Down the tubes

London's underground. Thousands of local people use it. We all pay for it in taxes. Two reasons why you should worry about the tube.

Yet, after reading this, I hope you will also be angry over what Blair, Brown and Byers want for our Capital's transport system - the so-called Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

By now, you may be fed up with the never-ending bickering over this PPP. Government says PPP will bring huge benefits - new investment and modernisation of London Underground. Time for Opposition politicians to shut up and give PPP a chance? No.

First, the tube will not improve with PPP. Passengers will not get any real benefits in the first seven and a half years. That's what the draft PPP contracts show. No new trains. No new services. No new lines.

Second, these draft contracts also show taxpayers will get a bad deal. Ministers said private contractors would be "incentivised", so taxpayers would not pay for "cost over runs". Yet the contract details show firms' liabilities have been "capped" - limited to tiny amounts: they have instead been given incentives to waste money!

Third, we the passengers cannot end the contracts if the firms fail. The public sector has no right to terminate a PPP, in the draft contracts.

No transport benefits. Huge costs. No right to end it. This tube deal is a scandal.

Want to know more? Visit my Save the Tube campaign page.