ANGUS REID questions whether a human scriptwriter is behind the multiple plagiarisms of Disney’s much-lauded and vacuous extension of the Alien franchise
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The case for the railways
WILL PODMORE welcomes a demonstration of the incomparable virtues of rail travel, and the political obstacles to realising its potential
RATIONAL FUTURE: Passenger and freight train on the West Coast Main Line in Warwickshire, England
[G-Man/CC] 
ANDREW FILMER welcomes the reopening of Glasgow’s landmark theatre after a seven-year transformation
CHRIS SEARLE encourages you to go hear a landmark performance, and introduces some of the musicians
WILL PODMORE welcomes a timely and clear-eyed account of both Nato and Britain’s fatal role in the process that led to war in Ukraine
IAN SINCLAIR reviews new releases from The Beaches, CMAT and Kathleen Edwards
RICHARD MURGATROYD is intrigued by a study that asks why the ability to diagnose outstrips the ability to cure
How the railways will fix the future: rediscovering the essential brilliance of the iron road
Gareth Dennis, Repeater, £10.99
IN this splendid book, railway engineer Gareth Dennis urges the vital importance of railways. As he argues, public transport does not need inventing. We’ve solved the technology challenges for urban and long-distance transport, just as we have solved the problems of getting clean water and generating electricity.
We have all the skills and tools we need to solve our problems. All we lack is the political will, not the technological capability. He asks, should the railways be nationalised? And answers, yes, absolutely, but adds that this is only the first small step on a much larger journey.
The idea that there can be meaningful competition in a complex network like the railways is bizarre. Railways should not be competing with each other. Their real competition is with road and air.
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WILL PODMORE welcomes a timely and clear-eyed account of both Nato and Britain’s fatal role in the process that led to war in Ukraine
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