"communist state of greater manchester". You ARE joking. Historically, Manchester has always been a capitalist city - have you never heard of Manchestertum? No, its not a stomach upset caused by our filthy atmosphere. Also, Britain outside London in general, and Greater Manchester in particular, has one of the most right-wing transport policies on the planet. That is the whole point of this thread, that the weakest (financially, physically and politically) are being left behind (literally) by the obsession with remote rail.