The government sucks.
The crisis over the Euro has been averted (for a while anyway, until they wake up and remember that history has taught us that austerity measures make recessions worse not better, there's always the chance it may go pear-shaped again).
Lynn Ames' new book arrived today. I was surprised it got here so quickly. The Royal Mail isn't usually that swift.
In fact there was an opinion piece in my paper yesterday on that very thing. A US American correspondent, currently living over here, wrote a short piece comparing two institutions with their US equivalents. First she praised the NHS, said how brilliant it was. Especially compared to the US system. (Well, the World Health Org. has said The NHS is one of the most cost-effective and efficient services in the world. I think the US system comes well down the list). I preened a little at that. We Brits may grumble about the NHS but we love it.
Then she compared the Royal Mail with US Postal Service.
Unfavourably.
In fact she praised the USPS to the skies. And basically said the Royal Mail was crap.
Immediate knee-jerk reaction from me. Bloody Yank. How dare she... Then I stopped being an arrogant Little Englander for two seconds. And I had to admit that she was right. The USPS is pretty damn' good. The Royal Mail is expensive, inefficient, ineffective, and slow. The cynic in me wonders if this is deliberate. Yet more of our government's "destroy the national industries so we can sell the cheaply to our big-business friends and they can rake in the dosh" tactics. (They are, after all, trying to privatise the NHS by the back door - not quite successfully as things stand, doctors, nurses, and the public took up arms against it.) It has already been set up so that RM can be privatised at any moment. But if I'm honest I have to admit that this sorry state of affairs pre-dates the current administration. And the one before.
Maybe we should send the chairman of the Royal Mail over to the USA to learn how it's done.
Ze
- Babylon 5
- Dinner for Two by Susan P (ShatterStorm Productions).
BtVS
- Chapter 22 of Life's Disastrous Winds by Jaywriter (BuffynFaith.Net).
- Chapter 13 of Across the Universe by Fallenredeemer (BuffynFaith.Net).
- Chapter 2 of Love Me Always by oxoxbibioxox (BuffynFaith.Net).
Legend of the Seeker
- Part 14 of Rarely Resisted by dylanxtra_x (LotS Femslash).
Lost Girl
- No One Else Will Do by Layla Aaron (ShatterStorm Productions).
NCIS
- Believe In Me by olivia_j (NCIS Femslash).
Once Upon a Time
- I Just Need a Moment by LZClotho (FFdotNet).
- Confession by LZClotho (FFdotNet).
Original
- Another Angel by JLNicky (Butches, Babes, and Bards).
Poltergeist: The Legacy
- Five Kisses by A. Magiluna Stormwriter (ShatterStorm Productions).
South of Nowhere
- Chapter 6 of Let’s Get Married by Dev (Clom n Dev's S-O-N Fanfiction).
Voyager
- Fractions by LZClotho (FFdotNet).
1 comment:
From what you have told us of your experiences with the Royal Mail I'd have to agree that the USPS does a better job. Now you should ask why our politicians seem to want to gut the USPS?
As for your health care...hands down have us beat. Ours just gets more and more dysfunctional with each passing year. I fear the insurance industry will continue to have a stranglehold and we will continue to decline unless real change is allowed to happen.
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