HS2 Costs and Project Delays

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK ever invest in something that seemed incredible at first didn't live up to the height. Like those five dollar roses at a gas station or a second hand piece of technology that breaks in the first ten minutes Marketers know that feeling. We optimize for the numbers that look great. impressions reach and reacts But when they don't show revenue Well That's a not so great conversation with the CFO LinkedIn has a word for that. Bull spend Now you can invest in what looks good to your CFO. LinkedIn adds generates the highest roWas of all major ad networks You'll reach the right biers because you can target by company, industry, job title more. So cut the bulls bend Advertise on LinkedIn. the network that works for you Spend two hundred and fifty dollars on your first campaign on LinkedIn ads and get a two hundred and fifty credit for the next one Just go to linkedIn d. com slash broadcast That's linkedIn d. com slash broadcast Terms and conditions apply. Ask yourself, what are your best people spending their time on right now Exense reports, receipt chasing, month end clothes that takes weeks. You become what you spend on it, and that's not what you're building towards ReX is the intelligent finance platform that eliminates that work before it starts. AI agents that handle the manual stuff automatically. So your team can spend their time on what actually compounds It's time to get Brex AF Learn more at brex d. com slash a I am AndyZaltzman. This week's news quiz comes from the Heay Festival of Literature and Arts Hey, can you not all stop reading your novels and give me a cheer Thank you. So before the show I thought I'd blend in by writing a book. Right first things first Title how Kir Starmer can bounce back and win the country round The end Right, I'll send that off to the publishers as soon as we finish this week's newew squiz Our teams here at Hay were paying tribute to popular book genres and to the HS two budget. So we have team epic fantasy against Tam True Crime.. On Tam Fantasy, we have Robin Morgan and from the Financial Times, Stephen Bush And on Team Crime, we have Krie Britard McLean and Chloe Pets All right, ourur first question can go to Kiri and Chloe. Andy Burnham said this week that the last thing we should do right now is what Ooh, is it the three peeaks challenge It's his idea to get the economy back on track Right J is to see how much he can fundraise and get a whole nation doing at the same time, tackling the obesity crisis, raising money just in a couple of minibuses. Right. He's just going to captain Tomm it, is? Absolutely. I love that that's a verb now. Yeah. I think that. Right It's not the correct answer, but I think it would definitely it's probably the most coherent economic plan I've heard in this country In let's say just over ten years, Chloe Andy Burnham said the last thing we should do right now is what? W wasas it released the document saying that the quQueen wanted Prince Andrew to become a train envoy in two thousand two. Not quite right. Stephen. is it start pointing out that he looks a bit like one of the Thunderbirds? . He does, doesn't he? Yeah ye.. H strong brows, isn't it? Yeah, I see that. I think it looks wise. he's got the energy of and they're kind of swagger. I don't think people are drawn to this Munian swagger, but I think it's the swagger of the fastest dad at sports dayay I think that's his It isn't it? the guy who' just run the running r. so you're like calm down mate. It was fifty yards, and you bought your running shoes I think the last thing we should do right now is have a quiz about the news. as place s. he's a very serious man and this is mocking him. Right's disrespectful is abbsolutely.oror. None of those are right anymore suggestions. The last thing we should do right now is Y Panic was that Is that your safe word? Is that why? Yeahlling this out. Seaded the most panicked voice by the p Of course no one ever says now is not the time to panic unless it is definitely. Some inst there of Brexit, isn't it? Yes. It always is. Why are we talking about Brexit again Well, that's kind of his argument, isn't it? that he's being asked about becausecause he was formerally was he was a remainer. And so people, you know, as he's looking like he's surreptitiously doing a leadership challenge by this by election, they've said, well, you know, you against Brexit, wouldould you take us back into the EU and he's like, listen, now is not the time to talk about it But that's now all anyone is talking about. That's been the problem. You said we don't need to rerun Brexit arguments, but I think that's because we've now seen what he looks like in running shorts. I'm pretty sure I saw a low hanging testacle at one point Well, I mean, I guess there's We'll come up to the tenth anniversary. of the Brexit vote. Who's excited by that That just accurately reflected the mood of the nation, Robather. I mean is this something we need to regurgitate this half digested meal, re cook it, eat it again and see what happens? Well, what a pretty word picture. So the political subject serious than West streeting his main rival for the leadership is from a constituency in London where we're on the whole not too keen on Brexit. Andy Burnham has in the past been quite keen to make eyes at Labour members and Labour members aren't keen on Brexit, but he's now running in Makerfield, where they are still quite keen on Brexit So it's very much the kind of like, you know, it's like at Christmas when you're just like, you know, don't bring up your aunt Lauren's divorce, right And in many ways, Brexit is your aunt Lauren's divorce. It's painful for everyone and it hasn't worked out that well, but you know there's no point bringing it up . Yeah, I mean, what in terms of things coming back from the past, you, Brx, it's not it's not so much the elephant in the room as the woolly mammoth standanding between us and our national television twerking its mammoth arm in our face in the room. A you need a minute, Andy? You see, are you pacing the Brexit debate back, Cloe notot really, because I think at the moment the problem with the country is that we're totally polarised And I think bringing Brexit back as a conversation will only further add to that polarisation. Well I think actually I thought that, but maybe we're just also sick of the conversation, right? So actually the thing to unite us most is to go, guys, do we want to talk about Brexit again? And even the staunchest remainer is like, no, shut up. I'm only just back on talking terms to the people in my street WhatsApp group So we should have a referendum on whether we will have a referendum on Brexit. That's great. yes. And ultimately the answer will be David Attonborough Look at that s the safest thing. S, this might be a silly question. What's Brex said Well that is another option is just to put a mind erasing drug in the water system. L men in black just flash everyone.. It's changed our country, change our language, new phrases that have come in since Brexit. Brextrensory perception. which is the ability to notice either benefits or drawbacks of Brexit that other people and the vast majority of economists simply cannot see abstract B expressionism which is a political art form in which you can say or do anything and claim it's Brexit. we're moving on really. So as you' mentioned, this is sort of all related to the labour leadership squabbling. West streeting? who resigned last week warned that the government is in danger of losing What That was the end of the sentence. That losing. Right. Just losing. Is it in danger of losing Wales? Be I think they are as a person who lives in Wales, one more bud decision away from us bricking up the A fifty five. pulling down the Seven Bridge and turning Powace into some kind of holding centre for the English. U Somebody who lives in Powis is absolutely furious corct on to the fight against nationalism which is a bit of a concern. haveave we got any nationalism fans in? Oh these're old. Always pointting up flags on the local lamp posts. lookook at them. So many flags's like Glastonbury. you can't move for flags. I'm not augean of nationalism. I don't know what it is. I think it's maybe because I'm from the twentieth century.. It's where I grew up. and I think nationalism at a bad twentieth century to be honest they're trying to put a labour spin on nationalism all the time. but it doesn't sit that easily with them. Yeah, the closest they get is sort of like, should we renationalise nationalism? There's like nothing close to an actual strategy and more kind of trying to woo back people who've gone from labour to reform? That's all that's happening They're really nationalizing nationalism, so thats state control of the production of cheap flags. That say. The only growing like field that we have But Streeting's worried about with the local and regional elections, he's obviously got Sin Fein, the SMP and Pllyide, sort all surrounding England. So everyone's kind of worried about those bits of the UK. If I was the king of Spain, I'd be googling Armada's Naria this point. Now's a good time for that. I'd quite like Burnham to get it. I'd like him to get it, and I think I'd like him to replace Kistama if only because it's another white man with glasses, and it's just nice to see me represented on the gl page . When will our voice be heard Bam's actually going to win the by election. What is it? It would be a shame if he couldn't be guy that was Facebook friends with the Neon Nazs. Yes But I feel like that's why I'm friends with people on Facebook and I don't w to be friends with. I have someone on my Facebook and they have a joint Facebook profile. They're in their sixties, and it's John and Barbara, okay? And one of them keeps posting very bigoted stuff, and I don't know which one it is. Whoever's in charge of the account because the other one had the affair I guess That's the only reason people get joined a Facebook account. someone was playing away. There you go, There's the secret. To be fair, to the credit of the reform candidate, a sentence that I will probably never say again. But to his credit, I think like you were saying Robin, like my Facebook has laid dormant for many, many years. But I acquired so many friends in about the year twenty sixteen when I was doing stand up comedy in pubs with Let's face it, white men who were just giving it a go. Statistically, I'm one hundred percent also Facebook friends with a neonance. It's funny because we're all talking about this know this leadership battle, but no one has said that they are running. Wes Street just said if it happens again, I will stand, but no one is committing to it because they don't want tona be the first to commit to it. And it's a very like, I will if you will. It's like a game to spin the bottle between like fourteen year olds and be like, if Wes says he'll do it, then I'll do it. But it's also look as unsexy as that as well. Stort of calling him Wes. I think Wes is too bland a name to be Prime Minister. L His full name is Wesley. We can't have a Prime Mister Wesley. I think I've got his middle name here, Wesley Paul William Streetings. I think he should go by WPW Streeting because it sounds like he does paving. That would look lovely on the side of a van, would right? lovevely. Well some news just breaking actually, in an effort to bring the Labour Party together Kir Starmer has called on himself to resign and has said that he will stand against himself provide both the change and the continuity that Labour needs Right, at the end of that round, the scores are four points all Right, We are recording on Chren's Book Day here at the Hay Festival. So for the rest of the questions in this week's newscers, our panelists have to tell me is this a new story or a children's book So I'm going to give them two phrases. One is a new story from this week. the other is a genuine published children's book titles. So for example, to illustrate how this works If I were to give you the very hungry caterpillar And Vladimir gets the giggles Probably know, one is a genuine children's book, the other is about Putin's reactions to Britain easing sanctions on Russia. That's how it works. So Panel has to tell me which one is the new story and explain what that story is. Stephen and Robin, you get the first go. which is the new story? which is the children's book When the whales went away and Otto and the magic potatoes The Wales one is surely the news stories.rect, Klatos Is this about new First Minister Plied Ca Leader Aren Apiorth? Yes, having a conversation with Kir Darmer? Correct He chated they had a phone call last week and the first time they've spoken. and Apiodth was talking about the things that he wants for Wales. He wants maybe the Barnet formula changed. He wants some HS two consequentialss a state. That's what the Welsh government sort of released to the press. And then the UK government went he also talked about independence, the naughty bitch And that was seen as quite a spiky thing for the first sort of phone call to sort of mention, and by the way, we'd quite likeeence just sort of dropping it in casualually, just like, and maybe, you on my anniversary, mayaybe we can try independence. I don't know.. Maybe have a drink. maybe, maybe. Just can't help himselves because they' got this whole you know ply company largest party forming a minority government. They had this hundred day road map of everything they were going to achve. And they said of independence, they said, listen we going commission a white paper on it, you know consultation, And that was where it was left because lots of people are against Welsh independence, but He decided to vote for Bllyc Comary because that was the agreement. and the first phone call he's got with K time. he's like, byy the way, we want independent. just can't help himself. It's like my m, like any conversation, she will manage to bring it back to my weight.ike it does I remember genuinely organizing my dad's funeral with her and she's like, Well, at least she'll be in black and you know slimming that is? You're like, M It's not the time ever invest in something that seemed incredible at first didn't live up to the height. Like those five dollar roses at a gas station or a second hand piece of technology that breaks in the first ten minutes Marketers know that feeling We optimize for the numbers that look great. impressions, reach and reacts that when they don't show revenue Well That's a not so great conversation with the CFO LinkedIn has a word for that Bull spend Now you can invest in what looks good to your CFO LinkedIn ads generates the highest roWas of all major ad networks You'll reach the right biyers because you can target by company, industry, job title more. So cut the bulls bend Advertise on LinkedIn. the network that works for you Spend two hundred and fifty dollars on your first campaign on LinkedIn ads and get a two hundred and fifty credit for the next one Just go to linkedIn d. com slash broadcast That's linkedIn d. com slash broadcast Terms and conditions apply. Ask yourself, what are your best people spending their time on right now? Expense reports, receipt chasing, month in clothes that takes weeks? You become what you spend on, and that's not what you're building for ReX is the intelligent finance platform that eliminates that work before it starts. AI agents that handle the manual stuff automatically. so your team can spend their time on what actually compounds It's time to get Brex AF Learn more at brex d. com slash a Our next question, newew story, or children's book to Krie and Chloe Which is the new story? which is the children's book Walter the farting dog goes on a cruise orr Mickey the malarial Mosquito goes to Mertha Tidvill I want to read them both. Right. I'm not surely the dog on a cruise I mean, it's got the word fart in it. Yeah. So that feels more like a kids book is a that's anmerican children's book from two thousand six, one of several in the Wal to the Farting Dog series.if Have they had any readings here or no So the mosquito one then that's okay, right? Let explain the story. So the mosquito one is because we've got this new government The sort of people who care a lot about the climate or paid to care a lot about the climate have gone to the new government and said, listen, we're in big danger here in terms of temperature rising. We're facing sort of flooding, we're facing huge amounts of droughts. deadly strains of mosquitoes carrying diseases coming to Wales, which just feels very unfair living because I know that the mosquito that carries malaria lives where I live on Ernest Maorne at the top of Wales. and I just feel like it's very unfair to get malaria before we have a preone. feels like quuite an unfair situation to be in. In this situation, I'm suddenly a lot more pro Welsh independence. And if we could build a big wall between us and you as high as the sky I would be appreciative. I really hate creey cwlies. Youre calling Welsh people creepy Crawlies You are what I said. I stand by it. I feel at least partly responsible for this because religious zealots often blame the queer community for God into sending plagues. So I think I might have accidentally missed one of the meetings and they sent Theki is, I would have stopped them if I could. But I do actually I feel okay about it because I have an Australian girlfriend. so every time we kiss I'm sort of microdosing malaria. That it And I feel incredibly safe because I have seen her go at a huntsman with a flip flop. and I'm going to say, quite an neurotic experience. I've just realised I wasking about a spider when he said a huntsman from the countryside I assumed it was a guy with aort shotgun over the cook of his arms. Yeah, lesbians like to go for them as well Wales is obviously because of our terrain and stuff, we're very liable to sort of climate catastrophe, types that're very hilly. mean this part of the world where we are at the moment, it means that in seventy five years this could become the world's first ever laminated book festivalry. That's how sexy it is. Yeah yeah, it's pretty good. But I think in Wales we suffering with this, I think it's bizarre like the climate is changing quite a lot here. There is one species that's nearly completely extinct and they called the Labour Party. We're hoping they're breed with the Lib Dems and something happens. Lib Dem Yes,, you're correct, Mickey malarial mosquito goes to Murphur Tidfill is the new story. Yeah, well, the political upheavals that have bristled across the UK have brought a new pro independence government to Wales and with Blye Cumy raising the issue of independence, we do have to be prepared here. We're in Hay on Y, which is right on the Welsh border with England. so if war breaks out, This festival is going to be right in the front line. I've got a map of the festival site here. and look whoever can take control of the gift shop control the main transit route between the discovery stage where we're recording in the ice cream truck, the coffee stall is looking strategically crucial at the south end of the site for any forces attacking either over the hills from Abagvi or from the Badlands of Herefordshire, whilst we can expect some fierce fighting around the salad dress encounter in the canteen It's a war. It's always about the oil R right at the end of our Wales round, it's now eight to Kirri and Chloe six to Stephen and Robin Right, So for our next round, this can go to Stephen and Robin New Story or Children's book. Harpo's horrible secret and Sge and Gary want a chat Oh, I mean, I've got two young kids. I would love to hear about Harpo's horrible secret. I'd love to read that. I think that's the kids book. That is the genuine kid's book. Yeah, so what is the new story Sag and Gary want to chap? So Sadid Jabid, the former Cervative cabinet minister is leading up this thing called the National Conversation where s it's study being run by Oxford University. And you know, the first question is like you know Do you feel welcome in your local area Do you feel like you belong in your city? Do you feel like you belong in the country. do people nearby me of different backgrounds get on and the idea is this will somehow help the country I went on the website, it's interesting, isn't they sort of trailed this thing of look, Britain is so divided. I think they had a stat that seventy five percent of people believe that Britain is divided as a country. So we're even divided on that And they said, you have to fill in this questionnaire and you can also send voice notes. That was their big sale. They said, and lots of high profile people are going to be sending these voice notes to give you an example. So they said, high profile voice notes from people like Gary Linaker That is the blue sky thinking at four PM on a Friday, isn't it? We are divided as a nation. Maybe a voice note from the man who shats himself on a pitch will do it. Maybe. If I were to hear the opinions of a man who shat himself on a football pitch, I'd speak to any of the dads at Fiveride. Also in terms of things which are dividing the country, surely we can unify around the idea that having finally defeated the tyranny of the answerfone How have we allowed the tech bros to recreate it via the voice note. This the most annoying way to get a message from someone is, Hey, I could text you this information or I could give this long rambling sort of, Hey, I'm calling and now I'm going to do this kind of free jazz style kind of meandering around the topic. by the way, could you get milk? No wonder the country is divided. We're all on edge from trying to work out how these voice notes are going to end. They always start with I started typing this, but this is just so much easier. It's easier for you, not for me listening to it. It's absolutely insane. feeleel very attacked because I regularly send Rbin voice notes. No. lookook at me in the eyes. I'm speaking about you, Kiri. This is the national conversation. We hate it It's a national intervention. That's what this is. Kiri Pratromly genuinely once sent me a seventeen minute voice note That is sixty percent of a news quiz. And was it brilliant? It was one of the best voice lightights I've ever received. I one What do you guys think of the national conversation? Is Is it going to help us heal as a country? No, because it doesn't really dig into anything. So I did the survey as well because I was interested and they were like, donon't worry, it's really anonymous. It's really anonymous. I live in a village of fifty people and I'm the only person under sixty five, so I think they can work out Who's giing the answers to some of the stuff? And I thought it would kind of like gather information about how we bring people together or what you really enjoy and look for from the future and then it would put together some kind of like government or committee to help run things, but it was nothing like that. It was just like put a dot on the map of what you really don't like in your village. And I put it on my own house. and said, Oh, the garden's awful, I think the woman has mental health problems and need some help. I'm hoping the Council will step in and understand' a dereliction of duty to allow me to use a lawnmower. But yeah, I also am very against. We're not great at choosing things as a nation. I think that's not our strong suit. I think if we end up picking a committee that brings everyone together, It'll be a sausage bap, buzzbull and the latest cast of the traraitors. And as much as I love all those things, I don't think that's how we're going to govern a country as complicated as ours.ight I actually have a picture of a better way that we can unite the country. So I think the one of the things that unites us as British people, like every single one of us loves this is when someone you hold a door open for someone and they walk through and they don't say thank you and then you go, You're welcome But I think one of the big things at the moment that people are concerned about is illegal immigration. So I think the way that we can solve this is we all go down to the coast. We see a small boat We let it past us And then we go, You're welcome. And then everyone will sort of be able to get all of their aggression out and let these people fleeing the unknown terrors of their home countries to just live in peace Yes, this is the national Cversation project. Researchers asking participants to complete a survey, then record a sixty second voice note to be analyysed by AI to tell us all what this country really is, what this country really thinks, and what this country really thinks it is. So my challenge for our panel is to record the NewsQiz's voice note to the nation we have got one minute. Four panelists So fifteen seconds each, right. Start the clock H higher, I was just thinking maybe we could have more neon because we're having sort of dystopian cyber punky vibe to our politics. So let's at least have the aesthetic of the country match up with the kind of blade Runner hellscape. A lot more neon. Chloe I think that the neons should be worn by seagulls because I believe that seaagulls are our greatest national feature. When you travel around the rest of the world, they are tiny and insignificant, where ours are massive and majestic. I believe that we should make R Sagull our national anthem. Look, I agree with the seagull thing and also we know times are tough. Even this game of justust a minute is being shared between four people Cry No discoing Well, that voice note is winging its way to Sajid Javid as we speak. And this whole national conversation project to discuss exactly what we are as a nation in the post Brexit era, somewhat ignores the fact that one of the cast iron non negotiables of what true Britishness is that we do not like awkward conversations. So this is flawed from the very start. In fact, research shows that around half of people in this country feel uncomfortable discussing politics and immigration with their partners And the other half is those people's partners banging on about politics and immigration Well at the end of that round it's now ten to Kurrye and Chloe and eight to Stephen and Robin That' right for our final round. we're looking at things that are too expensive, so Kiri and Chloe, Wh is the new story? which is the children's book Heidi and the Golden ghost train O please don't touch my tomato One is a genuine kids book, one is a new story. It's something I'll say once, I'll say a thousand times, Please do not touch my tomato. I one hundred percent think that that is the children's book. That is the children's book. Y. Is it about HS two? Correct? Yes, hide in the Golden Ghost trarain, HS two. Can you explain why So is it that HS two is now totted up. bill that is larger than the Artemis Moon mission. Yes. Oh good. That is correct C