SO Westminster has started the protracted face-saving exercise which will inevitably lead to the cancellation of HS2 ("Review decision puts future of HS2 rail link in doubt", The Herald, August 22). The project never had a realistic prospect of extending beyond Birmingham. If and when it is cancelled who will take the blame? Who will be found responsible for the wasting, for zero return, of billions of scarce public funds on a vanity project which could only benefit those who had an interest in expanding London’s commuter belt? Was it the same mastermind who decided the UK should spend a king’s ransom on the London Crossrail project?

It’s typical of the eye-catching poorly thought-out “fur coat and no knickers” schemes Westminster habitually dreams up. Scrapping Nimrods, building aircraft-carriers with no planes and propping up corrupt banks are other examples. What is the point in getting from London to Birmingham lickety-split if it takes a day to get from there to Dumfries or Newcastle and you have to stand rather than getting a seat?

Nationally our rail infrastructure is crumbling and transit times increasing if indeed the train turns up at all. We the general public don’t need the rail equivalent of a Ferrari supercar, we need a Fiat 500 and a road to drive it on without traffic jams and potholes. Come to think of it, the same applies to many of our roads. Most of all we need politicians with their feet on the ground rather than their heads in the clouds and individual accountability for their mistakes.

David J Crawford, Glasgow G12.

WITH the HS2 future now under review and with the recent report from the Children’s Commissioner that 200,000 children are living in homeless accommodation, possibly the government can utilise the £90 billion saved by cancelling HS2 and spend the money wisely by building more affordable homes for our future generations.

Good quality housing will, in my opinion, contribute far more to society than saving 15 minutes from the journey time of London to Manchester.

Dr Joseph Fell, Glasgow G77.