This week's Cabinet row
Peter Hoskin 8:59am
O to be a fly on the wall of the Brown Bunker, and watch the grim soap-opera unfold in real time. After the infamous Cabinet meeting over bankers' bonuses - which triggered much of the Harriet Harman speculation - the Daily Mail's reporting yet another angry meeting between Brown and his ministers, this time over the Government's plans for Royal Mail. Harman was again a dissenting voice:
"It emerged last night that a blistering row broke out at a Cabinet meeting yesterday, with ministers arguing over whether the plans should be rammed through Parliament before the summer.Lord Mandelson, who is championing the legislation, found himself facing fierce opposition from Commons Leader Harriet Harman and Chief Whip Nick Brown."
Sure, all Prime Ministers face internal opposition. But the frequency and depth of current Labour division is still pretty striking, and testifies to the Prime Minister's severely diminished authority. Worse still, for Brown, there's every chance that it may all translate to embarrassing losses in the Commons. A survey in today's Independent finds that only 28 percent of Labour MPs support the Royal Mail proposals. And, even when the levels of Tory and Lib Dem support are factored in, the survey suggests that the Government would be defeated by around 47 percent to 39 percent in a Commons vote.
The main worry for Team Brown is that this just represents the start. The last thing the PM needs is for rebellion to become a matter of course, particularly around Budget time.
Previous
ken from glos
February 25th, 2009 9:48am Report this commentWith all that is happening in the country why bother with Royal Mail? Answer we have to obey the "orders" of the E.U!!
Why do you lot never mention the Elephant in the room?
Mike. Brighton
February 25th, 2009 10:04am Report this commentThankyou Ken from glos ..I was going to ask why on earth Brown was doing this? He's doing it because of the EU Postal Services Directive imposed by our real masters rather than the local government Brown purports to lead
Ian C
February 25th, 2009 10:30am Report this commentWhile we have a legitimate complaint as to the origins of the requirements being imposed, i.e. the EU, it is the right thing to do.
And if it gives us a split in the Labour Party that makes the General Election one day earlier than it might otherwise be, we should be extremely glad.
TrevorsDen
February 25th, 2009 10:33am Report this commentIs the German mail privatised or the French? I suspect not.
The EU is indeed a law unto itself - but why do we need to privatise the Royal Mail? Weak government is weak government - we do not need to bring the EU in every time.
Forlornehope
February 25th, 2009 10:59am Report this commentDeutsche Post AG was privatised in 1995 and has since then been extremely successful. DHL is a subsidiary company. The Netherlands, as is well known, privatised its post office and this now owns TNT. The simple fact is that these services work better as private, profit making, enterprises.
C Powell
February 25th, 2009 11:23am Report this commentWhy has the Post Office suddenly become this shibboleth? I can understand it with the NHS. But posting letters is hardly some basic human right, without which we would die. So why this extraordinary sentimental attachment?
West Morlander
February 25th, 2009 11:42am Report this commentWe appear to be confusing two things here. The first is that we should accept that the government has no place in commercial activity (yes, NR, I mean you as well). Lets not get dewy eyed over the post office. It's expensive, over-manned and inefficient. The second is that the service at the doorstep is fine - but no-ones suggesting that will change. Giving a "foreign" operator access to that network is not intrinsically bad IMO and the bullshit being thrown about at the moment comes from vested interests in both the labour party and unions. As to the "Little Englanders" who think that it's the big bad EU doing this out of spite, remember that British firms can also compete in Europe...
Steve.W
February 25th, 2009 11:57am Report this commentWell done all who have mentioned the EU. Entire forests have been felled for newsprint of 'serious' papers to report this problem but all without reference to the EU Directive that is driving this along. Pathetic.
TGF UKIP
February 25th, 2009 1:59pm Report this comment"The service at the doorstep is fine" well, it might be for you West Morlander but across the Pennines it isn't. It's absolutely crap.
First class mail between here and Leeds 25 miles away routinely arrives days late or not at all and two separate multi five figure cheques have been lost entirely between Leeds and Glasgow and Leeds and Edinburgh. Add to which I have to drive 7 miles to find a post box with a sufficiently large aperture to take a large A4 envelope and one can understand why e-mail, fax and online money transfer are so attractive.
Vastly overpriced and a thoroughly inadequate level of performance.
quadratus
February 25th, 2009 5:23pm Report this commentOne already receives mail from the DSS bulk-posted from Holland. One left hand appears not to know what the other left hand is doing?
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