Mandelson is spoiling for a fight over the post

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog ... -mandelson" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The business secretary is using an emotive issue to get back his image of a parliamentary bruiser

Fact one. Peter Hain will cause a mini-stir on Monday by signing a rebel motion - already backed by over 100 Labour MPs - opposing Peter Mandelson's plan to part privatise the Royal Mail. A serious former Cabinet minister with experience of the industry (from his time as a union researcher) will lend more credibility to the rebel cause.

Fact two. The whips have told the business secretary he has not got a hope in hell of getting his plans through the Commons without relying on Tory support, so strong is Labour opposition.

Fact three. Mandelson is going to press ahead anyway and publish the bill in the Lords, maybe next week, maybe the week after and steamroller it through parliament by whatever means he can muster.

So what is going on?

Why the suicide politics from a party already suffering its death throes? Why divide Labour more when voters despise disunity every bit as much as incompetence?

The official reason is that Mandelson sees the future of Royal Mail as massively important... to the nation.

It is a national duty. Government must lead, not be swayed...etc etc.

Look at other countries and see what is happening to their postal services, his people say. In the US, the mail service is heading for a $6bn loss. Applications have been lodged by postal authorities to Congress to end Saturday deliveries.

No doubt all this is genuine. But isn't there another Mandelsonian motive? A kind of counter-intuitive New Labour tactical wheeze going on here?

For weeks, Labour MPs have been urging Gordon Brown to get back on to a mainstream domestic agenda and to drop his "economy is all that matters" approach to governing.

What better way to do that than to invite a bust up with the left on a populist issue such as Royal Mail?

What better way to show that Labour remains New Labour than to save Saturday deliveries with the help of the Tories? This is an argument Mandelson wants.

So those who think the level of opposition - of which there will be masses in the coming week - will force him to give way are missing the point.

[borders]

interesting times ahead, i think we should all be putting some money aside ??

[k979aaa]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog ... -mandelson

The business secretary is using an emotive issue to get back his image of a parliamentary bruiser

Fact one. Peter Hain will cause a mini-stir on Monday by signing a rebel motion - already backed by over 100 Labour MPs - opposing Peter Mandelson's plan to part privatise the Royal Mail. A serious former Cabinet minister with experience of the industry (from his time as a union researcher) will lend more credibility to the rebel cause.

Fact two. The whips have told the business secretary he has not got a hope in hell of getting his plans through the Commons without relying on Tory support, so strong is Labour opposition.

Fact three. Mandelson is going to press ahead anyway and publish the bill in the Lords, maybe next week, maybe the week after and steamroller it through parliament by whatever means he can muster.

So what is going on?

Why the suicide politics from a party already suffering its death throes? Why divide Labour more when voters despise disunity every bit as much as incompetence?

The official reason is that Mandelson sees the future of Royal Mail as massively important... to the nation.

It is a national duty. Government must lead, not be swayed...etc etc.

Look at other countries and see what is happening to their postal services, his people say. In the US, the mail service is heading for a $6bn loss. Applications have been lodged by postal authorities to Congress to end Saturday deliveries.

No doubt all this is genuine. But isn't there another Mandelsonian motive? A kind of counter-intuitive New Labour tactical wheeze going on here?

For weeks, Labour MPs have been urging Gordon Brown to get back on to a mainstream domestic agenda and to drop his "economy is all that matters" approach to governing.

What better way to do that than to invite a bust up with the left on a populist issue such as Royal Mail?

What better way to show that Labour remains New Labour than to save Saturday deliveries with the help of the Tories? This is an argument Mandelson wants.

So those who think the level of opposition - of which there will be masses in the coming week - will force him to give way are missing the point.

While there is need there is greed while there is need their is nonsense and where there is corruption there is silence!. It is time we brought the free loaders too account BLAIR/BROWN/MANDELSON AND ALL THE CLOWN'S THAT FOLLOW THEIR DICTAT TO FACE THE WORKER'S OF OUR NATION!.

[BELIAL]

Power at all costs politics, pure and simple. Not an original concept ,indeed straight out of the thatcherite bible. The whole economic system in uncontrolled free fall and you pick a fight with one small section. Make yourself look strong ,resolute and principled for the sponge brain Mail readers and in times of turmoil they will back you. The cost to big business will be whopping though, just ask them how many can afford to loose 16% of their most effective advertising slot. Still ,needs must
More important than ever to build a broad based opposition , Please Billy and Dave DO NOT IGNORE offers of practical support from other unions like the PCS THIS TIME :mfo

[Tman]

interesting times ahead, i think we should all be putting some money aside ??

Why, money will be worthless in the New World Order comrade.

Far better to stockpile green potatos, turnips and tractor spares.

And duffel-coats.....

[borders]

nice one Mr Tman

[norbert]

Power at all costs politics, pure and simple. Not an original concept ,indeed straight out of the thatcherite bible. The whole economic system in uncontrolled free fall and you pick a fight with one small section. Make yourself look strong ,resolute and principled for the sponge brain Mail readers and in times of turmoil they will back you. The cost to big business will be whopping though, just ask them how many can afford to loose 16% of their most effective advertising slot. Still ,needs must
More important than ever to build a broad based opposition , Please Billy and Dave DO NOT IGNORE offers of practical support from other unions like the PCS THIS TIME :mfo

Re PCS Support offers being ignored - it wasn't the cleverest move by the Michael Winner of bakers shops and his Cockney mate

[axeman]

And with that new world order will come the eradication of those self important bigoted worshipers of big al , and ad crazier so look out .....n.t...teaman

[Tman]

And with that new world order will come the eradication of those self important bigoted worshipers of big al , and ad crazier so look out .....n.t...teaman

That's pretty crass, even for you.
Most would feel ashamed to have written that, but then "most" would probably have had a more pertinent point to make..

[Tman]

Your posts are as opaque as his. Are you from the same background...?

[k979aaa]

Your posts are as opaque as his. Are you from the same background...?

It's not opaque we can just see the dead wood from the trees that need too be felled.

[Tman]

Blimey, and another one....

[BELIAL]

Very interesting times. I don't think you will have to wait for any new world order for our currency to become worthless. Pumping 100's of billions of taxpayers pounds into propping up those private companies that are the pinnacle of our wonderfully efficient free market system is ultimately inflationary, don't believe me? Check out the value of sterling
Combine that with the bank of england issuing an urgent request for approval to get those presses rolling and print,print ,print; then hyper inflation is coming. To cap it all ,our balance of trade deficit is massive so any fall in the pound only serves to multiply the inflationary effect. Might be time for the CWU to switch to 3 monthly pay negotiations or get our pay linked to RPI+

[Tman]

"Opaque" because the posts had no relevance or intrinsic meaning.
"Crass" means grossly stupid.

I'm thinking neither of those two CSEs were for English..... ..."Brother"?

[Tman]

opaque.
adjective.
1 preventing light from travelling through, and therefore not transparent!

Quite so. The original point or meaning wasn't clear. A thesaurus will show that the word "opaque" can relate to much more a substance's ability to pass light.

crass.
adjective.
without consideration for how other people might feel;

Neither of them were for English! But still the definition above come from the Cambridge dictionary.

The Oxford Concise dictionary (all 1454 pages of it) gives "grossly stupid, solid or thick" for "crass". Never mind, ALL these definitions work just fine in this thread.

So i take it you failed your English before i did brother! Still what can you expect from a SPANNER that May feel they are a ratchet! LOL.

Yep, keep on LOLing. I wonder who'll LOL the longest in the coming months....