Interestingly, in his Presidential Address, Mr Shooter did not refer to HS2. During the Q&A session afterwards, he did state his support for the Project and said it would be good for Greater Birmingham: citing the creation of jobs during construction, the HS2 depot in Birmingham, and (just announced) the HS2 Academy.
These benefits are of course mid-term with HS2 not being completed until 2026. For me, one remark in his address underlines all my fears about the Project. Referring to London, he said that it was good for the rest of the country to have this 'magnet' of a capital and that regions such as Greater Birmingham should work with London rather than against it. Alas, I see no evidence that HS2 will enable this working together. Rather, the Project when completed will simply add to the magnetic power of the capital and hasten Birmingham's capitulation to being a dormitory city whose best talent commutes southwards...
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