tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post2829003174273490654..comments2024-01-30T07:41:20.885+00:00Comments on Broken Barnet: Mr Postman, look and see - if there's a polling card in your bag for me, or - Mr Dismore visits TNT and asks some awkward questionsMrs Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00586223909475832791noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-82007983035619925412014-05-15T21:59:49.003+01:002014-05-15T21:59:49.003+01:00Thank you, Anon 19.50, for that lovely metaphor, a...Thank you, Anon 19.50, for that lovely metaphor, apt, although reviving traumatic memories of childbirth and near death experiences. Cheered me up no end.<br /><br />But yes: mug the country for all you can, and sell everything off in a giant car boot sale, to which only your best friends have entry. Then they give you a donation to your party, and you give them a knighthood. May not understand audit, but have a handle on that old game. <br /><br />Mrs Angryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00586223909475832791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-81131846838085925322014-05-15T19:50:36.659+01:002014-05-15T19:50:36.659+01:00Whenever I hear of the "trickle down effect&q...<br />Whenever I hear of the "trickle down effect", I always think the offending mouthpiece is using some form of catheter tube metaphor.<br /><br />When of course they are, as they are politely taking the piss!!<br /><br />When the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, I would more liken it to the "siphon up effect".<br /><br />Siphon it up and siphon it off. Offshore that is.<br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-63266342296758734242014-05-15T19:36:40.030+01:002014-05-15T19:36:40.030+01:00Yes, well, this is where I have to admit that my u...Yes, well, this is where I have to admit that my understanding of the role of audit is perhaps flawed, as it seems to me that ultimately all the largest financial scandals, nationally and locally, somehow entirely slip through the scrutiny of the external audit process. Even when such failings are identified - and often it would appear the most glaring cockups go unremarked - well ... nothing happens. Hard for the ordinary citizen to have any faith in the integrity of government with such an impotent system.Mrs Angryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00586223909475832791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-56391187010313257242014-05-15T19:13:41.093+01:002014-05-15T19:13:41.093+01:00The appalling Government sell off of Royal Mail wa...<br />The appalling Government sell off of Royal Mail was a "get rich quick" scheme which offered no value to taxpayers.<br />A number of revelations have exposed the Government's incompetence during the privatisation of Royal Mail in October last year. It was revealed last month that 21 banks initially valued Royal Mail at over £3.9billion with one bank valued the company at £8.67billion. In the end, the 60 per cent stake in Royal Mail sold for £3.3billion.<br /><br />Almost half the share allocation of sixteen "priority" investors - who the Government intended to have a long-term stake in the company - had been sold off within a few weeks of the IPO at a substantial profit. At the end of January 2014 only six of these priority investors remained among the largest shareholders with only a 12% collective stake.<br />The process the Government put in place to sell off Royal Mail did not deliver best value for the taxpayer and the Government should have considered whether "alternative methods of accessing equity markets" would have achieved better value<br />"Taxpayer interest" was not clearly prioritised in the role of the independent corporate finance adviser (Lazard & Co) who was incentivised just to achieve a sale<br />The timing of the sale was "inflexible and took place under conditions of considerable uncertainty" and "gave limited time for Royal Mail to demonstrate a profitable track record"<br />Although three highly valuable "surplus" London properties (sites at Mount Pleasant, Nine Elms and Paddington) were disclosed in the company's prospectus, the NAO believes that "the basis on which Royal Mail was sold did not fully recover the value of these sites". Furthermore, the Government could have included arrangements to "claw back" a share of the sale proceeds of such surplus assets but they decided not to pursue this.<br />As usual, a highly profitable excercise for those with wealth to make even more wealth trousered from the poor old tax payer and doubtless even more money moved offshore avoiding tax.<br /><br />But don't worry not only are "we all in it together", there is of course the "trickle down effect".<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-70941265437720851922014-05-15T18:04:26.226+01:002014-05-15T18:04:26.226+01:00What do you do, Jennifer, that makes this relevant...What do you do, Jennifer, that makes this relevant? Interested to know.<br /><br />Also interested to hear why you want to defend TNT, and point the finger at the Royal Mail. <br /><br />TNT clearly should not be given the responsibility of delivering sensitive mail, electoral material, when it cannot deliver the standard of service that is necessary.<br />Mrs Angryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00586223909475832791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-65655862168889360482014-05-15T14:57:23.386+01:002014-05-15T14:57:23.386+01:00No I do not work for TNT, this is all public infor...No I do not work for TNT, this is all public information that is relevant to what I do.<br /><br />So what is the problem here exactly?<br /><br />Royal mail allowing this to happen?<br /><br />Council's who gave out the contract?<br /><br />TNT for being new to this side of the business?<br /><br />jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00475894882782887051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-21013088414925665832014-05-15T11:20:50.067+01:002014-05-15T11:20:50.067+01:00Be careful Mrs Angry we don't want another cas...<br />Be careful Mrs Angry we don't want another case of Jennifer's ear, although Jennifer is giving us an earful of why TNT is good and Royal Mail bad.<br /><br />The reality being service delivery quality by Royal Mail is getting worse by the month,but there is no privatised public service that gives us a better deal than we had before privatisation.<br /><br />Whilst the quality of service from Royal Mail is reducing from a high level, the TNT disaster is in the process of denying many people the democratic right to vote.<br /><br />I note with interest that Jennifer was not at all concerned with this challenge to our democratic rights, when defending the indefensible.<br /><br />TNT are a disaster area end of storyJohn Snoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-28630779050698628992014-05-15T10:14:39.165+01:002014-05-15T10:14:39.165+01:00Mmm, well, Jennifer, thank you for your comment: y...Mmm, well, Jennifer, thank you for your comment: you seem remarkably well informed - do you work for TNT, by any chance? I did notice a tell tale blog visit yesterday.<br /><br />The only problems with the Royal Mail recently that I have noted have happened since privatisation, and I am quite sure are the result of a target driven race for 'competitiveness' in a market that should not exist. I deeply object to the privatisation of services that should be publicly owned and run for the benefit of all, not sold off for the profiteering chancers who make a killing on the sale of national assets, in this case hugely underpriced.<br /><br />Now that Royal Mail are subject to market forces and commercial pressures it is clear that standards of delivery will fall: our local post is now quite often going to the wrong address, or arriving damaged as the postman hurries to shove the post through the box. Why? Because of the change of culture in the management of what should be a reliable and trustworthy service, not a profit making enterprise.<br /><br />TNT is subject to exactly the same commercial pressures, but without the experience and infrastructure of the Royal Mail. Clearly it is not able to give an assurance of reliability and security for sensitive mail, and in my view, until such a time as it can guarantee these standards, most certainly local authorities should not be entrusting this company with sensitive material.Mrs Angryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00586223909475832791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-19062613309434424762014-05-15T09:41:11.600+01:002014-05-15T09:41:11.600+01:00"The dangers of not using the Royal Mail for ..."The dangers of not using the Royal Mail for such sensitive material are pretty clear, but then God knows our Royal Mail post now turns up in a right state half the time."<br />Mrs Angry you just said exactly as it is. Royal mail have just as many problems, more in fact,I myself stood by an open unsecured royal mail delivery trolley in west london last week. It contained hundreds of personal mail and amazon packages which I could have easily taken had I of been so bad-minded. After 10 mins of being in shock of this free for all money making opportunity I decided to leave and the Royal mail postie had still not returned and was nowhere in sight.<br /><br />Furthermore TNT can not be held responsible for <br />1. Our mail service being privatised.<br />2. The fact that JCP, GI group and work programme done pre screening interview training and CRB checks for TNT recruitment and yet some of their posties are not up to the job.<br />TNT have created 500 jobs in London alone so far, in a country where we are all supposedly desperate for jobs, yet a small percentage of those employed think they can breach security rules and procedures and get away with it. This is a societal problem not TNT's.<br /><br />I am confident that TNT take serious disciplinary action when employees do not stick to there rules etc.<br /><br />Big publicity stunt or royal mail!!!!jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00475894882782887051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-44227575569062754202014-05-14T20:16:11.967+01:002014-05-14T20:16:11.967+01:00I haven't received any polling card,nor have m...I haven't received any polling card,nor have my two kids, although I did get a letter from the officer in charge of electoral services, telling me graciously that having thought about it for six weeks, we would be added to the register sometime this month. The dangers of not using the Royal Mail for such sensitive material are pretty clear, but then God knows our Royal Mail post now turns up in a right state half the time.Mrs Angryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00586223909475832791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6371203489316363738.post-77783064632225502402014-05-14T13:02:54.743+01:002014-05-14T13:02:54.743+01:00Hopefully all the unexpected publicity - if dine w...Hopefully all the unexpected publicity - if dine with the information that you don't actually NEED a card to vote - will result in more people voting!<br /><br />Here where we have ine-third of council wards up for grabs (including mine) I have received a card for the European election but not one for the ward election, though others in my area have cards.<br /><br />Is it just politically active bolshie people like me who don't get cards?Red Sonianoreply@blogger.com