No, they don't. You've just made an argument where none exists.
It is already acknowledged that rail is the least expensive, most environmentally friendly mode of transport. In addition, if nothing had yet been acknowledged and researched, then it would be the job of scientists to investigate, to get peer reviewed, and only then would government act.
All decisions that government made would be based on science, and that included been tested and reviewed by other scientists from other countries, etc.
There will always be disagreement, and this is one of the flaws of democracy. All decisions are weakened because those who know nothing have to be taken into consideration for the sake of giving everybody, no matter how badly qualified, a turn at the table.
I don't happen to agree with that. I believe that the people most qualified (in their particular fields) make the decisions.
To my mind, it is obvious that if I'm in charge of hiring the painter, then I select the color or have another reason for selecting the color. Here's the bottom line, Frank.
In every area of life, there is authoritarian. The guy at the bottom of the corporation is not consulted as to whether the CEO should have a grey or black chair. Yes, the interior designer can advise, but the messenger guy and the cleaner don't get a say - even if the messenger is going to see the chair every day and the cleaners has to clean it once a week.
One of the big problems with democracy right now is that it is showing just how serious the cracks are. Plato covered this a long time ago in his book, The Republic.
I personally believe in a qualified democracy, that people are only entitled to an opinion or a vote if they are qualified in that particular area. Voting or having an uninformed opinion is bad for the long term.
How do you think we got to the place where, both in the UK and the US, there is now a dearth of effective leadership - at the most urgent time in history. Same goes for South Africa and many other countries.
Team playing has its place when everybody has the same goal. When they don't, it's a disaster waiting to happen.
