Take the point about causality direction but it is about the broader impact of the fact that the policy of the last decades towards the railway has been somewhere between managed decline and life support. An industrial strategy that recognised rail for its primary role in decarbonisation and the future of transport (rather than false horizons and gadgets) would have reduced the cost of maintainance and storage as well as eased the capacity issues that make it logistically and economically hard for its use (which I believe has also been an issue).

Can’t comment on support for monarchy and ERII death. I imagine that most people fail to see it as an issue that materially affects them with the governance issues being largely hidden from view.