Derailed

The news that a City trader escaped paying next to no money since 2008 has sparked a debate whether he is a hero or villain.  Well, he got caught eventually, showing that the gambling instincts of the City are still alive and kicking, plus he had to pay back the equivalent of single day tickets for every journey he made since 2008, thus costing him more than if he had bought season tickets.  For me, forget hero or villain; this marks him out as reckless at best, a fool at worst.  That this was an out-of-court settlement showed that he was prepared to dip into his small change to avoid prison and forking out almost £45,000 hardly marks this unnamed trader out as a proletarian salt-of-the-earth.
I think this debate highlights though the rip-off prices (encouraged by Gordon Brown when Chancellor of the Exchequer) the train companies have imposed on the ordinary people.  I miss sorely the mature student railcard that gave me a third off rail travel.  And that's not counting the myriad inconveniences of weekend use.  After visiting some friends in London for birthday drinks, although a fair amount of time was spent at the flat of Jon Williams (the Jon Williams, but not the John Williams as was the confused bar banter in which I was once involved), by the time we got to the pub in Clapham Common, there was enough minutes for one drink before departing at 10 pm.  The reason - 1 hour 38 mins from Victoria to Gillingham (normally 55 mins) because of engineering works and needing to relieve my mum as babysitter at a semi-reasonable hour (20 past midnight pushing the envelope).
When I checked the schedule for Easter Sunday when Simon Savory will be bidding farewell to these shores for the City of Light across La Manche, I was balked again by the delay caused by the use of replacement buses.  One route involved a bus to Maidstone before getting on a train to London, with almost half the journey being taken for a ride away from the Big Smoke.  That's why I found it hilarious when a weblink on National Rail Enquiries asked "Long journey?  Why not upgrade to First Class from +£5.40[missing a second question mark]" First Class?  On a rail replacement bus for half the time.  What a joke.