margesimpson

According to the Sunday Times 2 million parcels and letters will be lost or delayed by the Royal Mail this Christmas. Last year Royal Mail was fined a record £11.4m fine for failing to adequately prevent mail being lost, damaged or stolen. It's widely known that every year they "lose" around 15 million items so losing (or delaying) 2 million at Christmas might well be the case. Not according to David Simpson, head of media relations at Royal Mail. He told the BBC that he "had not heard of one case of an item of mail being lost or delayed in the run-up to Christmas." Is he related to Chemical Ali by any chance? Or Gordon Brown? And who is he trying to kid? No wonder the country is in the state it is.

Well thank you Mr Parry

£600 on flights and the rest on presents (including laptop). I expect little in return. A few good books do me.

Probably 3k by the time I have finished - pretty typical year. PS None of it borrowed either.

A link of sorts: Doom and gloom It's all doom and gloom in the News of the World for home owners, as it predicts that repossessions will leap by 50% next year. It says data indicates the number of families thrown onto the street will rise from 30,000 this year to 45,000 next. The People sees benefits for first time buyers, who have dropped to their lowest level since the 1980s. With house prices looking set to fall there's hope for those looking to buy their first property. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7158039.stm

Having been to Cuba four times I know fine well that all is not perfect thee, but I was making the literacy point simply because of the spelling brigade being out and about Again though, imagine how "rich" everyone would be in Cuba if we showered them with credit cards, unsecured loans and the like. They might even be as "rich" as us AND have a better health and education system to boot.

You say "rumours in the city", but then go on to say "I'm guessing . . . " I'm guessing you haven't actually heard any rumours . . .

It may have escaped your attention, but Latin American countries do have currencies of their own - this measure simply sidesteps the need for the dollar to play a part in Latin American trade. Why is that ridiculous?

Although the literacy rate in Cuba is higher than the UK's I'm also fed up with being treated like a criminal at the ferry terminal. Two adults, two kids in a car, and you get the third degree - while white van man with his back axle trailing along the ground gets waved merrily by.

No, only between fascist arseholes and a deep felt need to correct people's spelling.

The sooner the better.

Much cheaper at Book Depository. http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/WEBSITE/WW...p?id=085683243X

Really? How many people in the UK can afford to buy a turkey, etc., without resorting to credit cards, overdrafts, loans, etc.,? If there had been 60 million credit cards in circulation in 1929, I'm sure eating turkey at Christmas wouldn't have been a problem either.

ID cards won't happen and your cashless society won't happen either - certainly not by 2012. I'm amazed you think either is a good idea. Indeed if both come about in the UK, you will be left to enjoy them on your ownsome because anyone with any sense will have upped sticks and moved elsewhere. By the way, your Manchester Airport example hardly adds any weight to your case. Basically what you are saying is anyone could have used your card to pay for a pick-up. The first you would have known about it would be when you merrily checked your bank statement.