Category Archives: Public Services for All

(Graph) Police numbers in London have fallen off a cliff edge since Boris became Mayor

By James Bloodworth | Published: May 17, 2013

2,900 police officers have been cut in London since May 2010, according to new figures released by the Metropolitan Police. Since his re-election in May 2012, Boris Johnson has also cut over 1,300 police officers – despite promising an extra 1,000, the figures show.

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The Royal Mail is a good reason to change the borrowing rules

By Guest | Published: May 17, 2013

Why do we insist that there is no difference between a profitable business that pays its own way, like the postal service, and one that depends mainly on taxation to fund it, like a school or a hospital?

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Right-wing think tank admits stamp price rise and Post Office closures after Royal Mail privatisation

By James Bloodworth | Published: May 14, 2013

Right-wing think tank Bow Group has admitted that the privatisation of the Royal Mail would see the price of stamps rise and leave a “poisonous legacy” for the Tory party.

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Scottish council tax freeze benefits rich at expense of the poor

By Ed Jacobs | Published: May 2, 2013

Scotland’s council tax freeze is harming local public services and benefiting the wealthy the most, undermining the Scottish government’s assertion that the policy is a “vital lifeline to hard pressed Scots”.

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The ultimate betrayal – Shirley Williams and the Lib Dems hit the NHS where it hurts

By Jos Bell | Published: April 25, 2013

April 24 brought Lord Philip Hunt’s motion against the Health and Social Care Act Secondary Legislation Section 75 – a rarely achieved format in the Lords, only allowed in exceptional circumstances.

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Video: Big six energy company paid no corporation tax in three years to 2011

By James Bloodworth | Published: April 17, 2013

Energy company RWE npower did not pay a single penny of corporation tax in three years despite making profits of £766 million.

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Royal Mail wants to combine the best of the private and public sectors

By Guest | Published: April 12, 2013

Earlier this week Mario Dunn of Save Our Royal Mail wrote a post claiming that privatisation of the postal service could see the price of a stamp rise to £1. In the interests of debate we’ve allowed Royal Mail to reply. Candice Macdonald works for the Royal Mail Group Royal Mail makes commerce happen by [...]

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Royal Mail is part of the fabric of the nation – we don’t want to see it ripped apart

By Guest | Published: April 9, 2013

It is highly likely that the government will begin the privatisation of Royal Mail later this year.

Along with a sell off comes the real threat of stamp prices hitting £1. Price regulation on most stamps was scrapped to boost its attractiveness to investors. It is also quite possible that Royal Mail’s VAT exemption will become unlawful. Add VAT to just one price increase similar to the last one and the first class stamp would hit 94p.

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Michael Gove vs Reality

By James Bloodworth | Published: April 3, 2013

Short video from the NASUWT documenting education secretary Michael Gove’s long struggle with reality.

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Dr Beeching may be dead but his spirit lives on

By Guest | Published: March 28, 2013

The government is showing the same type of contempt for the UK’s railways and communities that Beeching did all those years ago.

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