RMCtv : CEO Simon Thompson has exchanged further letters with the CWU's Dave Ward this evening. You can read Simon's latest letter here, with talks planned tomorrow in front of Acas.

[Kenfandango]

The trick capitalism plays is to convince people that it would be in their best interests to pamper the rich because one day it could be you... "But when I've won the lottery/ when my small business/ when my side hustle/ when I get promoted/ when my inheritance.... I'll be glad I voted for tax breaks for the elite"

[needadvice]

The letter is just to make it look like he has taken the moral high ground and it is the exact opposite of his despicable behaviour the last few months which has led us to this mess

[Cedar_Room]

I am no longer a Labour Party member & don’t particularly like KS but I sort of understand the game he is playing. If he veers too far to the Left he will be hammered ,a-la Corbyn,by the Tory biased press & the Cons themselves. Things may be changing with the state of the country & the absolute clusterfuck the Tories have got us into,but history tells us that,on the whole,the working class of this country do not want a socialist government- and as a self proclaimed ‘Lefty’ - I type that with a heavy heart…

The irony, sorry I mean tragedy, is people are overwhelming in favour of socialist policies. There's just so much effort been put into demonising of the word 'Socialist", and it's proponents.

Oh,I know mate. The arguments/discussions I’ve had. My daughter has just opted to study politics in 6th form & I couldn’t be prouder. The more working class kids that are clued up on the British political system,the better. It really is the elephant in the room for a lot of people. So many blurred lines. Still bemuses me that I can be stood on the picket line with people who are Tory voters & proud,despite the fact that they are devoted to a political party that is determined to wipe out the very trade union they pay into. The amount of functioning grown ups that refuse to join the dots is astonishing…

[ProudhonPJ]

I am no longer a Labour Party member & don’t particularly like KS but I sort of understand the game he is playing. If he veers too far to the Left he will be hammered ,a-la Corbyn,by the Tory biased press & the Cons themselves. Things may be changing with the state of the country & the absolute clusterfuck the Tories have got us into,but history tells us that,on the whole,the working class of this country do not want a socialist government- and as a self proclaimed ‘Lefty’ - I type that with a heavy heart…

The irony, sorry I mean tragedy, is people are overwhelming in favour of socialist policies. There's just so much effort been put into demonising of the word 'Socialist", and it's proponents.

Oh,I know mate. The arguments/discussions I’ve had. My daughter has just opted to study politics in 6th form & I couldn’t be prouder. The more working class kids that are clued up on the British political system,the better. It really is the elephant in the room for a lot of people. So many blurred lines. Still bemuses me that I can be stood on the picket line with people who are Tory voters & proud,despite the fact that they are devoted to a political party that is determined to wipe out the very trade union they pay into. The amount of functioning grown ups that refuse to join the dots is astonishing…

It always gives me a boost, and a little hope, when I read comments like this. I've despaired for years (40 odd years in fact...) over exactly this issue. Cheers!

[Cedar_Room]

[milly]

I am no longer a Labour Party member & don’t particularly like KS but I sort of understand the game he is playing. If he veers too far to the Left he will be hammered ,a-la Corbyn,by the Tory biased press & the Cons themselves. Things may be changing with the state of the country & the absolute clusterfuck the Tories have got us into,but history tells us that,on the whole,the working class of this country do not want a socialist government- and as a self proclaimed ‘Lefty’ - I type that with a heavy heart…

The irony, sorry I mean tragedy, is people are overwhelming in favour of socialist policies. There's just so much effort been put into demonising of the word 'Socialist", and it's proponents.

Socialism has never worked and never will.
Imagine wanting the Government to own everything including your own thoughts.

[Pidleypoo]

I am no longer a Labour Party member & don’t particularly like KS but I sort of understand the game he is playing. If he veers too far to the Left he will be hammered ,a-la Corbyn,by the Tory biased press & the Cons themselves. Things may be changing with the state of the country & the absolute clusterfuck the Tories have got us into,but history tells us that,on the whole,the working class of this country do not want a socialist government- and as a self proclaimed ‘Lefty’ - I type that with a heavy heart…

The irony, sorry I mean tragedy, is people are overwhelming in favour of socialist policies. There's just so much effort been put into demonising of the word 'Socialist", and it's proponents.

Socialism has never worked and never will.
Imagine wanting the Government to own everything including your own thoughts.

[milly]

I am no longer a Labour Party member & don’t particularly like KS but I sort of understand the game he is playing. If he veers too far to the Left he will be hammered ,a-la Corbyn,by the Tory biased press & the Cons themselves. Things may be changing with the state of the country & the absolute clusterfuck the Tories have got us into,but history tells us that,on the whole,the working class of this country do not want a socialist government- and as a self proclaimed ‘Lefty’ - I type that with a heavy heart…

The irony, sorry I mean tragedy, is people are overwhelming in favour of socialist policies. There's just so much effort been put into demonising of the word 'Socialist", and it's proponents.

Socialism has never worked and never will.
Imagine wanting the Government to own everything including your own thoughts.

An excellent and well thought out riposte.

[denhamhoop]

So, would that mean the £365 loss in an overestimate? I was going to mention the withdrawal of the cross-subsidy.

Yes because GLS are still on course to make a profit. (But as you state they no longer want to use GLS profits to subsidise RM.)
I don't know what the last estimate for RM (or Parcelforce) was (possibly break-even) but it will have been downgraded due to the ongoing IA.

Somewhere on here Ward is quoted as saying that ST told the shareholders the business will be bankrupt in January.

I think what shouldn’t go unsaid is that GLS was bought by Royal Mail , not the other way round , and long before we were privatised .

What shouldn't be forgotten is that all the money invested in GLS and their infrastructure including the building of the Super Duper Hubs has been taken out of Royal Mail's Groups profits as a whole so effectively Royal Mail have cross subsidised what was a fledgling new to the industry business. Yet as it is now turning a profit they want to pretend it is a separate organisation

[denhamhoop]

I am no longer a Labour Party member & don’t particularly like KS but I sort of understand the game he is playing. If he veers too far to the Left he will be hammered ,a-la Corbyn,by the Tory biased press & the Cons themselves. Things may be changing with the state of the country & the absolute clusterfuck the Tories have got us into,but history tells us that,on the whole,the working class of this country do not want a socialist government- and as a self proclaimed ‘Lefty’ - I type that with a heavy heart…

Might have something to do with 1500 years of constant information and misinformation from those above "Know your place" and "Respect for your betters" that there is a reward for working hard. Sadly we never had the Revolution that many other countries had and so the whole system is in place and the Anti Union laws in this country beggar belief . Like you I am a Socialist and fear the last Socialist Prime Minister we will ever see is Harold Wilson

[mjd24]

I am no longer a Labour Party member & don’t particularly like KS but I sort of understand the game he is playing. If he veers too far to the Left he will be hammered ,a-la Corbyn,by the Tory biased press & the Cons themselves. Things may be changing with the state of the country & the absolute clusterfuck the Tories have got us into,but history tells us that,on the whole,the working class of this country do not want a socialist government- and as a self proclaimed ‘Lefty’ - I type that with a heavy heart…

The irony, sorry I mean tragedy, is people are overwhelming in favour of socialist policies. There's just so much effort been put into demonising of the word 'Socialist", and it's proponents.

Socialism has never worked and never will.
Imagine wanting the Government to own everything including your own thoughts.

Very odd.

[mjd24]

I am no longer a Labour Party member & don’t particularly like KS but I sort of understand the game he is playing. If he veers too far to the Left he will be hammered ,a-la Corbyn,by the Tory biased press & the Cons themselves. Things may be changing with the state of the country & the absolute clusterfuck the Tories have got us into,but history tells us that,on the whole,the working class of this country do not want a socialist government- and as a self proclaimed ‘Lefty’ - I type that with a heavy heart…

The irony, sorry I mean tragedy, is people are overwhelming in favour of socialist policies. There's just so much effort been put into demonising of the word 'Socialist", and it's proponents.

Socialism has never worked and never will.
Imagine wanting the Government to own everything including your own thoughts.

An excellent and well thought out riposte.

Sometimes its not worth ones time replying to what is clearly nonsense.

[milly]

Or unable to formulate a counter argument..

[richietns]

Or unable to formulate a counter argument..

Are you not meaning communism.

[Cedar_Room]

I am no longer a Labour Party member & don’t particularly like KS but I sort of understand the game he is playing. If he veers too far to the Left he will be hammered ,a-la Corbyn,by the Tory biased press & the Cons themselves. Things may be changing with the state of the country & the absolute clusterfuck the Tories have got us into,but history tells us that,on the whole,the working class of this country do not want a socialist government- and as a self proclaimed ‘Lefty’ - I type that with a heavy heart…

The irony, sorry I mean tragedy, is people are overwhelming in favour of socialist policies. There's just so much effort been put into demonising of the word 'Socialist", and it's proponents.

Socialism has never worked and never will.
Imagine wanting the Government to own everything including your own thoughts.

Wait,what??