Hearing the facts should be more pleasing

19 March 2008

I'M really sorry to have to put Roger Martin right (What is there to be pleased about? Observer letters, March 5), but he may think just a bit better of me - and feel more pleased - when he hears the facts.
As regular user, I know that our train service got better after privatisation. Then we had two trains a day from Worcester to London via Evesham that reliably took under two hours. Now, however, after this government's decision to give the franchise to First Great Western, the fastest scheduled train takes a quarter of an hour longer and it, along with all the others, is often badly late. We need to get back to the service of ten years ago, not the inadequate one under the old nationalised British Rail!
My 'unimaginable mileage rate' for driving my car is the Revenue and Customs approved rate of 40p a mile, reducing to 20p a mile after the first 10,000 miles. This means I subsidise the use of my car commuting to London and on constituency business. And when I drive to London in the week I have to pay the congestion charge out of my own pocket - it is not an expense I can claim at all.
I know the facts can get in the way of a good argument, Mr Martin, but I think the facts matter.
Peter Luff
Mid-Worcestershire MP
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Hearing the facts should be more pleasing