SNP look to RM privatisation opponents to boost independence

[TrueBlueTerrier]

SNP look to Royal Mail privatisation opponents to boost independence vote

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The Scottish National Party has said opposition to the privatisation of Royal Mail can help the “yes” vote in next year’s referendum over Scottish independence.

The suggestion came as Scotland’s ruling political party commented on the reluctance of the UK’s main opposition party, the Labour Party, to endorse membership demands to renationalise Royal Mail if Labour wins the next General Election.

Royal Mail is currently on track to be floated in the London Stock Exchange around 11th October, with between 40.1% and 52.2% of shares up for sale, and 10% to be freely given to employees.

The Labour Party membership, as represented at the annual conference in Brighton last week, voted unanimously to back union demands for the Party to pledge to take Royal Mail back into public membership when it gets the chance.

However, over the weekend the Labour Party leadership briefed members of the national press to state that the Party would not actually renationalise Royal Mail following the General Election expected in 2015, despite opposing postal privatisation.

Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna suggested that Labour would look to extend the partnership between a private sector Royal Mail and publicly-owned Post Office Ltd, and would look to adopt new price controls for the universal postal service provider, as well as potentially new service quality standards for competing postal operators.

But Umunna wrote in the Huffington Post that his Party could not pledge to renationalise Royal Mail because it could not estimate how much shares would be worth in 2015, and therefore how much it would cost to take the company back into public ownership.

“No credible future Business Secretary would therefore make such a pledge, given the other competing priorities there will be across the Business, Innovation and Skills brief and across government more widely in 2015. To make such a commitment now would be akin to writing a blank cheque,” he said.

Scotland

The shadow business secretary took a swipe at the Scottish National Party – and its stance in favour of renationalising the Scottish side of Royal Mail if the Scottish people decide on independence from the UK in next year’s referendum – accusing the SNP of being prepared to write “billions” in blank cheques.

Umunna said there had been successful privatisations in the UK in the past, and that the goal of a Labour government would be to ensure the public is not “ripped off” as they have been by the privatised rail companies and energy utilities.

The SNP said in response to Umunna that only by voting for independence could Royal Mail customers in Scotland ensure the business there is in public hands.

Mike Weir MP, the SNP’s Westminster spokesman for business, said the Labour leadership’s admission the Party will not pledge to renationalize Royal Mail was “no surprise”, though it would disappoint rank and file members.

“It will also anger the customers of Royal Mail in Scotland who are opposed to this deeply unpopular and flawed sell-off to the highest bidders,” he said.

“The SNP and Scottish Government have called for a moratorium to stop this rushed Westminster sell-off and promised to take Royal Mail back into public ownership in an independent Scotland in the event the Tories go ahead with their plans. Labour has now clarified that only by voting Yes next year can we keep this vital public asset in public ownership in Scotland.”

[barbario]

Bye,bye scotland.

[hans solo]

bye bye england

[Godric]

bye bye england

England leans to the Right and us Scots lean to the left ... the countries have been diverging since the 1950s .... the UK is finished

[Tman]

It always seems the Scots lean towards the nearest lamp-post....

[fishtank]

It always seems the Scots lean towards the nearest lamp-post....

Have you had a bad experience with a big hairy arsed Scot Tman?
Every time the word Scotland gets mentioned on these boards you're straight in there with a cheap snidey remark.
Get over it.
Whatever happened,I'm sure it meant something to him.

[DavidUK]

The SNP are getting desperate. Less than a year to go before the recriminations begin.