Untangling the Greece Train Crash Disaster
In some soul-wrenching news, there has been a terrible train crash in Greece. On Tuesday night, near the city of Larissa, a passenger train smashed head-first into a freight train. Both of these trains were travelling at speed. As of March 2, at least 40 people have died in this Greece train crash, and many more folks have been left injured.
“We find ourselves in front of an unimaginable tragedy,” said Greece’s President, Katerina Sakellaropoulou. “We are mainly mourning young people.”
It’s believed that this tragedy was caused by human error and a stationmaster has been detained. However, it’s worth noting that the trade unionists of Greece have been calling for rail reforms for ages now, stating that the current system is accident-prone. Even before this devastating train crash happened, many individuals have been stating that the Greek train lines are incredibly understaffed.
In February, one union even said, “Like all the previous governments, today’s has other priorities, and it is not the safe transport of citizens.”
Additionally, Nikos Tsikalakis, the leader of the Association of Rail Workers, has made the following remarks: “The state has voted and has said, itself, that there should be 2100 workers on the railroad when today there are 750 people who serve it all over Greece. It’s not possible that a stationmaster should talk to another stationmaster. Everything should be a little more automated.”
Authorities are stating that they’ll get to the bottom of this train crash, so something like this never happens again. May the citizens of Greece get some legit justice.
The Cost of Living Crisis and NSW Voters
Meanwhile, in Australia, NSW is shaping up for a huge state election. What’s more, Resolve Political Monitor has asked 803 potential voters what issues matter most to them this election cycle, and the results are both wild and not all that surprising.
According to Resolve Political Monitor, 50% of their respondents said that the biggest issue affecting how they’ll vote this year is the cost of living crisis. This is because food prices are too high, electricity prices have skyrocketed, and you need North Shore money in order to afford a house.
To make matters more interesting, only 2% of respondents said that problem gambling was their highest election priority. This fact is wild because the Coalition has spent an enormous amount of time promoting how they’ll reform NSW’s gambling systems.
As Jim Reed, the Founder of Resolve Political Monitor, said, “Once again, we find that problem gambling is a low-order issue for voters. Most people agree that it is a problem and with the government’s policy to address it, but it simply isn’t driving votes in the same way as living costs and public services because it only truly touches a minority.”
Related: NSW to Bring in Cashless Pokies as Battle Against the Clubs Heats Up
Related: Are State Elections Compulsory? All of Your Voting Questions, Answered
Is Australia Post in for a Shake-Up?
In national news, the Federal Government is launching an inquiry into how Australia Post operates. This inquiry will evaluate if Australia Post needs to be changed in the coming years, as the letter industry is not doing all that crash hot, while the parcel game is thriving.
In 2023, Australia Post declared that there’s been a $189 million decline in the letter industry. Plus, as of 2032, it’s estimated that each Aussie fam will only receive one letter per week.
Read more stories from The Latch and subscribe to our email newsletter.
