Part 8 – Concluding remarks

Ideas and narratives have played a crucial role in determining how the Government allocates rail infrastructure investment, they shape what proposals for rail infrastructure investment policymakers view as being ‘feasible, legitimate, possible or desirable’ (Hay, 2006, pp.65). This means the Transport Select Committee’s explanation of the appraisal system being biased towards London (28 June 2018, HC 582, pp.4), can be furthered to explain why the Government has a biased appraisal system. The ideas and narratives that policymakers hold have put London at the centre of the UK economy and have led policymakers to believe that to maximise national growth they should invest in London’s rail infrastructure. These ideas have become embedded in Government, as they reflect the past experiences of policymakers who come overwhelmingly from and around London. They have also shaped and constrained those who have come from outside London, meaning they too adopt the ideas and narratives that put London at the centre of the economy. This has meant that although the Government has committed to tackling the imbalance in rail infrastructure investment between London and the rest of the country (Grayling, 2017), they have failed to meet this commitment. This is because the ideas and narratives that policymakers hold have constrained and limited what has been politically feasible (Hay, 2006, pp.65).

The wider effect of this is that, as Hay (2002, p.213) stated ‘ideas should be accorded a crucial role in political explanations’, as it not only improves explanations of institutional change or lack of, but it also plays a crucial role in helping those who seek to challenge the existing system. The affect of using the Constructivist Institutionalism approach is that it shows that ‘actors can use ideas to create and alter institutions’ (Stanley, 2016, pp.238). This means that although existing ideas and narratives may be currently embedded in Government thinking, they can change (Hay, 2008, pp.65).

This study has shown that one of the reasons London-centric ideas remain embedded is that policymakers work and live in London. This is where new regional bodies, such as Transport for the North, offer the potential of challenging the existing London-centric ideas. They provide different ideas an opportunity to be heard, as Luke Raikes from IPPR North, says ‘Transport for the North has been set up to put forward proposals’ meaning that central Government in London sees proposals that challenge their existing views (26 February 2018, HC 582, Q97). Progress is already being seen with the old Pacer trains being replaced by brand new trains by the end of 2020 (see picture). This is significant because previously orders for new trains were cancelled by the Government (Allan, 2018), with the North instead receiving reconditioned older trains from London and the South East (23 January 2015, HC 257, para 52).

Just putting forward proposals will not be enough though, as the ideas that policymakers currently hold would still shape how they are seen (Hay, 2002, pp.213). As Luke Raikes says ‘rhetoric is important. The Northern Powerhouse allows us to frame the North in a way that isn’t the North-South divide’ and is the first step in ‘breaking the London-centric view’. Currently the ideas that policymakers hold have meant that the imbalance in rail infrastructure investment has continued and they remain embedded in Government thinking, but these ideas can be challenged. This offers some hope that one day the imbalance can be tackled, with progress already being made. By doing this hopefully the Government can one day meet its commitment to rebalancing the economy and rail infrastructure investment away from London towards the rest of the country.

References:

• Allan, R. (2018) Disconnected Britain, Analysis. [podcast] 11/06/2018. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3n9WX1zIHjk0MNPhN1iiYV?si=3VUEBL0PTY6HvYKAEVW86w [Accessed 12/03/2019]

• Grayling, C. (2017) ‘Huge economic boost for the north of England as Transport Secretary confirms HS2 routes’, GOV.UK. [online] 17/07/2017. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/huge-economic-boost-for-the-north-of-england-as-transport-secretary-confirms-hs2-routes [Accessed 16/02/2019]

• Hay, C. (2002) Political Analysis A Critical Introduction. Basingstoke: Palgrave

• Hay, C. (2006) ‘Constructivist Institutionalism’, Binder, S.A., Rhodes, A.W. and Rockman, B.A. (eds) The Oxford Handbook of Political Institutions. Oxford: Oxford University Press

• Stanley, L. (2016) ‘Using focus groups in political science and International Relations’, Politics, 36(3), pp.236-249

• Transport Select Committee. (2015) Investing in the railway, 23 January 2015, HC 257, 2014-15

• Transport Select Committee. (2018) Oral evidence: Rail Infrastructure Investment, 26 February 2018, HC 582, 2017-19

• Transport Select Committee. (2018) Rail Infrastructure Investment, 28 June 2018, HC 582, 2017-19