Tunnel vision

And so the farce continues. The High Court yesterday rejected the bid by Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London, to block proposals for the part-privatisation of the Tube. Mr Livingstone has been given leave to appeal – and will no doubt do so, since he rarely shies away from a political fight. Mr Justice Sullivan ruled that it was for the Government "to have the last word". But Mr Livingstone will no doubt still hope that he can have a laster word than the last word. Expect another act of this long-running drama to appear in court soon.

Meanwhile, where does that leave millions of London commuters and visitors to the capital? Hot, sweaty, and very bothered is the answer. The question of how the system should be improved is rapidly becoming less important, for those who have the misfortune to use London's underground system on a regular basis, than the desperate demand that it should be improved – somehow.

This has turned into a hideous game of "pass the blame" – which both Mr Livingstone and the Government play enthusiastically and expertly. Less point-scoring and more commitment would, however, be welcome. Let enough finally be enough.