When I wrote this I was not talking about accounting details, though I am not sure whether all of those details are really publicly available once you get down into the delivery organisations and projects that inevitably get set up for something like HS2.
What I was getting at is that this kind of project is hugely complex, and develops fast both as delivery progresses (or doesn't) and as decisions are made. Anyone who can't be in the room for those decisions and isn't managing the relationships and receiving the day to day reports is going to be at a big disadvantage if they are trying to make major changes.
You can stand on the sidelines and set how you would do things differently, but I don't think you can credibly turn up with a detailed plan that's ready to go on day one for something like this.
Which single person can read and be fully clued up a modern UK infrastructure project? Our infrastructure planning needs an overhaul.
The Lower Thames Crossing is worse than HS2, far worse, and it's not much more than 10 miles.
https://www.cityam.com/lower-thames-crossing-planning-applic...
Probably the best that they can do for anything this complex is headline policies and high level plans.
Now they are in power it’s probably only 10–20% about having the right policy and 80–90% about execution being competent, consistent, and quick.
They need to be given time to do the right thing, but not too much time.