The Queen's head on postage stamps.

[anotheoldgit]

http://tinyurl.com/2vb99hg

So a new law is to be passed to ensure that the Queen's head (says nothing about the king's head) remains on postage stamps after the planned privatisation of the Royal Mail.

Whether or not anyone is interested about the introduction of this new law, wouldn't it have also been an idea to introduce such restrictive laws on some of the past privatisations?

[dzug2]

Why would it be a good idea at all - save in a woolly emotive sense?

[boxtops]

I think it's a good idea, but it must relate to the current Royal - sounds as if they were caught completely on the back foot on this one.

[mollykins]

Did you know we are the only country not to have the name of our country on our stamps? <waits to be proven wrong (I normally am)>

[mike11111]

For once you are right.

[anotheoldgit]

It is a wonder that there hasn't been a cry for a Scottish stamp yet?

[jake-the-peg]

Don't think I quite get your point

What past privatisations are you thinking of?

I don't recall the Queen's head on Telephones

[anotheoldgit]

Sorry you couldn't understand where I was coming from jake.

What I was referring to was the fact that they can introduce laws to protect the Queens head on stamps, but fail to introduce certain restrictive laws on companies they privatise.

[DTCwordfan]

they have forgotten that the royal logo respective to the monarch was on all old phone boxes.......

[DTCwordfan]

Scotland deserves stamping on. And they have had Scottish basic stamps as well as for NI...........

[Postdog]

As a postman before things started to go wrong, I am of the opinion that much of what is wrong with RM today is BECAUSE of foreign interference, specifically the EU dictating that the market had to opened to others (which means the foreign firms who have cherry picked the bits they can do but left the bits they can't)

[jake-the-peg]

Oh I thought you were refering to specific royal symbolism.

Well the problem is if you start putting too many restrictive covenant on things you want to privatise you are going to affect the price and possibly even the privatisation of the sale.

Having said that I think there will have been a lot of restrictions about any privatisations that had national security implications.

BT for example or AWE or Royal Ordinance

[DTCwordfan]

I disagree about the EU interference.

The RM has a major issue/challenge in that the amount of mail is falling quickly as the internet takes over.

Then over 15 million pieces goes missing a year. People are losing confidence and it is on this that other carriers succeed. The US Mail has also had similar experiences.

It needs a totally new business model or be broken up and sold off - probably retaining Government gold key shares and a pre-requisite that they are UK owned. Secondly, if they arer so good then there must be business opportunities in other countries to run their mail. A bit like the Royal Mint who generate the coins and notes for many nations.

[DTCwordfan]

agree Jake and even on government spin-offs such as DERA investment companies and partnerships.

[Postdog]

Yeah well you would disgree cos I said it.

[mike11111]

I think the answer lies in the question. As long as it is the Royal Mail it should bear the royal cypher, whether that be a portrait of the monarch or otherwise, such as EIIR. If sold off, it is a different ball game. When did anyone last receive a letter with the superscription OHMS?

[eyethenkyew]

Oooooooohhhhhhhhh, hang on, I'll have to mull this one over. Mmmmmhhhhhhhh.............Now, do I really want a stamp with HRH's head on it....OR...One without her head on it ???

That's a tough one (he lied!): Will it get there quicker one way or the other? Will it cost more one way or the other? Will one be more expensive if it bears "one's" head on it, as opposed to the other, "common", one?

Oooooohhhhh.....decisions.....decisions.....d
ecisions...errrr,
anyone have a coin I can toss, please????????????????????????????

[THECORBYLOON]

aog there are Scots, Ulster and Welsh definitives (ordinary stamps) already.

[DTCwordfan]

Postdog I found that remark distasteful and if you noticed I didnt mention anything about their delivery record.

They need some radical surgery if they are too survive.

[THECORBYLOON]

"Postdog I found that remark distasteful" while "Scotland needs stamping on" is not distasteful in the least!!!!!

[DTCwordfan]

Keep out of it.