Archive - 2008

The recent raft of near failures and bank bailouts has made interesting if somewhat depressing reading. The Government steps in to bail out Northern Rock, RBS, HBOS... Jaguar next?

Having been a former employee of Royal Mail I read with interest the latest proposed price rises which will see the price of a first class letter rise 3p to 39p, with a similar rise for second class taking it to 30p.

A first class large letter will shoot up 9p to 61p. Now the moaners amongst us will be appalled at the percentage increases that Royal Mail are introducing, but perhaps they should hold their tongue.

1) The price of posting letters in this country is still one of (if not THE) cheapest in Europe

2) Royal Mail is lost more than £100 million providing the universal service at a uniform tariff.

So what are the options? Put up the prices as allowed by the postal regulator, or operate at a loss and expect yjoin the growing club of companies that have been bailed out by the Government.

I for one will take the rise in a price of a stamp over an unfunded taxpayer bailout any day. If only some of our financial institutions took some hard decision over the past few months perhaps they wouldn't be in the state they are in now.

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I bet it's better than the official cards that will soon be on their way!

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We have a mortgage with The One Account. Now as I understand it they are part of the RBS Group, which as I understand it is now owned by you and me the taxpayer.

So not long ago a nice interest rate cut was announced. What have The One Account done? Nothing. So we get in touch and ask them what their intentions are regarding their interest rates. Apparently they are "reviewing them". Its funny how financial institutions where I have savings didn't take long to "review" their rates before reducing them.

So given that the company is owned by Government and the Government wants rate cuts to be passed on I am left wondering what the hold up is.

Won't it be interesting to see what they do if and when we have another rate cut later on in the week. And these banks wonder why customers who have always been a good risk have little time for them these days!

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The outcome of todays PBR islike being told you can have a lovely chocolate bar today on the proviso that tomorrow someone is going to kick you in your goolies.

If that is the way the Government wants to treat the British public then the only kicking that needs to be doled out is one at the next election. If ever there was an announcement that was solely about jam today, this was it.

We can expect tax rises with a higher rate tax band. Some lovely higher NI contributions will be coming. Anyone earning over £40,000 will be worse off (that will be me) and before anyone tries to convince me I am rich when I take off my cost of travelling £7,500 and other bills I can show you friends who have a bigger disposable income who are on tax credits.

Forgive me - but you stick your chocolate bar as I know what's coming my way later!

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I was always told that Socialism was all about taking as much moeny as they could from you and then when they couldn't take anymore they would tell you have you should spend what you have left. Part of me fears that we are going down that road again

Lets take the decision to tax the "rich" because it send a great message out (according to the Labour Party). No mention of how it won't cover the vast increase in public spending.

Then of course lets talk about what means someone is rich. I pay 40% tax, but after I have paid all my bills - including the £7k train fare to go to my job I am left with less disposable income than someone I know who is on tax credits. Interesting isn't it.

I still have my own company in existence. Has the Labour party done anything to help me out in that respect? No. Why - Well they believe government creates jobs and wealth and not business.

My old sparring partner in Chesterfield Tony Benn will be so pleased!

Conservative Home believe the politics of envy is well and truly back

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This stimulus won’t really have much effect. The growth in the past ten years is due to people borrowing figures like 20k against their rising house value to buy a new car, tv ect. Figures like a fiver or tenner a week don’t even come into the category of short change. Add in the fact that future tax increases will have to be announced so not to spook the market. People aren’t going to go out and spend if they’re heading into negative equity and are facing a tax hike in a year or two.
 
Labour having thought they’d abolished the economic cycle now think all these problems can be solved by giving people a couple of hundred quid. It’s a pathetic response and the longer they stay in denial, the worse the recession will be.

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I was lucky enough to be at the Spectator's Parliamentary awards last week and had a seat next to Lord Lawson who was full of great anecdotes over dinner.

I asked him what he thought of Sarah Palin, and his response was.. " I love a good joke as much as anyone". Well it made me laugh anyway. More on my take on last weeks awards later.

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Last week on my daily commute I saw one of the Nottinghamshire Labour MPs trot down the platform and get into the lovely first class carriage. Amazing how I manage to commute to London each day and manage with a standard ticket - but perhaps that's new Labour?

The day after as the train pulls into the station I recognise the face of a man asleep sitting in my usual carriage. Warm cardigan on. Airline style pillow around his neck, and fast asleep. Yes it was none other than my previous nemesis (having been Chairman of the party in Chesterfield) and true Old Labour stalwart, Tony Benn. If standard class is good enough for the former Lord Stansgate then I guess it's good enough for me

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According to their own website apparently their quality of service is good.

An 86 year old relative has a fall in the town centre on Wednesday but managed to get herself home. She is in quite alot of pain so her 86 year old husband calls for an ambulance. They are told it will be 30 minutes. An hour passed and when they call again they are told, and I quote that they "are not a priority".

They get a taxi, and get themselves to hospital and it turns out that the fall has resulted in a broken wrist and broken shoulder. Sounds easy - but given one of them was in severe pain from their fall and live in a first floor maisonette, and the other can't walk at the best of times, quite a task in itself.

Only an anecdote, however I wonder just who exactly is a priority?

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I am getting the feeling that certain energy companies are trying to take advantge of their customers by bumping up their monthly direct debit payments when there is no need.

Take our house for example. During the current quarter we used less gas than we did the previous quarter. We were in credit with the company yet we received a letter telling us that our monthly direct debit payments would be increasing by approximately 150%. A few calls later and we established that given we were in credit we would not be increasing our payments - and would look at the situation should our current payment programme not cover the amount we were using.

Funnily enough the same company had also written to my wifes Grandparents trying to bump up their monthly payments, in spite of them being £250 in credit. It must be great to have a business when even if you owe your customers money you feel it acceptable to ask for more money for something they haven't yet used. The more people I speak to, the more I hear the same has happened to them Is this a concerted effort by the energy companies to get people paying money well in advance just in case people's bills increase? Funny how they aren't so quick at refunding money when you get in credit by a considerable amount.

I'm wondering when we will see gas prices falling (aren't they linked to oil prices for some reason). I won't hold my breath. 

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I remember when I first worked at the post office in a media relations capacity we were looking to have something translated from Swedish if my memory serves me correctly into English. It took an absolute age. First of all I had to track down various companies who might or might not be able to do the translation. Then I had to get quotes from each company, which included working out exactly how many words needed to be translated. Finally I had to get a timescale as to how long it would take to get the whole thing done. The cost was prohibitive and the timescale even more so. 

How the internet has changed things. Not only can you monitor parliament from anywhere in the world, but if you were looking to get something translated you can literally get it done within the hour from by going to somewhere like OneHourTranslation.com.

The great thing is that  it can all be done online. All you have to do is upload whatever content you need translated. The task is then sent to a niche language specialist and its literally back with you in a matter of minutes - and under an hour on average. I wonder if it would work for some of John Prescott's speeches?

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We have had rain since the dawn of time.

The leaves have always fallen from the trees.

The railway has been around for a good few years too, so why oh why in the year 2008 can't we find something that means "sorry for the delay which was due to slippery rails" is no longer a valid reason for getting home late.

Moan over.

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There is no TV or equipment that can receive a TV signal in the house we are selling and hasnt been for quite some time.

We receive a letter months ago telling us the address has no licence ... (yes we know) so we call and tell them it was trasferred to our new address (happens to be on the same street).

We then continually get letters (quite threatening) telling us that we need a licence at the old address - and will be prosecuted if there is a TV there. So I give them a call and tell them there is no TV.

Yesterday they send us a further letter saying the enforcement division will be paying the property a visit and listing the various penalities that will be imposed if we do not have a licence and have a TV.

Good - please come and look for yourself. While you there you can tell the local council its unfurnished to save them a visit if they happen to feel the need. But perhaps realise that there are people (my wifes Uncle for one) who actually have a house and do not have a TV, and actually they are not criminals and really don't need threatening letters constantly beng sent.

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Afraid it's true!!

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Apparently it's true. Great eh. Though I trust no serving officer is in anyway using their time on this as opposed to solving crimes?

Funnily enough the East Midlands police have an email address to follow up committed crimes - and they seem to struggle to even respond to enquiries. Is this just another case of paying lip service to the latest fad.

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I remember at the last General Election going past an old fashioned bingo hall and thinking what a great place to canvass. The clients were, well lets say, ladies of a certain age - all likely to vote I thought.

These days bingo seems to have undergone something of a renaissance. Probably the greatest innovation is that it now seems to take place online. If you are wondering How to Play Bingo then take a look at the Ms Bingo website. Apparently playing bingo online is the new going out!

Who knows. You could even win yourself a pretty substantial prize for such a small outlay.

this is a paid for post

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As with all things, when somone is suffering economically someone is generally laughing all the way the bank (or the stash underneath the mattress which may now be the safer bet).

So who has done well out of the economic crisis? Well all those city types who still get their lovely bonuses including the bosses of some our top high street banks haven't done too bad have they. Then of course anyone who has a pile of cash who likes can pump money into the market just as it bottoms out will do quite nicely thank you.

Of course there may well be the possibility of those first time buyers who if there are any mortgage product still on offer, could finally afford a house that has been out of their reach for so long.

And of course there will be a few rather rich people who may add to their fortune too.

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With all the talk of economic gloom and doom I wondered how you were meant to know whether the economy was back on track? Only yesterday I read about how its a buyers market now in most things - new cars, houses, dare I say it stocks and shares.

Maybe you know the economy is back on track when you can get yourself a superb deal on garden furniture. After the summer we have had I suspect there will be plenty of bargains, but its always worthwhile going somewhere where you can Compare Garden Furniture.  A choice between a few nice gardeb chairs to enjoy what's left of the nice weather or putting my money in banking shares.... I know which will give me mot enjoyment!

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Poor old Robert Peston is really getting it in the beck. Apparently the financial crisis is all down to him. His blog now reads like a crystal ball. What he writes today seems to happen tomorrow.

In spite of his forensic ability to cut to the chase and inform economic illiterates as to what is going on, even Robert Peston surely doesn't have the power to move markets does he?

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How I chuckled.

Pizza Hut is to become, wait for it...... Pasta Hut! Inspired!

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Having done the rounds of the Conference stands people often ask what was the best "give away". The Top Trumps given away by Total Politics on behalf of Sky were good. The post cards from Royal Mail always go down well with delegates, however the team at Weber Shandwick produced what I think must be the most useful item of the party conference season.

Their Conservative Party Policy Guide sets out the polices and ideas that will be implemented when the party forms a Government. If only I had such a great item from the party itself!

So much "lobbying material" can be complete rubbish that often ends in the bin. I suspect many in house PA practitioners along with quit a few MPs will find this guide extremely useful! Top marks from me on this one!

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I have to admit that once as a child I went to a Barry Manilow concert with my Mum. Yes it is so true. But this Mandy story is so much better. More on my Conference highlights and the reshuffle later.....

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