Margaret Thatcher famously left the Royal Mail out of her privatisation sights in the 1980s. She felt its monarchical connections and distinguished history going back to the creation of Master of the Posts in 1516 gave it a unique position. It had been in public ownership since 1635 and possessed …
Read More »UK records lowest number of working days since 1990
Official figures indicated that between the months of June and December last year, the number of lost days was recorded at 2,471,000, the highest since 1989. Royal Mail workers protest as members strike over pay and conditions, in London. Credit: Reuters British media reported on Tuesday that the UK registered …
Read More »UK strikes are set to be the biggest in 30 years
Britons are preparing for a holiday season of delayed packages, cancelled trains, and medical shortages, as hundreds of thousands of workers plan to walk off the job amid a nationwide cost of living crisis. Union members from rail networks, buses, the postal service, the health sector, and border patrol are …
Read More »The Tories are too weak towards union militants
Britain is flailing. It’s not all our fault; global shocks caused by the Ukraine war and European intransigence over Brexit have soured the economy, while the cultural madness sweeping the West continues to knock us off course. But when it comes to certain basics, we have no excuse. We face …
Read More »What life was like in Stoke-on-Trent in 1982 – the last time the inflation rate was this high
The Eighties was one of the greatest decades in human history. A time when the pop charts were ruled by electronic dance music and new wave and fashion was just awful (big hair and leggings). It was the time of the Rubik’s Cube, VHS tapes and Walkmans and remember when …
Read More »What is a General Strike and how likely is it as speculation mounts over mass walkout
Workers last participated in a general strike in 1926, but since then successive Tory governments have introduced strict legislation unions must follow to ensure industrial action is legal RMT chief suggests rail dispute could go on ‘idefintiely’ ( Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Widespread industrial unrest could open the …
Read More »Why this is the one election investors can’t ignore
Does the result of a general election affect stock markets? This is a question asked by many investors, yet the answer has almost as many nuances. As the country heads to the polls for the third time in four years, savers will be pondering the outlook for their portfolios. The …
Read More »Jeremy Corbyn conference speech 2019 highlights – what Labour leader announced
Jeremy Corbyn drew the battle lines for a crunch general election tonight as he bids to oust Boris Johnson from No10. The Labour leader rallied activists ahead of an expected autumn poll in a rousing speech to thousands of delegates in Brighton. Outlining the mounting need for a snap poll, …
Read More »Labour vows to stop outsourcing ‘rip-off’ by ensuring councils take back local services
Rubbish collection, cleaning and school dinner services will be taken back by local councils, under Labour plans to stop taxpayers being “ripped off” by private firms. The party has pledged to reverse four decades of outsourcing in local government, blaming it for “scandals” such as the collapse of Carillion at a …
Read More »Train franchising may have ‘had its day’ but the wait goes on for answers on rail reform
On 9 October 1990, just weeks before the downfall of Margaret Thatcher, the then transport secretary Cecil Parkinson addressed the Conservative Party conference in Bournemouth. On the future of British Rail, he was unequivocal. “The question now is not about whether we should privatise it, but how and when,” he said. The “when” …
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