job are just gone. It is best people redirect their efforts to the root, not the superficial phaff, and aim to prevent this occurring again. If people do not it will happen again, and again, and again.

It best all on this forum sign this petition: 10 Downing St - Petition (http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/TaxLess4more/)