Sir cthulhuiscool2 is the former leader of the Libertarian Party Cymru, Member of the Senedd for Cardiff North and a long standing skeptic of High Speed Rail.

The anticipated High Speed Rail has been long touted as a great national undertaking, connecting the capital to the rest of the United Kingdom and healing the North-South divide. Whether this is an opinion expressed from ignorance or for a far more sinister reason I am not sure - but one thing is clear - High Speed Rail will do nothing to reverse decades of London-centric decision making. A report by the New Economics Foundation found 40% of the new line’s passenger benefits will be accrued by London. This is despite the capital representing only 15% of the UK population and more damning still - a quarter of economic output. In short, HS2 can only deepen historic wealth inequality.

In a similar vein; the environmental and ecological damage HS2 will cause, the economic burden and the impact caused to communities in its path are reason enough to call for its cancellation. However it is more often than not the Welsh perspective that is overlooked.

Not a single inch of track will be built on Welsh soil and not a single train will cross the border. And yet the Welsh taxpayer has been forced to contribute to a project that will not only fail to benefit his own life - but a project that will make his community poorer and potentially at great risk of his own livelihood. It is a scandalous state of affairs and in my view the greatest threat facing Wales.

Despite the proponents of High Speed Rail claiming it is a project in the national interest - evidence clearly states otherwise. This evidence suggests much of the North and South West of England, Scotland and Wales will lose out. The Department for Transport commissioned KPMG report of 2013 warned of significant cost to the Welsh economy; damage which is thought to represent £150 million a year. And, unlike our friends in Scotland, responsibility of rail infrastructure has not been passed onto the Welsh Government. This means under the ‘fair’ funding formula Wales is not due a single penny in additional funding as a means of compensation.

Let us be clear, London has the most to gain from this project and wealthy Londoners at that. Once again the interests of the privileged take precedence over the powerless.

Although the Conservative Party demonstrating its disdain to the people of Wales is nothing new, this Labour-Liberal Democrat Government must share much of the blame having voted against the Libertarian Consequential Funding Motion. In effect showing no care for the ‘negative economic impact’ of High Speed Rail. In much the same fashion as the Libertarian opposition to the Fair Funding Formula, is it the Libertarian Party Cymru who stands alone in this fight. And with support for the Libertarian cause at an all time high - it is a fight we are winning.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect that of The Surrey Comet nor its employees.