Reply to: Evil EU strikes again

[OwlHoot]

Quick ! Get your hat back on !



Where's my picture ???

The Illuminati must have pinched it!

[BrilloPad]

And how much of that increased safety has come from the philanthropic nature of the privatised franchises compared to how much from EU regulation?

Entirely due to the trains running so slowly.

[radish2008]

WHS (meant to make the same point before Milan bungey jumped in and beat me to it)

And once cash is eliminated, there will be absolutely no privacy, and the EU can impose a transaction tax on every transfer.

So far from benefitting consumers long term, the EU are taking this sinister first step towards a totalitarian's dream.

Quick ! Get your hat back on !



Where's my picture ???

[WTFH]

Another rail statistic is your chances of dying whilst travelling by train. Since privatisation, the number of passengers and journeys has increased, but fatalities caused by train crashes has gone to almost zero. The last crash fatality was over 10 years ago when one person died in all that carnage at Grayrigg.

(Excluding suicides, pedestrian foolishness, level crossing incidents and other similar train to car incidents)

And how much of that increased safety has come from the philanthropic nature of the privatised franchises compared to how much from EU regulation?

[chopper]

I'm not sure I can agree with you there on service. Numbers of journeys and passengers has increased, and trains arriving on time has also increased. Fares have increased in real terms (2.7% though, hardly skyrocketing).

Another rail statistic is your chances of dying whilst travelling by train. Since privatisation, the number of passengers and journeys has increased, but fatalities caused by train crashes has gone to almost zero. The last crash fatality was over 10 years ago when one person died in all that carnage at Grayrigg.

(Excluding suicides, pedestrian foolishness, level crossing incidents and other similar train to car incidents)

[NotAllThere]

...And once cash is eliminated...

It'll never last. Some beggar, sooner or later, will write an IOU... (Neal Asher - Gridlinked)

there will be absolutely no privacy

And there is now? when was the last time you made a significant payment in cash?

...and the EU can impose a transaction tax on every transfer.

As opposed to bank charges, or lost of interest during "clearing"?

[meridian]

Evil EU strikes again

I'm not "remembering the old days with great fondness", nor do I belong in the Tory Party. I'm saying there has not been an improvement in service, yet instead of a reduction in fares, they have skyrocketed.

I'm not sure I can agree with you there on service. Numbers of journeys and passengers has increased, and trains arriving on time has also increased. Fares have increased in real terms (2.7% though, hardly skyrocketing).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail..._Great_Britain

Vodaphone are tulipe though, they were on Watchdog again last night.

[Paddy]

No, it isn't. They have millions of customers, and if they want to keep them they'd do well to listen to them. Nobody will want to be the first network to reintroduce roaming charges. How many customers do you think they'd lose?

I you phone from the IOM or CI you will not only do you still pay roaming charges but also the rates are horrendous. It the phone companies wanted competition, then they had ample opportunity to reduce roaming charges for the IOM and CI. Last time I was in the IOM, two hours on Vodafone cost me £250.

Another benefit we may lose is the EU wide cover for car insurance. It will be back to the old days of purchasing a green card.

[AtW]

Mainline trains got nicer, quicker.

Fares gone way beyond where they should be - totally unequitable deal.

[WTFH]

Whilst I work on the other points, we'll start on rail. Yes fares went up (by far too much) post privatisation, but if you remember the old British Rail days with much fondness for great service, you really are ready for the loony bin. The only good thing about the service back then was that one could smoke on trains, which helped pass the time spent not actually moving.

I'm not "remembering the old days with great fondness", nor do I belong in the Tory Party. I'm saying there has not been an improvement in service, yet instead of a reduction in fares, they have skyrocketed.

[Mordac]

Zero (or a tiny fraction of a percent)

1. Where is their bigger customer base? UK or Outside UK?
2. Which customers will be worse off as a result? UK or Outside UK?
3. How long after one network does it before the others follow suit? You know how privatising the rail network was supposed to improve services and reduce fares, but what actually happened was increased fares and reduced service.

Just to add some numbers to that...
Vodafone have a 16% market share in the UK. They also have the worst customer service, according to Which. Even with that terrible customer service, their loyal customers aren't running from them. It's like people voting Tory no matter how often they lie/do U turns.

Vodafone UK were responsible for £6.4 billion revenue in 2015. £22 billion came from Europe and £13 billion from elsewhere.

Whilst I work on the other points, we'll start on rail. Yes fares went up (by far too much) post privatisation, but if you remember the old British Rail days with much fondness for great service, you really are ready for the loony bin. The only good thing about the service back then was that one could smoke on trains, which helped pass the time spent not actually moving.

[WTFH]

...rather than the UK being forced into it with no say, as we've been in practice for just about every EEC/EU initiative since we joined the common market!

Sorry, how many laws have the UK been forced into by the EU without any say whatsoever?
It's one of your claims again, so I'd love to see some facts to back it up, rather than just a DM type headline.

[OwlHoot]

Does that mean that by TM the PM taking the EU proposal and pushing it further than the EU wants it pushed that she is doing a more sinister first step towards he totalitarian dream?

You can't have your argument both ways!

That's undeniably a fair point.

But as always, once we're out of the EU it will be the UK Parliament's responsibility to either implement or ditch this scheme, rather than the UK being forced into it with no say, as we've been in practice for just about every EEC/EU initiative since we joined the common market!

[WTFH]

WHS (meant to make the same point before Milan bungey jumped in and beat me to it)

And once cash is eliminated, there will be absolutely no privacy, and the EU can impose a transaction tax on every transfer.

So far from benefitting consumers long term, the EU are taking this sinister first step towards a totalitarian's dream.

Does that mean that by TM the PM taking the EU proposal and pushing it further than the EU wants it pushed that she is doing a more sinister first step towards he totalitarian dream?

You can't have your argument both ways!

[OwlHoot]

the EU et al want a cashless society, this is a step in that direction ...

WHS (meant to make the same point before Milan bungey jumped in and beat me to it)

And once cash is eliminated, there will be absolutely no privacy, and the EU can impose a transaction tax on every transfer.

So far from benefitting consumers long term, the EU are taking this sinister first step towards a totalitarian's dream.