Brussels to probe Royal Mail privatisation

[fmrPOSTIE]

Dont be suprised if Royal Mail remains in public sector ownership for the medium to long term. When the Eurozone collapses very shortly there will be NO MONEY to buy up institutions such as RM.

[Martin Walsh]

I think your missing the point until their is a resolution to the pension issue , no one will be interested in Royal Mail as it made 37 million profit but had to pay over 770 million into the pensions fund ( deficit repayment and normal contributions and owe more than it's turnover in then its pension deficit.

If The EU do not grant state aid then it will grant rescue aid. That would be a disaster for everyone !

[fishtank]

If The EU do not grant state aid then it will grant rescue aid. That would be a disaster for everyone !

I would be very surprised if the EU refused to allow state aid dingo.
It would be a direct slap in the face to the ConDem Government at a time when the EU is asking member countries to support more aid to countries like Greece and Portugal.
There is a lot of grubby politics and a lot of under the table deals going on in Brussels at the moment and this will not be allowed to destabilise those.
I do think we will have to make some kind of gesture like selling off GLS.

[Martin Walsh]

Let's hope your right , but the tories and Europe dont have then best record.

[kawoxux]

I'm generally in favour of the EU - but I hate how its underhandedly got all this power to dictate legislation in member states. It seems ludicrous that such an unaccountable body can have so much power, especially over such fundamental things as the things in public ownership. Europe is too politically diffuse for an EU parliament to work (The conservatives have to sit alongside holocaust deniers and neo nazis; Labour alongside marxist parties in the groupings that they have..).

Might be a bit off topic, but what can the EU actually do to Britain if it didn't open up the postal service to "competition"?

[fishtank]

It has even more power after today as it appears to be picking it's own Prime Ministers for member countries.
Lucas Papademos for Greece(Former Vice President of the European Central Bank) and Mario Monti for Italy(Former EU Commissioner).
Don't you just love democracy....?

[fishtank]

Might be a bit off topic, but what can the EU actually do to Britain if it didn't open up the postal service to "competition"?

It's not Britain they would attack...it's Royal Mail.
Mario Monti was the guy who took on Microsoft which led to the EU fining them £325m for anti-competitive behaviour so i guess that answers your question

[kawoxux]

Might be a bit off topic, but what can the EU actually do to Britain if it didn't open up the postal service to "competition"?

It's not Britain they would attack...it's Royal Mail.
Mario Monti was the guy who took on Microsoft which led to the EU fining them £325m for anti-competitive behaviour so i guess that answers your question

But it wouldn't be down to RM, it'd be British legislation prohibiting a competitor; how could they punish a company (albeit state owned) when its operating within national law, but not the European directive? Surely Britain could get an exception, like in Maastricht treaty where Britain doesn't join the Euro, is not in the Schengen zone and retains its own border controls, etc. It was always my understadning that RM privitisation was never really part of any British political party's initative, it was always directed from above, the directive to break up state monopolies.

I know this doesn't really exist/apply anymore, I'm talking about a hypothetical complete RM monopoly written into legislation (like before 2006).

I dont even know if I'm making sense anymore, far too tired for this EU law bollocks

[fishtank]

Without going in to the EU legal bollocks...they would fine RM on the basis that they were the beneficiaries of an anti-competitive monopoly position.
It wouldn't matter that they didn't create it.

[dvbuk55]

Without going in to the EU legal bollocks...they would fine RM on the basis that they were the beneficiaries of an anti-competitive monopoly position.
It wouldn't matter that they didn't create it.

Tell me again - especially on this date - who was it who won the war exactly and who is now calling the shots.

[BELIAL]

Without going in to the EU legal bollocks...they would fine RM on the basis that they were the beneficiaries of an anti-competitive monopoly position.
It wouldn't matter that they didn't create it.

Tell me again - especially on this date - who was it who won the war exactly and who is now calling the shots.

Lord Rothschild and his old school chums

[BELIAL]

It has even more power after today as it appears to be picking it's own Prime Ministers for member countries.
Lucas Papademos for Greece(Former Vice President of the European Central Bank) and Mario Monti for Italy(Former EU Commissioner).
Don't you just love democracy....?

I thought we dropped bombs on folks who didn't support'' democracy" Who voted for those two ,or their policies? Should we send in the bombers and their surgical smart bangers

[dvbuk55]

It has even more power after today as it appears to be picking it's own Prime Ministers for member countries.
Lucas Papademos for Greece(Former Vice President of the European Central Bank) and Mario Monti for Italy(Former EU Commissioner).
Don't you just love democracy....?

I thought we dropped bombs on folks who didn't support'' democracy" Who voted for those two ,or their policies? Should we send in the bombers and their surgical smart bangers

Yes!

[CORTINA]

We all know that a few including Crozier have made big financial gains over the past 5 years as RM has been reduced as a business and increased pressure imposed on the workforce with little overall benefit or a backward step.. Profits have been reduced in the past 5 years and an increased pension black hole..... nothing to do with the workers.

The usa postal service is reported being in major trouble and making a lost for the first time its history, Not having a basic next day service has been reported to be considered as ia cost saving and no saturday deliveries another issue. Special deliveries will continue.

How RM a business admired by many throughout the world, has been so badly managed and interfeared with when running so well with a 500 million profit not so long ago, is a major disgrace for the government and our crap NO SUPPORT union leadership at the top.

Never has so few, done so much damage, to so many, in so short a time.... as I have said before ..motivated greed at the top is a crime that appears legal at the expense of the workforce.

Selling RM off will make a few very rich and the workers taking the rap of any loss....with maybe new contracts.