Taking taxpayers for a ride again

THE headline “Strewth! Serco to run Caledonian Sleepers” could not have been more ­appropriate (News, 18 May). They have not been too good with prisons and much else besides.

Along with G4S they have been taking the UK taxpayer for a ride. Remember the Olympics? Their performances seem to fall far short of the glossy promises, not once but over and over, both in the UK and abroad.

To be fined £68.5 million on just one contract is no mean feat, and considering it was in the field of law enforcing it really is appalling.

Labour has been tentatively suggesting taking some public rail services back in-house. I would have thought that an SNP government would try to outdo Labour and keep links to the rest of the UK run as an example of good practice.

Is there no locally-based expertise in Scotland capable of an in-house management take over. If not, what does that say about Scottish education? If you cannot run a sleeper train what about the whole ­country?

I do not have a vote in the referendum, but reading that the SNP is behaving exactly the same as the ideological London based parties would not encourage me to vote to give it absolute power. Where is the difference?

As for being an enthusiastic customer of a Serco-run sleeper, I think I would have to sleep on it.

Leslie Freitag, Harpenden

Hertfordshire