[Arrowhead]

God help them if they're pinning all their hopes on the online edition, which is a bit of a shambles nowadays.

[Samanfur]

Breaking news from the BBC:

Independent to cease as print edition

The Independent and Independent on Sunday newspapers are to cease print editions in March, the owner has said.

Announcing a move to a "digital-only future", ESI Media said there would be "some redundancies among editorial employees".
But it said there would also be 25 new "digital-content roles".

ESI has also confirmed it will sell the i newspaper to Johnston Press, subject to approval from Johnston's shareholders.

[Abernathy]

Well, that's kind of sad. The Indie was once a formidably good paper, in the Whittam-Smith days, but it's less stellar these days.
As I say though, I still never quite forgave it for putting the boot into the Corrie.

[Safe_Timber_Man]

MacKenzie was given a platform on Daily Politics (fuck you for that BBC) and has given his verdict on it:

It's not going to be any sad loss to be honest.

The public have been given the choice, we have a fantastic array of print products every morning - the i was not one of them and the Independent hasn't been one of them for about the last 10 or 15 years.

It's very expensive actually, to produce good digital news products and the truth about the matter is it isn't a good online offering and there will be no users and therefore no advertisers.

I'm afraid it's goodnight.

We have a fantastic array of print products every morning? Get to fuck.

[youngian]

I wish the Indy all the best with their online future and all papers follow suit. Express readers in particular coping online is making me smile already.

[mattomac]

MacKenzie was given a platform on Daily Politics (fuck you for that BBC) and has given his verdict on it:

It's not going to be any sad loss to be honest.

The public have been given the choice, we have a fantastic array of print products every morning - the i was not one of them and the Independent hasn't been one of them for about the last 10 or 15 years.

It's very expensive actually, to produce good digital news products and the truth about the matter is it isn't a good online offering and there will be no users and therefore no advertisers.

I'm afraid it's goodnight.

We have a fantastic array of print products every morning? Get to fuck.

To be fair toilet roll is probably printed every morning and there is an array of them.

[Tubby Isaacs]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ho ... 43481.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This tripe has all the hall marks of a paper that's sacked all the subeditors and journalists.

Britain’s new high-speed rail line will be the most expensive railway in the world with costs per mile expected to reach £403m, according to Government calculations.

The HS2’s first phase between London and Birmingham will cost almost £48bn, according to expert analysis commissioned by the Department for Transport (DfT).

Hang on. Government figures? What's this then?

It comes after Chancellor Philip Hammond got the cost wrong by at least £20bn in a radio interview.

Mr Hammond said HS2 will cost the taxpayer £32bn, when in fact it is expected to cost more than £52bn.

Hammond didn't make a "gaffe" actually. His figure doesn't include contingency or trains, but is the expected price of the infrastructure. So he was actually right.

But what's this £52bn (for the whole of HS2, not just the bit to Birmingham)? Government figures? Sounds very much like they are, and the £48bn just to Birmingham is a number from one bloke. Who has come up with £40bn from the edge of London to Birmingham across mostly open land. If only there was another project we could compare HS2 with. Clue is in the name. HS1 cost £80m per mile.

The project has also been mired in delays and complications.

It's not delayed. It was intended to start this year, and it will.

. The engineering firm that was handed the multimillion-pound contract to develop HS2 pulled out of the project less than two months after it was selected to complete the work.

The Government confirmed on 9 February that it had appointed US-based company CH2M to help develop a section of the network north of Crewe to Manchester and from the West Midlands to Yorkshire.

It's doing work north of Crewe and on the Yorkshire branch? So that starts in 2027. I think somehow we'll manage. And it didn't get "handed" anything. It had to bid for it.

What sort of politician would fall for an article like this?

Step forward! (citing it as evidence)

Natalie Bennett‏Verified account
@natalieben
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#HS2 - it still doesn't add up to sense. Use money on east-west trains, local & regional services & local transport!

[bluebellnutter]

Unfortunately sanity and sense left the building long ago on HS2, it's now become something the far right hate because it's a bit European therefore EU MAKES US DO IT and the left hate it because TAKING MONEY AWAY FROM FOODBANKS or similar.

[Boiler]

Unfortunately sanity and sense left the building long ago on HS2, it's now become something the far right hate because it's a bit European therefore EU MAKES US DO IT and the left hate it because TAKING MONEY AWAY FROM FOODBANKS or similar.

Thought: would there be any mileage in making the infrastructure Berne Gauge?

[bluebellnutter]

I believe it will be.

[Zuriblue]

The captive bits will be built to UIC but some trains will be built to British loading gauge so that they can run on the classic network.

[Boiler]

The captive bits will be built to UIC but some trains will be built to British loading gauge so that they can run on the classic network.

That's rather what I hoped they would do.