McG of H: I wasn't saying myself that Thatcher privatised the railways, but that I've seen lots of other people say that's the reason for the accident. You're right that it was Major.

The point I was making was that, yes, the privatisation of the railways has not worked and it would arguably be better to renationalise them, but that isn't the reason for the accident. It could have happened if the railways had never been privatised. It was caused by neglect, and that could just as easily have happened if the railways hadn't been privatised, because it comes down to an individual not doing their job. Accidents used to happen in the British Rail days, when, if anything, people were less safety conscious than they are today. It may be that most railway workers in the BR days were more conscientious than they are today, or not - I don't know. But there have probably always been a few who were lazy or didn't take the job seriously enough.

I think your last paragraph is spot-on. But also, sadly, road accidents happen every day, and usually involve small numbers of people each time. The fact is that these small numbers add up to a much bigger number than those involved in a train crash, but because it's a constant 'drip' that we are all used to, rather than a 'flood' like a plane or train crash, means they're not big news. That may not be a good thing, but that's how things are.