Keep in mind that European cities are more densely populated & have less space allocated for roads..meaning more congestion even with lower per capita car ownership. People also tend to travel shorter distances in that congestion versus the American 100KM commute to work. I have a UK passport & citizenship & my family were blown away by the fact that people would 50 to 100 kms to work everyday.

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Scotland could well become an energy superpower in the future, given the ocean/wind potential of the country. We need to start seeing beyond our narrow view of resources. We see oil as a resource, but we need to grasp that wind/tidal power IS a resource...as is those waves that lap the shore of Scotland (and have for thousands of years). That's energy..and when we move to a more local and renewable energy scheme you're going to see economic growth in these areas. I believe Boone Pickens talked about something like this in a run down small town in the USA which went into a boom when a wind farm was put in nearby.

When all is said and done...renewable energy & the changes it makes to our society may be the best thing to ever happen to us. We'll be closer to our land..and our planet..and less reliant on cities to drive the economy.

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As for the train network that doesn't reach smaller places. I suspect in time you'll see a revival of trains to these regions and in cases where it's not possible, a more robust bus system.

If you want to talk a proverbial train "train wreck" look at the US rail system. It's nearly non existent. I lived in Ontario, Canada for some time in a city about 100 kms from Toronto. We had..2 trains a day that took us into the city. None of them were useful as a commuting tool. We had bus service every 15 minutes in the morning and every hour in the day. Service on those buses was good...and that was before the run up in fuel costs.

MickJordan said
"It was fascinating tracking the evolving financial crash with the in-depth reporting of papers like the Guardian, Time and Independent."

That's "The Times". "Time" is an American comic.
;-)

No need to give up reading them.
They are all available on-line, together with 'The Pink 'un' - 'The Financial Times'

Thanks, I forgot to mention that I also was given a diesel when I rented the car. I came back yesterday, traveling back to London on the train again on Friday, but this time through the rush hour. If I had thought the trains full before, this time it was almost as bad as the Tube. (the London Underground), and packed.

Why are the trains so expensive?

Was the $175 one way?