SCUNTHORPE TELEGRAPH WEEKLY PAPER
03 August 2011 by JOHN DONALDSONWhilst the change of the Scunthorpe Telegraph to a weekly paper is for me regrettable, it is inevitable considering the financial reality.
For whatever the reasons for the current financial climate, either the Labour Party mismanagement or banking ineptitude, the costs of running any business is surely almost impossible to sustain.
If the Telegraph management believe publishing costs and revenues have to be reconsidered then so be it, and congratulations to them for recognising reality.
It is just a pity that we in the UK cannot accept this reality when it comes to keeping open the out-of-date subsidised post offices, libraries and other unnecessary public community organisations and bodies at costs the UK taxpayer cannot afford.
We, as a corporate body, are failing to recognise we now live in a computer world where post offices, libraries and the like are, “old hat”, out of date and can all be accessed on the internet.
Some will say they cannot operate computers which in today’s times is not acceptable. Taxpayers are subsidising unaffordable shops and other community items.
If I, with my limited knowledge and limited ability can operate all the items on the internet then anyone can do it so let us recognise financial reality and get the UK going again.
I wish I could see a positive future for the UK generally but until we are prepared to change our thoughts and culture away from the out-of-date socialist and trade union spendthrift philosophy and confine these thoughts to the opposition benches on a permanent basis then I cannot see any great fundamental change.
However I would like to wish the new weekly Scunthorpe Telegraph every success and best wishes for the future...
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Comments
Whilst I agree with much of this inasmuch as it deals with the fact you cannot pretend the world isn't changing it is a shame that it descends in a partisan attack on Labour. The Scunthorpe Telegraph is struggling for the same reasons the printed media all over the world is (and John articulates), it's just daft to say it's Labour's mismanagement.
Ironically, Labour's period of office was largely well managed. The longest recorded period of economic growth in the UKs history, low inflation, low interest rates and the highest number of people in work ever recorded. This led not only to record investment in things like schools and hospitals but also the repayment of huge amounts of debt that the Tories had left.
Of course the financial meltdown of the banking system changed all of that but not just in the UK and the idea that it was caused by Labour or any other UK political party does not stand up to any credible examination. If only the UK were so influential across the globe!
A more intelligent criticism would be that Labour were there and should have regulated the banks before this all happened. But here's the rub. Gordon Brown (when Chancellor, not PM) tried to do this. He rightly identified that financial regulations were inadequate and had to be worldwide to be effective and tried hard to get other Finance Ministers to agree to such a move. They wouldn't, not least the Americans who thought it was all anti the free market.
In the UK the Tories were criticising Labour for over-regulating the banks.
How ironic that they all now (in this country and abroad) see that this is necessary, though whether they will be willing to be as comprehensive as is needed remains to be seen. A Tea Party US administration would have very little interest I would suggest.
If only they had the foresight that Gordon Brown did. I wonder what he thinks as he watches them come to the conclusion he did all those years ago!
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John had a few problems when creating this article, so I've reformatted it for him.
If there are any issues with what I have done, ie if I've accidentally deleted anything or got it in the wrong order please, drop me an email.
Thanks for the contribution, interesting reading and so good to have a variety of views on the blog, really appreciate you taking the time to post it.
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