Scotland the Brave

[Wessex]

Just musing today over what the situation will be for privatisation of RM with the likelihood of Independence for Scotland in the next couple of years .Presumably any Scottish government will want to maintain a state-run Scottish postal system ? ,or at least maintain strict controls over a private service ? And what about the overall privatisation for the uk ? Will it not include Scotland ???
It certainly will throw a few spanners in the works .
Interested to know what people think , especially the views of Scottish posties.

[fishtank]

A purely Scottish postal service would be unsustainable with a 6 day USO.
A nationalised Scottish postal service would also be a financial burden that any Scottish government would quite frankly rather not have.
Mr Salmond may like to wave the National flag a bit but the realities of the situation are a little different.
Royal Mail will be privatised long before any possible move towards independence and once that particular pandora's box is opened it will be impossible to close.
That's not to say that the Scottish government won't have to clean up the mess once privatisation inevitably fails in areas where it is financially unsustainable....much like the way councils are forced to subsidise public transport to rural areas despite private companies filling their boots from the profitable routes.

[Lounge Lizard]

But what if Salmond, boosted by a positive referendum result and after the failure of furthertalks with Westminster, makes a Unilateral Declaration of Independance for Scotland just like Ian Smith did for Rhodesia in 1965 ?
It would then be up to the new Scottish Republican Government to sort out it's own postal service - and higher prices and reduced delivery frequency would be inevitable.

[fishtank]

Perhaps we won't be a Republic LL.
Perhaps we will seize Prince William as our rightful King since through his mother he is descended from the House of Stuart/Stewart.
You can keep Charles and the rest of the Saxe-Coburg clan.
I quite like the sound of the Federal Republic of Scotland and Associated Islands though...i'll think about it and get back to you.

[DGP1]

I don't think it would be that difficult to run an efficient delivery service for a reasonable price, all we have to do is get rid of the hangers on (I think they're called management these days) and let us do our jobs. Run without interference from government things are achievable

[Lounge Lizard]

Perhaps we won't be a Republic LL.
Perhaps we will seize Prince William as our rightful King since through his mother he is descended from the House of Stuart/Stewart.
You can keep Charles and the rest of the Saxe-Coburg clan.
I quite like the sound of the Federal Republic of Scotland and Associated Islands though...i'll think about it and get back to you.

"Perhaps we will seize Prince William as our rightful King" - and you will have to have the Duke of EDINBURGH.
Than there will be the Scottish Broadcasting Corporaation with its endless repeats of
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyLXjPdBKEA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU_8TKM7 ... re=related" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaSIZy70 ... re=related" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1hDprYszeY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[fishtank]

We all have our embarrassments LL.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2_NpHUiIdc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[DGP1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U3wS5VIZ3M" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Wessex]

If Scotland couldnt maintain it's current service in the future then it could be argued then why should rm maintain it now.

I'll get me flak jacket.

[fishtank]

If Scotland couldnt maintain it's current service in the future then it could be argued then why should rm maintain it now.

I'll get me flak jacket.

The whole ethos of the USO is that you protect it as a whole.
If a guy from London is sending a letter to a guy in Oban whose universal service are you protecting?
The sender's or the recipient's?
In truth both because they are both relying on the entire network.
It can never be seen as just a Scottish issue,just a Welsh issue or indeed just a rural issue.

[nightsorter]

If or when it ever happens, Scotland would become an International European country like Eire. Mail from England to Scotland will be subject to the appropriate international rate and the Scottish Mail Service would have all the delivery obligations as a totally separate business. With the geographic spread it is difficult to imagine how it could ever be viable.

[fishtank]

If or when it ever happens, Scotland would become an International European country like Eire. Mail from England to Scotland will be subject to the appropriate international rate and the Scottish Mail Service would have all the delivery obligations as a totally separate business. With the geographic spread it is difficult to imagine how it could ever be viable.

Why would it need to be a totally separate business if it already had been privatised?
It would be no different to any other company that operates across borders.
I don't expect Tesco will operate it's Scottish stores as a totally separate business.

[Lounge Lizard]

We all have our embarrassments LL.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2_NpHUiIdc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yes, I even know someone in the same town as me that feels the need to dress up and prance about like that as an excuse to have a few pints. Strange.

[Lounge Lizard]

Given the undoubted links and similarities between Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales wouldn't it be better for England to leave the United Kingdom ?

[DGP1]

Given the undoubted links and similarities between Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales wouldn't it be better for England to leave the United Kingdom ?