Platform still shrouded in fog

STEPHEN GOODWIN

Clare Short's first significant pronouncements since taking over the Labour transport brief have done nothing to lift the fog on how the party in government would take control of a privatised railway.

As the deadline was reached yesterday for franchises for the London Tilbury and Southend Line, Great Western Line and South West Trains, Ms Short warned that "the gravy train will hit the buffers the minute Tony Blair enters Downing Street".

The rhetoric was much the same as that of her predecessor, Michael Meacher, and so too was the total absence of a timetable or proposed means of regaining state control.

Mr Meacher may in the circumstances be wondering why he was shunted to the less prominent employment post, despite improving his position in last week's Shadow Cabinet elections. It was rumoured that Mr Blair was unhappy about his reluctance to play down the prospect of renationalisation.

The Labour leader has never been as personally committed to the idea as more traditional colleagues, notably his deputy, John Prescott. In January 1995 at the low mid-point of the Clause IV campaign, he refused to promise to renationalise the railways.

Then, on the eve of the Labour conference, facing a difficult vote on the minimum wage, trade unions were given a pledge of renationalisation "as soon as possible".

Virtually the biggest cheer during Mr Blair's conference speech was for his commitment to a "publicly-owned" railway. But though the message sounds clear, the means remain opaque, despite the fact that a group chaired by Mr Prescott has been looking at the options since the New Year.

Ms Short, in a letter in yesterday's Independent, said: "Whatever stage is reached we will ensure the railways are in public ownership." Like Mr Meacher, she is concentrating on scaring potential franchisees and would-be shareholders with warnings of "no fat profits".

Early in the year Mr Prescott said franchises would be allowed to run for the seven-year period, but within weeks, Mr Meacher demoted this to "an option" and raised the spectre of a Labour government cutting subsidies to private operators.

But Labour continues to lead with the pledge to a publicly-owned railway while following up sotto voce that it is all about priorities and timing.The Labour leader's office said yesterday: "We cannot give an open-ended commitment. The most important thing is the commitment to a publicly-owned railway, and we will continue to explore ways of achieving that."

How Labour changed its timetable

Tony Blair, Labour leader:

"To anyone thinking of grabbing our railways, built up over the years, so they can make a quick profit as our network is broken up and sold off, I say this: There will be a publicly owned, publicly accountable railway system under a Labour government." Party conference address, 3 October.

"I am not giving a blank cheque in this or any other area. We will look at the possibility of taking it into public ownership." Radio interview, 4 October.

Michael Meacher, transport spokesman until last week:

"There is the whole question of the 51 per cent buy-back, there are golden shares, there are bonds. I am not at this stage going into details." Radio 4 'World at One', 4 October.

"Let me make it clear that Labour wants not merely a publicly owned railway, but a much better railway." House of Commons, 18 October.

Clare Short, new transport spokeswoman:

"We will have them back in public ownership, absolutely, as cheaply as it is possible to do. An incoming government has enormous powers and we will do it." Radio 4 'Today' programme, 27 October.