Andrew Grice: Just as Mandelson was finally winning over his party...

Friday, 23 October 2009

Share
Close
- Digg
- del.icio.us
- Facebook
- Reddit
- Google
- Stumble Upon
- Fark
- Newsvine
Print
Email

After Lord Mandelson wowed last month's Labour conference, Tony Blair sent him a text in which he jokingly asked whether the party had been won over by the Business Secretary or whether it was the other way round.

Mr Blair once famously said his project would be complete when Labour learnt to love Peter Mandelson. It seemed that his electrifying speech made it mission accomplished. Now, only three weeks later, the unlikely love affair has been rudely interrupted. Among trade unions and some Labour MPs, Cuddly Peter seems to have reverted to his role as Nasty Peter in the postal workers' dispute.

Distancing the party from its union founders was one of the New Labour tablets of stone carved out by Lord Mandelson, Mr Blair and Gordon Brown in the late 1980s. So, his allies claim, the Business Secretary made a convenient fall guy for the Communication Workers Union to blame when talks with Royal Mail bosses failed to avert the two-day strike that began yesterday.

The union's blame game was helped by Lord Mandelson's retreat over his controversial plan to part-privatise Royal Mail this spring. Officially, the reason was a lack of buyers in the global recession. But there was also a huge backbench rebellion by 147 Labour MPs who backed the CWU's opposition to the sell-off. So it was tempting for the union to accuse the Business Secretary of launching a revenge attack.

Lord Mandelson's aides are adamant that he did not scupper a deal that was on the table on Tuesday, accusing the union of using "scattergun attacks" on him and the Royal Mail chief executive, Adam Crozier, to divert attention away from its own internal politics. Ministers are convinced that the CWU leaders Billy Hayes and Dave Ward wanted to accept the proposed agreement but were blocked by hard-line branches, mainly in London.

Although the dispute is between a management and union, it is becoming a hot political potato. Royal Mail is one of the few remaining industries in state ownership and feelings are running high among Labour MPs. Some 121 of them have signed a Commons motion welcoming the CWU's proposals to resolve the conflict and urging the Government "to do all in its power to ensure that Royal Mail responds positively".

David Cameron scents blood. He devoted all his six questions at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday to the dispute, citing it as an example of Mr Brown's weakness. His gamble paid off when the last-minute talks failed and he made the TV news bulletins, underlining the Government's involvement in the minds of some voters and giving Mr Brown yet another headache he could do without.

Comments

( Leave a comment )

ROYAL MAIL SACRIFICED BY POLITICIANS FOR MONEY

rocwerk wrote:

Friday, 23 October 2009 at 12:17 pm (UTC)

IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO HEAR SOMEONE, ANYONE, ASK THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION OF ALL REGARDING ROYAL MAIL......HOW MUCH WOULD THE EXCHEQUER STAND TO GAIN IN THE EVENT OF ALL EXISTING ROYAL MAIL OFFICES BEING SOLD OFF FOR REDEVELOPMENT? THE ROYAL MAIL HAS BEEN AROUND FOR SO LONG THAT THEIR NUMEROUS OFFICES IN EACH CITY/TOWN IN THE COUNTRY OCCUPY PRIME LAND IN CENTRAL AREAS. WHAT WE ARE SEEING IN THE NEWS AT THE MOMENT IS A CAREFULLY ORGANISED EUTHANASIA.
WE ARE BEING TOLD THAT LETTERS ARE REDUCING BY 10% ANNUALLY. THIS IS TRUE; BUT PACKETS ARE INCREASING BY 30% ANNUALLY DUE TO INTERNET SALES. MOST ONLINE PURCHASES ARE SENT VIA ROYAL MAIL BECAUSE THEIR PRICES ARE LOWER OWING TO THE FACT THAT THEY ARE THE ONLY COMPANY TO PASS EACH DOOR EACH DAY. THE ROYAL MAIL IS NOT AN ANACHRONISM. IT SHOULD BE EVOLVING INTO BECOMING A PRINCIPAL E-COMMERCE FACILITATOR. THE CURRENT 'MODERNISED' BUSINESS PLAN, CARVING THE WORKFORCE TO THE BONE AND SIDELINING PACKETS (PRIORITY IS STILL GIVEN TO LETTERS) DOES NOT APPEAR WELL THOUGHT OUT OR 'MODERN'. INDEED, IF I WERE A POSTIE AND HAD SPENT MY LIFE TRYING TO GET THE MAIL THROUGH COME RAIN OR SHINE, AND THEN FOUND THAT NEW POLICIES MEANT I COULD NO LONGER COMPLETE MY DELIVERY IN TIME AND HAD TO LEAVE PACKETS AT THE DELIVERY OFFICE DUE TO STAFFING CUTS, I WOULD BE INCLINED TO STRIKE AS WELL.
THE SADDEST THING OF ALL IT SEEMS TO ME IS THAT BY STRIKING THE ROYAL MAIL POSTIES HAVE HANDED THE POLITICAL FIG LEAF TO MANDELSON ET AL. NOW HE CAN SAY 'WELL, WE DID OUR BEST BUT THE SILLY POSTIES WOULDN'T MODERNISE'. THE BREAK UP OF THE ROYAL MAIL CAN THUS BE BEGUN WITH ITS OWN BLOOD ON ITS OWN HANDS. THE BILLIONS WILL ROLL IN AS THE ROYAL MAIL OFFICES ARE SOLD; THE COFFERS WILL BE REPLENISHED AND ONLY ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY THOUSAND FAMILIES HAVE TO BE SACRIFICED.
MOST SANE PEOPLE CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY, IN THE CURRENT RECESSION, POSTIES WOULD EVEN CONTEMPLATE STRIKING. CERTAIN DAMAGE TO THE BUSINESS MUST SURELY RESULT. I CHOOSE TO LOOK AT THEIR PREDICAMENT THUS: I THINK THE CURRENT STRIKE IS RATHER LIKE A MAN BEING SENT TO THE GAS CHAMBER. HE CHOOSES NOT TO GO QUIETLY BUT TO KICK AND SCREAM. THAT IS WHY THEY ARE STRIKING BECAUSE THEY KNOW WHERE THEY ARE BEING LED.

Link | Reply | Thread

Re: ROYAL MAIL SACRIFICED BY POLITICIANS FOR MONEY

maxquortleplean wrote:

Friday, 23 October 2009 at 11:22 pm (UTC)

Why is it that a well thought out piece such as this does not appear in the press other than as a comment? Is it that journalists and writers are not as well informed as members of the public? Is it perhaps that our political overlords have decreed that Royal Mail will be privatised, that the Senior managment of Royal Mail (as instructed by Mandleson, Brown and in the past Blair) will do all in its power to undermine the publics support for a State run Postal service and run the service into the ground in preparation for sale (probably to a managment buy out, hence their eagerness to carry out their masters wishes). Forcing the workers into strike action as the only means of opposing this ongoing destructive process of course plays straight into goverment and managments hands, ably assisted by the media stiring up hatred and animosity towards the postal workers (Newspapers such as the Guardian, not even a tabloid for goodness sake, sending off their 500 postcards to see just how bad the service had become, but failing to ask the important questions such as government and managment motivation). So many good points have been raised by Rocwerk, why have they been so assiduously avoided by the press and news media.
Perhaps most depressing of all is his comment about the 140,000 familys about to be sacrificed to line the pockets of Fat Cat buisnessmen, senior managment, Bankers and of course last but not least, senior politicians who's non executive directorships and consultative fees await with the privatisation of the Royal Mail. They have, after all, done it before, Rail, telecommunications, Utilities and even the damn food served in your local hospital. Always of course with hundreds of thousands of jobs lost (except upper managment), always more expensive or poorer service. Come on Great Britain, wake up, you voted in a Labour government led by three staunch Tories (the best way to subvert any organisation is, after all, from within) and they are carrying on the work of their great hero, Margaret Thatcher. The ROYAL Mail is just the next victim on their hit list to finally make Maggie's dream come true, to undo the work of Clement Atlee and the post war Labour government. To finally return us all into the hands of our lords and masters, as the the serfs who had the affrontary to think ourselves their equals.

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread