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It’s time to give our railways back to the people of Britain
As Aslef’s annual assembly opens in Southend, MICK WHELAN makes the case for public ownership

THE result of the general election last week was not what we wanted, what we expected or what we worked so hard for.

It was a defeat across Britain for Labour. Although it is worth noting that while the Conservatives won England, the SNP won Scotland, Labour won Wales and the DUP won Northern Ireland, which may say something about the state of the United Kingdom.

But that doesn’t mean we give up or stop working for what we believe in. And it doesn’t mean that what we believe is wrong. On public ownership, for instance, those of us who work in the rail industry know — because we see it every day — that privatisation hasn’t worked. And we know that even Conservative voters would like to see the railway in this country brought back into public ownership.

  • Mick Whelan is general secretary of Aslef.
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