"but haven't yet worked out quite why they are being so compliant."

In the case of EH, they'll have a virtual viewing monopoly, which is worth a bob or two although their supporters say that's purely coincidental.

As for NT, who knows? But the Countryside Alliance makes them continue supporting trail hunting on their land so they're open to malign influences.

The money, yes, in the scheme of things it's peanuts to solve it. There's now talk that the B'ham to Leeds leg of HS2 is to be abandoned, that's worth a good few miles of extra tunnel, as is bloody Trident every year.