With train reliability at a dire low, passengers forced to pay extortionate fares and often overcrowded carriages, few could deny that the railways are broken.

Some blame privatisation three decades ago. While this led to a remarkable increase in passenger numbers, the franchising model let profiteering rail bosses get away with running shoddy services.

Labour says the way to improve the network is to renationalise it. If the party wins power, nearly all train operating firms will be brought back into state ownership.

But although this Corbyn-era policy may delight activists, is it really the panacea the Left would have us believe?

Not judging by how Labour transport spokesman Louise Haigh struggled to explain exactly how it would be funded.

Labour says the way to improve the network is to renationalise it. If the party wins power, nearly all train operating firms will be brought back into state ownership (stock image) 

Labour leader Keir Starmer with Labour's shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh. Will Labour be prepared to keep shovelling money into the railways at the current rate – at least £12billion a year? Leasing rolling stock would cost another £2billion a year

Will Labour be prepared to keep shovelling money into the railways at the current rate – at least £12billion a year? Leasing rolling stock would cost another £2billion a year.

In the fight for government cash, railways will always lose to the NHS and schools.

Ms Haigh claims savings can be made by modernising working practices and closing ticket offices. But Labour's union paymasters oppose such changes. Having punished the public with strikes for two years already, the militants won't hesitate to push a Starmer government around.

Anyone who remembers British Rail knows what a terrible idea renationalisation would be. Filthy, investment-starved, and even more unreliable and strike-bound than today, the passenger always came last.

As serious as the problems of our railways are, they certainly won't be solved by a return to the dead hand of state control.

Lame-duck leader

The disintegration of the SNP's power-sharing agreement with the Greens must rank as the most humiliating U-turn in Scottish political history.

Only three days after praising the deal, Humza Yousaf pulled the plug on it – before his coalition partners got in first.

The Greens were appalled after the beleaguered First Minister ditched climate targets this week. They were also angry at the SNP being outwitted by Rishi Sunak on dangerous gender self-ID reforms.

Mr Yousaf now faces a no-confidence vote. On his party's watch, Scotland has got worse – on the economy, schools and the NHS.

Mr Yousaf now faces a no-confidence vote. On his party's watch, Scotland has got worse – on the economy, schools and the NHS. This melodrama is bad for Britain. With voters increasingly rejecting the SNP, Labour is more likely to win the general election

Scottish Green Party co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater. The disintegration of the SNP's power-sharing agreement with the Greens must rank as the most humiliating U-turn in Scottish political history

On one hand, this melodrama is bad for Britain. With voters increasingly rejecting the SNP, Labour is more likely to win the general election.

But every cloud has a silver lining. It means the appalling prospect of the Union being torn apart is further away than ever.

A licence to steal

Shoplifting was once regarded as a serious crime. Not any longer.

Reforms introduced by politicians have all but decriminalised store thefts worth less than £200. As a result, the police rarely bother to investigate them.

So is it any wonder that shoplifting has reached epidemic proportions, with more than 1,000 incidents reported every day?

Meanwhile, violence against shopworkers has doubled – a statistic that should lay firmly to rest the insidious myth that shoplifting is a victimless crime.

Home Secretary James Cleverly insists the Government and police are taking this problem seriously. In that case, they should reinforce their words with tougher actions.

The crooks who brazenly sweep goods off the shelves must believe their crimes will be punished. Only then will this plague end.