The broad sunlit uplands of next March. Yeah, really. .

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by midgetman

They all lost money hence they were closed in the first place.

The argument is that they're a public service, not a money making exercise
- much like Post Office branches in small villages - not profitable but provide a service (until they get closed following privatisation).

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by midgetman

That was my thought. Digging up every street and every garden in GB isn't going to be popular.

As for re-starting the railways Most of them aren't there. They all lost money hence they were closed in the first place.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

That was true of the times. But of course life and the UK has moved on. Now there are conurbations where once there was none and these routes or close to them may well be more relevant.

That said I agree that they need to be private not run as a public service since that way lies ruin.

[Lancsbreaker]

With regard to the nationalisation v privatisation issue (and I realise we are drifting somewhat off the original topic ) my first "proper" emplyment was with PO Telephones, later to become British Telecom and of course to be privatised in 1984 - I worked for them from 1969 until 1992 when I took a very generous redundancy payment.



In the early days of my employment I used some of my newly acquired wealth (I was on £830 pa! ) to have a phone installed at my parents' house - and the process was very instructive.......


I went into the "Sales" office, and said that I wanted to order a phone installation.......the response from the "sales" person was very Civil Service...."You mean you wish to apply to be provided with a telephone service".... I decided there and then that my new employer really needed to get its act together if it was going to survive.



Separating from the PO was a first step, but it was privatisation which really made the difference - sure it made a big shake-up for the staff (and by a few years after I left a dramatic reduction in their numbers) but the quality of service and the value for customer's money improved dramatically. Competition definitely drives improvement, even when it was rigged as in Telecoms, when BT was forced to provide access to its infrastructure at below-market rates.


I suspect the only people keen on Nationalisation other than those driven by purely idealogical reasons, are those who have never experienced the "service" given by them......

[bauble]

Originally Posted by midgetman

That was my thought. Digging up every street and every garden in GB isn't going to be popular.

As for re-starting the railways Most of them aren't there. They all lost money hence they were closed in the first place.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

When I am running the country every member of this forum will have free 200mps broadband, I will invest £2,000,000,000 in grants for restoring historic cars. The NHS will have another several trillion pounds every week for higher management salaries, All remainers will be deported to Nigeria. School children will get free milk everyday, even on Sundays. The trains will run on time, and floods will be abolished. I just have to get elected first.

Top that Mr Cornbin.

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by midgetman

That was my thought. Digging up every street and every garden in GB isn't going to be popular.

We had to suffer it in London for years, constant roadworks and hold ups so I'm voting Corbit just so you lot in the sticks can suffer the same. BTW they don't dig your garden up, just lay the cable on top of it or in my case on top of the drive, makes it easier to cut with shears or flatten with the car trailer

[justracing]

You have my vote.

[bauble]

Originally Posted by justracing

You have my vote.

That's two then, as even the wife won't vote for me!

[midgetman]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

We had to suffer it in London for years, constant roadworks and hold ups so I'm voting Corbit just so you lot in the sticks can suffer the same. BTW they don't dig your garden up, just lay the cable on top of it or in my case on top of the drive, makes it easier to cut with shears or flatten with the car trailer

We did here in the sticks, too. Only we didn't get access to the service for several years, it was only for people in larger conurbations.

[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by BertMk2

The argument is that they're a public service, not a money making exercise
- much like Post Office branches in small villages - not profitable but provide a service (until they get closed following privatisation).

To be accurate there are no Post Office branches in villages. Sub-Post Offices are a franchise operation, almost always operated in conjunction with a retail shop. They are only closed when the franchisee gives them up or breaks the rules, or the PO decides there are too many in a particular area, these days caused by reduced demand due to societal changes - far less use of cash, far more online services (VED, NS, courier services etc etc).

https://runapostoffice.co.uk/home/co...y-post-office/

[midgetman]

Back to the original purpose of this thread. It appears that Brexit does have the support of both mainstream religion and a major figure in motorsport history.


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[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by midgetman

Back to the original purpose of this thread. It appears that Brexit does have the support of both mainstream religion and a major figure in motorsport history.

You look bloody cold standing there Max

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

We had to suffer it in London for years, constant roadworks and hold ups so I'm voting Corbit just so you lot in the sticks can suffer the same. BTW they don't dig your garden up, just lay the cable on top of it or in my case on top of the drive, makes it easier to cut with shears or flatten with the car trailer

Mentioning that I have for years had a monthly letter from Virgin suggesting I ask them to connect to the fibre that runs in the street. They never seem to give up. At one point a team turned up to do the installation as someone, no idea who, had apparently "ordered" it unknown to me.

I don't recall seeing the regular mail for a couple of months. I wonder if they finally gave up?

[Lancsbreaker]

Originally Posted by grantp

Mentioning that I have for years had a monthly letter from Virgin suggesting I ask them to connect to the fibre that runs in the street. They never seem to give up. At one point a team turned up to do the installation as someone, no idea who, had apparently "ordered" it unknown to me.

I don't recall seeing the regular mail for a couple of months. I wonder if they finally gave up?

Didn't think they ever gave up - we've been with them since they were Cable and Wireless, then NTL, then Virgin, but I still get regular emails from them trying to get me to have their mobile service too......


Having said that last month our (very rarely used) Virgin landline was out of order for a few days - got an automatic credit of £24 (£8/day after 48 hours, I think) on this months bill - which I found acceptable First fault of any duration I can remember in years.

[Mike Harte]

I've been with Virgin Media for 10 years since I returned from Spain, and am, on the whole, pretty happy with them. They were content to credit me for the few months that their broadband was oversubscribed in my area causing the speed to be considerably throttled back.

They gave up trying to flog me extra services, possibly because - and this does annoy me - every time that they try to put up their price, and that can sometimes be every 6 months, I call them up to say that I don't want to pay any extra. And so, every year, they give me a Loyalty Discount that's getting bigger and bigger as time goes by.

[midgetman]

Originally Posted by grantp

Mentioning that I have for years had a monthly letter from Virgin suggesting I ask them to connect to the fibre that runs in the street. They never seem to give up. At one point a team turned up to do the installation as someone, no idea who, had apparently "ordered" it unknown to me.

I don't recall seeing the regular mail for a couple of months. I wonder if they finally gave up?

Why wouldn't you? It's good stuff, fibre b/b.

Sounds like compulsory soon, too. Probably with a big smart TV that occupies one wall and can see as well as transmit.

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[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

They gave up trying to flog me extra services, possibly because - and this does annoy me - every time that they try to put up their price, and that can sometimes be every 6 months, I call them up to say that I don't want to pay any extra. And so, every year, they give me a Loyalty Discount that's getting bigger and bigger as time goes by.

Last time they put the price up from £39 to £54 in one hit I told them I was going elsewhere, they offered me a contract for £36 PM but I declined and get a termination date, Three days later they phoned and I got it down to £30PM.

[Mike Bell]

Licence renewal forms are out, and looks like I can renew on line for a change. No Med or ECG if I’m quick!

[Peter Mallett]

Vote Corbyn and you'll never need a licence medical again.

[bauble]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Vote Corbyn and you'll never need a licence medical again.

No but he could be 'certified'

[grantp]

Originally Posted by midgetman

Why wouldn't you? It's good stuff, fibre b/b.

Sounds like compulsory soon, too. Probably with a big smart TV that occupies one wall and can see as well as transmit.

Well, I have no interest in the TV content and management seems to be quite happy with Freeview.

BT Internet seems to provide as much speed as I need and does so quite reliably in the main with unlimited data.

In the main comms and download speeds are constrained by the remote supplier server and most of them seem to be working at lower speeds than BT's copper can deliver. That suggests the Virgin, et al, would have the same problem except, perhaps, for their own content. And that content does not interest me.

So I can't see any point to considering a change at the moment.

[Mike Bell]

Maybe my hearing is fading, but could have sworn all the Twitter fuss this morning was about ‘fat check’. Very size-ist, I thought!

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Maybe my hearing is fading, but could have sworn all the Twitter fuss this morning was about ‘fat check’. Very size-ist, I thought!

Monetarist surely? (American version)

I'm beginning to wonder whether it might be sensible to rebrand the mentioned messaging system to twitterfuss since it would seem to be a more relevant name-for-purpose handle.

[bauble]

Originally Posted by grantp

Well, I have no interest in the TV content and management seems to be quite happy with Freeview.

BT Internet seems to provide as much speed as I need and does so quite reliably in the main with unlimited data.

In the main comms and download speeds are constrained by the remote supplier server and most of them seem to be working at lower speeds than BT's copper can deliver. That suggests the Virgin, et al, would have the same problem except, perhaps, for their own content. And that content does not interest me.

So I can't see any point to considering a change at the moment.

Luddite!

[Mike Bell]

Excited () to get my postal voting slip for the GE. Checking the 4 candidates for this constituency, there’s a 35yr old long haired LibDem candidate called Steffan living in N Norfolk, a Con with an address in Islington, a Lab with an address in Salford, and an Ind hailing from W Suffolk.....

Spoiled for choice?

[grantp]

Originally Posted by bauble

Luddite!

Thanks Bob!