Leighton's special delivery

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c8a0d8d8-cbda ... ck_check=1

Postal unions have spent the past week arguing about the speed at which members have to complete their rounds. If four miles an hour feels rushed for people charged with delivering our letters, imagine how they feel about Lord Mandelson's desire to deliver part-privatisation in mere months.

The legislative hurdle may yet prove insuperable - at least until after an election. But Richard Hooper's report on the future of Royal Mail is still a landmark, particularly for Allan Leighton, Royal Mail chairman. He has been talking about these sorts of reforms since he took on the thankless task in 2002. The need to switch regulation from Postcomm to Ofcom is a particularly sweet victory for Mr Leighton only months before he steps down as chairman. It may turn out to be the only recommendation that can be pushed through quickly but at least Mr Leighton will be able to give his successor a clearer view of the route ahead.

The situation for postal services in the UK remains, in Mr Hooper's words, "untenable". It's sad and strange, given Royal Mail's history and the commitment of successive governments to privatisations in other sectors, that the prospect of partial takeover by Dutch, German or American rivals looks like progress.

Still, Mr Hooper deserves credit for fearlessly addressing the issues facing Royal Mail. So does Lord Mandelson, who grabbed the initiative on his surprise return to government. He deftly played the credit crunch card to convince the prime minister the Post Office could be remade, improbably, as the nation's most trusted financial services provider.

But if he is to succeed in pushing through the partial sale of Royal Mail, he will need all the political capital he won with unions and Labour back-benchers by "saving" the network.

[Pat Ostman]

since he took on the thankless task

Who writes this f***ing shite? THANKLESS? The git gets paid MILLIONS!

[fmrPOSTIE]

didn't this bastard (AL) say in an interview that he thought Royal Mail would never be privatisaed and that there was no need to...? i'll try and find a link to it i think it was a HARDtalk interview with the BBC NEWS 24 channel..this proves this guys is dishonest.

[k979aaa]

since he took on the thankless task

Who writes this f***ing shite? THANKLESS? The git gets paid MILLIONS!

Yep i wish i had his thankless task his 7 or is it 8 or nine job's now. All for doing fu*k all and getting his mini me :cfo to do it all for him! My heart and my soul and my hand's and feet bleed for him every day! :lfo :lfo :lfo :lfo :lfo

[brothermagrew]

My heart and my soul and my hand's and feet bleed for him every day!

Yours and a few hundred thousand others!

Q. On the subject of Leighton, has there been any successor to his post named yet?

[k979aaa]

My heart and my soul and my hand's and feet bleed for him every day!

Yours and a few hundred thousand others!

Q. On the subject of Leighton, has there been any successor to his post named yet?

Co Co the clown a side no idea brother!.

[BELIAL]

Bernard Dikshit has been suggested and someone called Rupert Deripraska

[k979aaa]

Bernard Dikshit has been suggested and someone called Rupert Deripraska

OR dikshit madoff with deiripraska!. Sound obscene and probably is!.

[BELIAL]

Bernard Dikshit has been suggested and someone called Rupert Deripraska

OR dikshit madoff with deiripraska!. Sound obscene and probably is!.

Think I bought a tub of that at our Polish deli on Friday Up the Schlacta Viva Stanislas Ponietowski

[k979aaa]

Bernard Dikshit has been suggested and someone called Rupert Deripraska

OR dikshit madoff with deiripraska!. Sound obscene and probably is!.

Think I bought a tub of that at our Polish deli on Friday Up the Schlacta Viva Stanislas Ponietowski

Adam :cfo uses it all the time when alan's around and mandy has ordered a load from russia with love!.