political commentator * author * publisher * bookseller * radio presenter * blogger * Conservative candidate * former lobbyist * Jack Russell owner * West Ham United fanatic * Email iain AT iaindale DOT com
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Post Office Revolts Starts: PPS Resigns
Sky are reporting that the PPS to Business Minister Pat McFadden Jim McGovern has resigned his post in protest at the government's Post Office reform plans. Interesting.
More important than this is that unemployment raises substantially so early in the economic downturn cycle. This on the day Brown chooses to visit Iraq to confirm already announced news. Spin is back big time.
The odds on an early election will have shortened today.
The problems of the Royal Mail all stem from the EU which demands that our postal services is open to competition from Europe. The Victorians understood that the only way in which a postal service could provide a universal service was by making it a state owned monopoly. Give that back to it and we can have a postal service which will once more be the envy of the world. It means leaving the EU of course - so there is an added benefit.
What will be interesting is whether DHL (or anyone else) will want a MINOROTY stake in the Post Office, with the Government able to scupper any restructuring plans that they do not like. Wholesale sell-off and a complete restructure of their Pension terms and conditions is the only way forward for this wholly inefficient organisation.
Labour do it again, it's a re-run of the House of Lords.
Despite the ins and outs of the rights and wrongs, Royal Mail, like the House of Lords, simply worked before Labour tried to tinker and make it an ideological football simply to garner some seedy votes.
He's very vulnerable to the SNP in Dundee West, who took the equivalent Holyrood seat with a 2,000 majority in 2007. And the SNP have both the Holyrood and Westminster seats in the east of the city.
Even USA has a state owned postal service. Once the Royal Mail is sold, they'd end up like the privatised rail and utility companies, ie, rubbish. Prices would go up, pensioners would lose out, post offices would be closed and Britain would just slide nearer to 3rd world status.
Since he was a PPS while Labour shut post offices across Dundee and also whilst knowing from departmental meetings about privatisation plans, why did Jim McGovern wait to resign?
He could have really damaged such plans before they werr announced.
It's more likely he's panicked in the face of the reaction to these plans and the fact he has a marginal seat?
Jim McGovern is my MP, his resignation as PPS will be a populist move localy but he is screwed in terms of tring to hold on to his seat because the Labour party in Dundee are hopeless.
And when did we ever have a postal service that was the envy of the world? Perhaps when we invented the stamp (although as ever the cost of that was underestimated and blew a hole in the budgets of the early 1840s) but I doubt since then realistically.
Also, the German postal service probably is the envy of the world and is subject to the same EU rules which it has exploited to make a go as a major international player. And all our lot could come up with was Consignia.
11 comments:
More important than this is that unemployment raises substantially so early in the economic downturn cycle. This on the day Brown chooses to visit Iraq to confirm already announced news. Spin is back big time.
The odds on an early election will have shortened today.
The problems of the Royal Mail all stem from the EU which demands that our postal services is open to competition from Europe. The Victorians understood that the only way in which a postal service could provide a universal service was by making it a state owned monopoly. Give that back to it and we can have a postal service which will once more be the envy of the world. It means leaving the EU of course - so there is an added benefit.
Jim who? - no loss...
What will be interesting is whether DHL (or anyone else) will want a MINOROTY stake in the Post Office, with the Government able to scupper any restructuring plans that they do not like. Wholesale sell-off and a complete restructure of their Pension terms and conditions is the only way forward for this wholly inefficient organisation.
FB
Labour do it again, it's a re-run of the House of Lords.
Despite the ins and outs of the rights and wrongs, Royal Mail, like the House of Lords, simply worked before Labour tried to tinker and make it an ideological football simply to garner some seedy votes.
He's very vulnerable to the SNP in Dundee West, who took the equivalent Holyrood seat with a 2,000 majority in 2007. And the SNP have both the Holyrood and Westminster seats in the east of the city.
Even USA has a state owned postal service. Once the Royal Mail is sold, they'd end up like the privatised rail and utility companies, ie, rubbish. Prices would go up, pensioners would lose out, post offices would be closed and Britain would just slide nearer to 3rd world status.
Since he was a PPS while Labour shut post offices across Dundee and also whilst knowing from departmental meetings about privatisation plans, why did Jim McGovern wait to resign?
He could have really damaged such plans before they werr announced.
It's more likely he's panicked in the face of the reaction to these plans and the fact he has a marginal seat?
The Labour Party never did really 'learn to love Peter Mandelson', did they ?
Anyway, it's a Royal Mess, as even McGovern can probably see - look at that pension deficit !
Jim McGovern is my MP, his resignation as PPS will be a populist move localy but he is screwed in terms of tring to hold on to his seat because the Labour party in Dundee are hopeless.
PPS resigns - hardly earth shattering news.
And when did we ever have a postal service that was the envy of the world? Perhaps when we invented the stamp (although as ever the cost of that was underestimated and blew a hole in the budgets of the early 1840s) but I doubt since then realistically.
Also, the German postal service probably is the envy of the world and is subject to the same EU rules which it has exploited to make a go as a major international player. And all our lot could come up with was Consignia.
Hang on,where's all the sneers from the lefty superior beings?Could it be their masters have ordered them not to comment/stir it on this one.
Post a Comment